Dave Proctor and his organization “Outrun Rare” put together the second largest Backyard Ultra in history with the help of the distance running community, to raise our hopes and spread the word for all of us in isolation or quarantine, surpassing 2700 virtual runners, and they did it in just two weeks! He shares about how he started doing this and what brought him into the Ultra world, as well as setting multiple Canadian running records, and starting "Outrun Rare" to help spread awareness for and gain help for people with rare diseases- research and treatment of them.
He gives a few examples of the attempts he has made and plans to cross Canada running in the summer of 2021 (originally slated for this year before the ovid19 Crisis) so we can wrap our minds around it better. He provides advice for those of us who are having to stay home and get creative, so as not to divert our attention in negative ways, but focus on the positive. Lastly, he explains why the Quarantine Backyard Ultra came about specifically and why it had such a huge impact. You can find him at outrunrare.com OR @daveoutrunsrare on Instagram.
Mike Wardian, winner of the Quarantine Backyard Ultra, also chimes in (from his treadmill) as to why this was important for him, and the rallying of his community and family around the cause. He talks about the virtual community and the Ultra community that pulled together to make it happen, and the democratizing aspects of such a venture that reached everywhere, with zero competition from other Pro sports due to the current situation. He also touches on what it's like to have big events cancelled and how we can get in some great workouts from home, including ways to stay motivated (tip: treadmill climbing the elevation of the Empire State Building), and find our own passion within running. He shares a virtual 5K opportunity coming up too, Little Sesame Adventures Virtual race. Mike is always inspiring and draws upon wisdom of races across the globe in comparing this Backyard Ultra and virtual running, and the opportunities it provides for all of us! Mike can be found at his website mikewardian.com OR @mikewardian on Instagram.
All of the information, links and some photos from this episode and past can be found at www.runninganthropologist.com and you can also reach out to message us on Facebook or Instagram @runninganthropologist
