On October 25, Harvey Lewis was the final runner standing on the 2023 Huge Canine’s Yard Extremely, having coated 450 miles in 108 hours, surpassing the earlier yard world document alongside the best way.
The race started at 7 a.m. native time on Saturday, October 21, in Tennessee. Runners tackle a 4.166667-mile loop, known as a “yard” in yard ultrarunning, beginning each hour. Athletes run two routes: a path loop throughout the day and a street loop at night time. Runners are eradicated when they’re unable to complete the loop inside the time restrict or they elect to cease. This continues till there may be one runner left standing.
A few weeks later, we caught up with Harvey to listen to how his restoration goes, what the expertise was like from his perspective, and his ideas on how for much longer he might have saved operating if wanted.
Harvey Lewis throughout the 2023 Huge Canine’s Yard Extremely. Photograph: Keith Knipling
iRunFar: Congratulations in your win! It’s a number of weeks later now, how has your restoration been?
Harvey Lewis: Thanks a lot. Truthfully, I simply really feel my ribs are a little bit bruised, however apart from that I really feel actually nice and mentally I’m actually excited concerning the potentialities that Huge’s opened up by way of pushing even additional limits. So, I’m feeling very nicely.
iRunFar: That’s nice to listen to. Did you may have a selected technique in thoughts going into the race — and did you keep on with it or did issues evolve in another way?
Lewis: Yeah, I wished to be as relaxed as potential for so long as potential. It’s certainly one of my mantras to constantly eat energy and I eat all vegan meals. I actually consider it has a profit as a result of I not often get sick, an upset abdomen, and I can eat quite a lot of energy — consuming all types of issues from cookies and chips to soups and noodles, pad Thai, and muffins — all types of meals.
Then there’s a very nice camaraderie between the runners. Although it was a really aggressive group, I imply simply an unimaginable discipline, it was enjoyable to attach with totally different individuals. I attempted to be low key about issues and laid again, but in addition get pleasure from chatting with individuals when the chance got here up. Then additionally taking within the good surroundings. Tennessee in late October is a fantastic fall. You’ve got the altering leaves and the best way that the daylight enters the forest, you get quite a lot of golden coloration.
It’s important to be aware of each step. Not as a lot on the street, for the 13 hours out and again — however within the path portion — I’m usually very aware of my environment and scanning in entrance of myself. Even when I’m chatting with somebody, I do my best to not take my thoughts and my eyes off of the path, as a result of then often you’re on the bottom.
There was a snake in some unspecified time in the future. The Mexican runner in entrance of me jumped over the snake, after which I made this — I regarded like a cat or one thing — goofy transfer as a result of I didn’t know if it was a copperhead. The copperhead snake, they’re venomous and so they mix into the leaves. I did see a pleasant lime inexperienced snake, it was pleasant, it didn’t trouble me. However there are some rattlesnakes round Laz’s [Lazarus Lake/Gary Cantrell’s] property, so it’s important to be a little bit cautious the place you’re stepping.
iRunFar: I’m positive that will get difficult when sleep deprivation kicks in.
Lewis: Yeah.
iRunFar: Did you may have a sleep technique — or I suppose extra of a napping technique — and the way nicely did that work?
Lewis: Sure. Really, I went to this Runningman pageant that was actually the Tuesday earlier than the race. I’m actually attempting to hone my sleeping technique, and I met Todd [Anderson], who owns an organization, Dream Restoration. He gave me a masks and earplugs, and he recommended that I take two deep breaths after which exhale and try this 10 instances to calm the nervous system.
So, I attempted to put down throughout the night time loops. The primary night time, I used to be getting to put down for perhaps 10 minutes, however I actually wasn’t falling asleep an excessive amount of. I used to be simply mendacity there with my eyes shut.
Really, it wasn’t till the fourth night time that I actually obtained to the mode the place I might go to sleep for a minute or two, as a result of I used to be operating 55-minute loops, so it wasn’t quite a lot of time to sleep. Then the fifth day as nicely, I used to be in a position to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to take a one-minute nap,’ after which go to sleep.
iRunFar: The format of the race is tough as a result of it’s straightforward, in a approach. I’m positive the primary few laps for everybody should really feel straightforward, however was there a turning level the place you began to really feel the pinch?
Lewis: Yeah, it relies upon. You undergo waves of it feeling harder. Truthfully on this race this 12 months, I used to be extra drained in day one and day two than I used to be in 2021.
The night time earlier than the race this 12 months, I had one of many three worst nights of sleep I’ve ever had earlier than a race. I might solely go to sleep for 3 hours, I used to be too wound up mentally. In order that was not an effective way to enter the race.
There have been intervals the place I felt drained on the second night, the fourth night, and in day 5. However I at all times needed to work by these difficulties and set up the motivation and the power to proceed ahead.
Harvey Lewis pauses between yards within the late phases of the 2023 Huge Canine’s Yard Extremely. Photograph: Mike Trimpe
iRunFar: Whenever you obtained to the final half day, how did that really feel? There have been totally different milestones, like getting previous the prior world document, after which into the final three left standing and the final two.
Lewis: Yeah, I felt like a clock. I saved on transferring alongside. I felt like, I’ll simply carry on going, and ultimately each lap or two, it was a mathematic equation that another person would drop off.
It saved on going that approach. However it was very fascinating watching different runners and seeing how they reacted after which attempting to carry the road.
I had a very good crew chief, Judd Poindexter, and he was actually good at anticipating what I used to be going to wish to have by way of gasoline.
Additionally, there was heat climate, I believe the warmth index was about 80 [degrees Fahrenheit]. I’d purposely simply come again and dump water over my head. I laid on ice. I’m actually good with scorching climate races, I had publicity operating throughout the most popular locations on the earth with Badwater Ultramarathon 12 instances, so I can anticipate how one can cool my physique, however I believe everybody thought I used to be lifeless.
iRunFar: It is a difficult query, however how lengthy extra do you assume you’ll have been prepared and in a position to keep going if Ihor Verys had stayed going as nicely?
Lewis: It’s a wild thought. It’s actually wonderful. I appeared to get into some form of frequency on the fourth night time the place I might simply go eternally, and it’s a very wild factor. I positively assume it was potential we might have gone by that complete night time.
However then once more, it’s laborious to know as a result of your mind will get right into a sure mode. It’s totally different from the conventional human mode. As quickly because the race was over, an hour later my physique had cooled down, and attending to the tent about 20 meters away was laborious. However if you’re into that mode of being, it attracts on this particular power that’s deep inside us. There are powers that exist to push us past what appears affordable.
I believe that it’s potential I might have saved on going all through that subsequent night time. I used to be transferring very nicely, I didn’t have any accidents, I used to be constantly fueled by good vegan meals. Then it might’ve introduced us again to the path once more. The query would’ve been — how would we’ve got responded to the path the subsequent day? Was that potential? Then into the sixth day, what was going to occur?
iRunFar: Issues might have gotten actually fascinating.
Lewis: Very a lot. There was a time the place it was unfathomable that somebody might make it 4 days on Huge Canine’s Yard. After all, even the concept of ending a 3rd day was as soon as thought unattainable. Right here there have been 22 runners that made it to 300 miles. It’s a fantastic factor.
iRunFar: Yeah, it’s wonderful. Then lastly, what’s subsequent for you? Have you ever obtained every other objectives in thoughts?
Lewis: Oh yeah, yeah. Nicely, since I gained Huge’s, I can sort of get away with saying that whoever wins will get an automated entry into the Barkley Marathons. That will positively must be the factor that’s going to maintain me up some nights.
iRunFar: After all. That will be so cool. Thanks a lot for taking the time to speak to us.
Lewis: Thanks.
