Records fall at Uis

For the third year running, Andre Ross was the last person standing at the Brandberg Backyard Ultra (BBU) held at Uis over the weekend.

He covered 22 laps which add up to 147km, cementing his dominance after a spirited PC Visser conceded during lap 22 of another “very successful” Backyard Ultra.

This effort broke the overall course record which Ross set in 2022 at 20 laps. The second runner up was Johan Bronkhorst, who managed 20 laps (134km), followed by Erich Goeieman with 18 laps (121km).

This year also saw a strong female field, with Danielle Zimny, Renata Stolze as well as Corne Verwey all breaking reigning women’s champion Kirsty Brits’ course record of 13 laps (87 km).

Zimny and Stolze both tapped out after 15 laps (100 km) as Verwey completed another lap to be crowned the new women’s course record holder with 16 laps.

Of the 42 ultra runners that started, 17 were women and 25 were men. It was the deepest and most competitive field of runners that the BBU has seen, with 15 of them surpassing the 67 km/10 laps mark. Five of these competitors were ladies.

A further 11 runners completed 13 laps (87 km) and eight completed 15 laps (100 km), three of whom were women.

Unfortunately, two exceptionally talented ultra runners, Pamela Vurayai and Martin Kalwenya, were disqualified after they failed to be in the starting coral at the start of a lap.

A total of 139 runners signed up for the competition, 53 for the full ultra and just as many for the challenge which is up to six laps, while 32 did the one lap fun run.

Like all backyard ultras, runners had to complete a full lap of the 6,7km course every hour and be in the starting coral on top of the following hour to be able to continue their race.

Once a runner can’t complete a lap of the course within the hour, they have a DNF marked next to their name and that is the end of their race. The last person who can complete a lap within the 1-hour time limit is crowned the winner.

All races kicked off at 08h00 at the Brandberg Rest Camp, which hosted the race village, and conditions were cool but wind-still.

During the day it got hotter, and the wind picked up a little, for which runners were grateful.

“RMB Namibia, the presenting partner of the Brandberg Backyard Ultra for the third consecutive year, played a crucial role in the event’s success. Their support extends beyond the sport, contributing to environmental conservation efforts in Namibia,” says BBU race director Riana Scholtz.

“Following the success of last year’s event auction, this year’s charity auction will again be held online from 5 August, allowing participants to bid via a WhatsApp group.

“Proceeds will benefit Save the Rhino Trust Namibia, Ocean Conservation Namibia, Desert Lion Conservation, The Skeleton Coast Brown Hyena Project and the Pangolin Conservation and Research Foundation,” Scholtz says.

Additionally, 16 athletes opted to forgo event shirts and donate towards planting indigenous trees, supporting the Gondwana Collection Namibia’s ‘Adopt a Quiver Tree Project.’