Ultra-Marathon Champion and 'Last Man Standing' Takes On Iconic, Grueling Race

Harvey Lewis, Ultramarathon champion and current 'Last Man Standing' - the winner of Big Dog's Backyard Ultra, is preparing to defend his title in 2024.

Harvey Lewis - The Last Man Standing / Harvey Lewis

Ultra-Marathon Champion Harvey Lewis

Harvey Lewis, a 47-year old high school teacher from Cincinnati, Ohio, is a champion ultra-marathon runner, great guy, and serious badass. His running accomplishments span decades. He represented Team USA at the International Association of Ultra-Runners 24-Hour World Championships in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2017.

Lewis has competed in many marque events including the Badwater Ultra-marathon, Arrowhead Region Ultra and the Marathon des Sables. In 2014, Lewis won the Badwater Ultramarathon, an invitation-only event, in just under 23 hours and 53 minutes. The Badwater might be the world's toughest race due to deathly-hot temperatures and challenging elevation changes. Harvey also won Long Haul 100 Mile trail race in Land-o-Lakes, Florida twice - in 2020 and 2022. 

Harvey speaks with an excitement and conviction that immediately has one pulling for him. He started running in middle school with moderate success. But when a friend doubted his ability to run the Cleveland Marathon, he took off. Such doubt ignited motivation and commitment, and Harvey spent the next 27 years competing in over 100 Ultra Marathons with great success. He says of training, "I love the training, seeing the growth - it's tough, but I like it." 

Harvey Lewis is also the reigning ‘Last Man Standing’ – the 2023 winner of Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra. The Big Dog is perhaps the world’s most grueling endurance challenge. In October 2023, Harvey broke the Backyard Ultra record by completing 108 laps (450 miles) over five days of running.

Harvey Lewis - Ultramarathon Champion / Harvey Lewis

Big Dog's Backyard Ultra - The Ultimate Ultra Challenge

Big Dog's Backyard Ultra, often simply referred to as Big's Backyard Ultra, is a one-of-a-kind endurance race, where participants run a 4.167-mile loop every hour. The distance of the loop is equal to 100 divided by 24, which results in the participants running 100 miles for each full day of the race. 

The race format is deceptively simple yet incredibly demanding. The 4.167-mile trail loop weaves through the woods during the day, and on paved roads at night. Competitors have exactly one hour to complete the loop, and the race starts anew at the top of each hour. This cycle continues until only one runner remains standing. In essence, it's a last-person-standing race, where participants must run a loop every hour until they can no longer meet the time limit, opting out voluntarily or failing to complete a lap in the given hour.

The competitor that completes a loop that no else completes, wins - becoming the 'The Last Man Standing'.  If no one can complete one lap beyond all other competitors, there is no winner, which occurred in 2014. The legendary race was created by Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell, the mastermind behind the infamous, and grueling, Barkley Marathon. 

'The Last Man Standing' Racks Up Vertical

Harvey won the 'Big's Backyard Ultra' in 2021, setting the World Record by running 354.169 miles in 85 hours (85 laps).  The loop has an elevation of approximately 450 ft., which means Harvey attained an aggregate 38,250 of vertical feet over the course of his astonishing accomplishment. That's almost 10,000 feet higher than Mt. Everest.  

Harvey broke his own record in 2023, running 450 miles in 108 hours.  This time 'climbing' an aggregate of 48,600 vertical feet. Harvey has a wonderful 'Can-Do' attitude, saying "Identify problems, but never say anything negative". 

In the end, there can be only one winner of this iconic race, the last runner standing, who earns the coveted title of "Big Dog." This title comes with immense prestige in the world of ultra-running and cements the champion's place in the annals of endurance sports.