It’s the hottest part of the day in regional Queensland. The clock strikes noon, and with it, the sun beats down endlessly with no reprieve in sight. A cow bell sounds, its vibration trilling across the wide expanse of a cattle farm, signalling the start of something magical about to happen.
Wednesday. June 21, 2023. One hour earlier, at 11am, an Aussie and a Kiwi broke the world record in backyard racing at Dead Cow Gully at the inaugural Australian Backyard Masters, and the running community went off its nuts.
Everyone called it Breaking 101. From live streamers and crew members on site, to anyone keeping updated via social platforms, Perth’s Phil Gore and New Zealand’s Sam Harvey completed 101 laps that morning – breaking the record set by Belgian runners Merijn Geerts and Ivo Steyaert at the Backyard Ultra World Team Championships in October 2022.
At 12pm on Wednesday, June 21 both Phil and Sam stood at the start line ready to take it even further, their bodies taking their spirits to a new level of euphoria; and their spirits taking their
