he final two runners stood in the race corral on the second night. It was lap 37, and they had already run 248.2km. Both runners were using very different strategies to tackle this backyard ultra. Event director Shaun Kaesler counted them down: 3-2-1. Like a horse out of a starting gate, the first runner disappeared into the night. The second runner, wrapped in a bathrobe to stay warm, let his robe fall to the ground and calmly walked off the start line. It was reminiscent of Aesop’s fable, , and
