The Griffith contingent at the 2 Rivers Backyard Ultra — runners Patrick Payne and Lachlan Date flanked by their support crew and partners Tess Meney and Brooke Date. Photos: Supplied.
A Griffith teacher has run a personal-best 131 kilometres over 20 hours in an unusual marathon event, completing one leg in the dark of night without a headlamp.
Lachlan Date completed 19 loops of the 2 Rivers Backyard Ultra in Echuca over the weekend — a race in which the super-fit and the clinically insane run 6.7 km loops along the Murray River every hour, on the hour, all day and all night.
“We set off at midday, which means I did 12 of the first 18 hours in the dark from 6 pm to 6 am,” he said.
“I went out for loop 13 without a headlamp. In my rush to get ready, I’d forgotten it. I realised 20 seconds in I didn’t have it, and my crew weren’t allowed to give it to me as it wasn’t a mandatory piece of equipment.
“I had to trail someone and use their light, and if they were going too fast I’d slow down and wait for someone else with whom I could run.”
Participants begin each loop on the hour, complete the 6.7 km circuit, then rest until the next hour before setting off again. Date’s secret weapon was his wife and masterchef Brooke, who revived him at each rest stop with her delicious dishes.
His fastest lap came at midnight, when he finished in 45 minutes, while his slowest was the final loop, completed in 58 minutes. Participants must finish within the hour to go on to the next loop.
Date sets off on a loop.
“It’s harder than you realise to continually start over and over again. You slowly unravel — you don’t eat as well, you come in later each loop and don’t get as much recovery time,” Date said.
“At loop 14, I just didn’t want to continue. But Brooke encouraged me to keep going — she didn’t give me an option. She gave me my water and told me to get going.
“I literally watched puddles dry up over the 20 hours — I kept noticing they were getting smaller.”
The 36-year-old finished eighth in a field of 49, completing 19 loops over 20 hours and covering more distance than he ever has in a running event.
Fellow Griffith athlete Patrick Payne, 20, ran 12 loops to finish 25th. The event was won by Wagga’s Jacob Garlick, who ran an extraordinary 33 loops, with the winner determined by who can last the longest.
Date benefited from his wife Brooke’s great cooking during rest stops.
Date benefited from a similar 24-hour Backyard Ultra organised by fellow teacher Sharon Careri in Griffith in late December 2025, where he ran 125 km on slightly shorter 5 km loops.
“It was much colder in Echuca in April — it got down to five degrees. I was running in a beanie. I thought I’d go faster in the cooler weather,” he said.
“But it was really tough this time. I’ve had three baths in less than 24 hours since the finish. I’m barely able to walk.”
A keen long-distance runner, Date’s next challenge will be an 80 km Bondi-to-Manly run in October. But he is encouraging others to give Backyard Ultras a go.
“It allows you to see what you’re capable of, mentally and physically,” he said. ”We had a teenager do it in Echuca, as well as someone in their 60s.
”Anyone can participate, as you can do it at your own pace.”
