The eager lap up backyard trails

“With the first day of lockdown, I created a 290-metre lap in my backyard to get some running in,” he said. He sent a video of himself completing a five-kilometre run to Eloff Hoffman from Tshwane, who is also a race director of the Mac Mac Ultra.

“Eloff answered with a 42,3-kilometre run on the same day, challenging me to do the same,” Pienaar said.

One would think this a daunting task, but the runners were able to live up to the challenge because, in Hoffman’s words, “we are ultra runners and because we have the time”.  And so the #UltraBackyardTrailChallenge was born.

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An ultra-distance is considered to be any distance longer than a marathon of 42,2 kilometres and a gauntlet was thrown down for fellow runners to complete the 42,3-kilometre distance in laps shorter than 300 metres. Pienaar then took things to the next level, by completing the furthest distance of the Mac Mac Ultra in his backyard – 162 kilometres. He did so in just over 26 hours.

This is like running from Mbombela to White River and back four times. As Pienaar is confined to his backyard, he ran the 290-metre lap over 560 times cover the distance. Hoffman and Pienaar decided to broaden the circle, issuing the same challenge to the trail-running fraternity.

“While running such a distance in your backyard, you think of crazy ideas. This led us to creating an event on social media called the #UltraBackyardTrailChallenge,” Pienaar added.

Runners who took up the challenge in this free event are handed a branded cap and the response has been overwhelming. According to Pienaar, these runners took to the challenge with gusto. Some completed the 50-kilometre distance, others added six to equal the Two Oceans distance of 56 kilometres.

“Incredibly, 142 challengers have finished the challenge to date, including 23 Lowvelders who conquered the 42,3 kilometres in their backyards.” A few participants took on the 90 to 100 kilometre distance, the equivalent of running the Comrades Marathon.

“Astoundingly, we have eight 100-mile finishers, one of which one was Pienaar and another former Sabie resident, Jaco van Staden, who now lives in Pretoria. We do this for the love of trail running and to support a very passionate community of trail runners in South Africa, because we all miss the mountains.”

For Pienaar and runners of his ilk, being able to do this at home is the most special part. “This allows us to share the passion of the sport and inspires our spouses and children. All the children also took part and completed some laps,” he said. For more information, visit the Ultra Backyard Trail Challenge and Fresh Trails event pages on Facebook.

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• The inaugural Mac Mac Ultra took place in Sabie in May last year. Organisers were left with no choice but to postpone this year’s race. The new date is yet to be confirmed.