To help you make the most of your outdoor time and keep things fresh during the pandemic, the faculty of Eastern Washington University’s Recreation and Leisure Services Program in partnership with Out There Venture has created the SPOvid-19 Local Adventure Series.

Episode 3 – Yeti Ultra 24-Hour Challenge

One sunny morning on what was supposed to be a lazy, meditative Saturday, my wife informed me she was going to run the Yeti Ultra 24-hour Challenge and that I should do it with her. 

If you are not familiar, the Yeti Challenge is a 24-hour, 30-mile, ultra-marathon that you complete from your own home. The Yeti Trail Runners developed this do-it-yourself event to provide a challenge to runners and walkers during the COVID-19 pandemic. To complete the Yeti Challenge, you need to run or walk 5 miles, every 4 hours, for 24 hours for a total of 30 miles. Each 5-mile run should be done all at once, not spread out over the 4 hours. 

My wife and I decided to run (well, I walked) six different 5-mile loops to keep things fresh. The first two loops were on local trails and the final 4 loops were from our front door. We started at noon and then ran loops at 4 p.m., 8 p.m., midnight, 4 a.m., and 8 a.m. We changed out of sweaty clothes after each 5-mile loop and did a number of things in-between loops, including gardening, stretching, fixing things, and eating (pizza and beer after the 4 p.m. loop). We maybe got 3-4 hours total of sleep after the midnight and 4 a.m. loops. We decided to make our final loop end at a local bakery to get a coffee and muffin to celebrate.  That was a good decision. 

As for the overall personal reward for completing the Yeti Challenge, you’ll have to do it yourself to decide.

Chris Cindric is a Senior Lecturer of Recreation and Leisure Services at Eastern Washington University where he teaches and advises a minor in experiential education and manages the EWU Challenge Course Program. He lives in Cheney with his wife, four children, and dog. 

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The 2009 Le Grizz Ultramarathon in Hungry Horse, Montana broke multiple records this past weekend – some more impressive than others.

Record #1 – largest participation in the 3rd longest-running 50 mile ultramarathon in the nation: 97 entrants, 91 starters.

Record #2 – Brian Vandenburg of Spokane won the Men’s Open Division for the 4th year in a row (however, Mark Tarr has more overall wins in the Open and Masters division).

Record #3 – COLDEST ultramarathon anyone can ever remember: starting temp was 0 degrees Farenheit, and the high temp estimate was 28 degrees.

Out There Monthly writer Jon Jonckers reports, “I couldn’t feel my feet for the first three miles. No kidding, they were numb. Also, I never imagined I would ever participate in a race where the water in my water bottle would freeze in my hands. Crazy cold!” Jonckers took 9th overall in his first 50 mile ultramarathon.

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