In their own Backyard Ultra Marathoner punches silver ticket during ultimate endurance test By: Grace Penner Posted: 2:47 PM CDT Friday, Jul. 10, 2026

One race… 55 hours… 368 kilometres… a silver ticket winner.

Old Tom Backyard Ultra Marathon is the ultimate endurance test. To explain it in simpler terms this marathon is not capped at a certain distance, instead it is a “last man standing” competition.

Each lap is exactly 4.167 miles and runners must complete it within 60 minutes or they are disqualified. The kicker being that there is no tie — the last runner standing has to complete a full lap in front of the runner before them to be deemed the winner.

Started on July 4th, the 28-year-old Winnipegger Nick Burmey finished at 55 hours — a seemingly unbelievable endeavour — with second place runner 32-year-old Austin Sedgwick from Lethbridge, Alta., unable to continue after hour 54.

Father and son duo, Danny and Steffan Reimer, have housed this event on their farm near Blumenort since 2024.

“Back in the pandemic, I guess I got bored. We have large acreage so I went out there and started making trails. In the wintertime I went out with a machete and started hacking,” Danny said.

The goal was to make accessible paths for his family and neighbours to use for running and walking. He never dreamt that his boredom would result in hosting such an event.

“The first year we just had it for 50 runners because we didn’t know what the trail could handle. We wanted it to be a good experience, not overcrowded,” Danny explained. “First year we sold out in about a week then this season we were sold out in an hour.”

They’re now able to host approximately 75 runners — a number that is comfortable for both the trail and participants.

For Steffan, a physical education teacher by trade and race director by hobby, it’s been a rewarding experience to say the least.

“(It’s) fun to see everyone enjoy the yard that I grew up on and I call home. To see the Manitoba running community come and enjoy our farm is pretty special,” he said.

“The first year we just had it for 50 runners because we didn’t know what the trail could handle.”

The runners have two separate trails — the day loop from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and the night loop from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. This is not only for their safety but for a change in scenery. The day loop has slightly tougher terrain and more turns while the night loop is a straight path with a pylon cone to indicate when to turn around.

“Just where you can shut off your brain for a couple hours overnight and run quietly,” Steffan explained.

You may be wondering one thing: how?

Each runner brings a pit crew to help support them after each lap. If the runner completes the lap under the hour, they can take whatever allotted time they have left to rest, eat, hydrate and reset for the next lap. Their crew helps them during these couple of minutes and make sure they are back at the start line on the top of the hour.

“You’ll actually see the guys taking naps, late little eight-to-10 minute naps and then the crew will have to wake them up with two minutes to go… they’re pulling them out of their chair and pushing them to the start line saying, ‘Run!’” Steffan said.

This year’s race had more incentive than before with not only monetary prizes but also a silver ticket: the winner receiving a guaranteed spot on Team Canada for the Big Backyard Ultra World Team Championship.

Burmey had competed in the 2025 Old Tom Backyard race and placed third.

“Last year I texted Steffan within a week of the race and said, ‘I’m coming back next year and I’m going to win,’” Burmey said.

“To see the Manitoba running community come and enjoy our farm is pretty special.”

Not only did Burmey live up to the promise he made himself, he beat the course record by 20 loops.

“It’s the top distance this year in Canada,” Steffan said. “(Burmey) ended up pulling through with a pretty loaded field of amazing runners.”

Mother nature was not on her best behaviour over this three day race, hitting the runners with extreme heat, humidity and wrapping it up with a storm on the last day.

“When we started Saturday morning and we saw the forecast for the next two days, this wasn’t in our wildest imagination. These guys are beyond explanation,” Danny said.

Up until hour 39, Burmey and Sedgwick had company on the trails, with last year’s winner Aaron Webb, joining them for the ride. Then for the last 16 hours, the two were the last ones remaining.

“(Sedgwick) came in looking to win like myself,” Burmey said. “We worked together as a team, our pit crews worked together, and we pushed each other to find our limit.”

Sedgwick was unable to continue midway through hour 55 — a fact unknown to Burmey at the time.

“Nick had no idea Austin was out and Nick was having a rough lap. He couldn’t really move properly anymore and we knew the race was over — all he had to do was come in,” Steffan said. “The whole crowd was there screaming for him to go, waiting for him to come out of the bush and back onto the farm.”

“I sprinted to the finish line and didn’t have enough time to throw my shorts on – I had two minutes to spare at the end.”

Runners who had finished their stint earlier, family members and friends were encouraging Burmey to finish on time as the alternative was that there would be no winner claimed.

Burmey, unaware of the circumstances, was doing his best despite his body shutting down.

“I decided to take my shorts off and run in my underwear,” Burmey said, noting the chaffing was unbearable. “The idea was when I got close to the finish line, I would throw the shorts back on.”

Sometime during the last lap, Burmey dropped his shorts on the trail and needed to backtrack to retrieve them. Already tight on time, losing those couple of minutes put his win in jeopardy.

“I looked at my watch and I had eight minutes to get to the finish line,” Burmey said.

At this point, he was unsure he could make it, knowing that he needed to hustle to make it within the hour.

“I had to sprint. At this point I didn’t even think about Austin, I was just focused on myself. I sprinted to the finish line and didn’t have enough time to throw my shorts on — I had two minutes to spare at the end,” Burmey said.

A friend of Steffan’s and soccer fanatic commented that “this is more stressful than watching penalty kicks in the World Cup.”

It was a monumental win not only for Burmey, but the Manitoba running community. With the participants who had registered, both Danny and Steffan knew this race would be one for the books, but never imagined the impact that it would have.

“We were one of the six Backyard Ultras in Canada to receive silver ticket status so that obviously drew a couple of fairly big-name runners from across Canada,” Steffan explained. “It’s the biggest Backyard in Canada this year so far.”

Although there can only be one winner, each runner had the chance to complete personal goals and push themselves to their limit.

“(I) came to win but I also came to see how far I could go,” Burmey said. “The event grows every single year it seems, it’s really good for Manitoba trail running. [It] puts us on the map because I think people think we’re underrated on a nation standpoint.

“Now everyone’s (realizing) Manitoba is no joke.”

What’s next for Burmey? He’ll be competing on the Team Canada roster starting Oct. 17 in Bell Buckle, Tenn.

For the Reimers, they’ll continue to host a sanctuary for runners to achieve what they may have once deemed out of reach.

“Having people come to our place, our personal yard, and being able to accomplish things they never dreamt possible,” Danny said. “That to us is the most special part of all of this.”

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