Who Says You Need Clear Goals to Achieve Success?
It’s kind of tough going into a backyard without having really clearly defined goals, but that’s what I did for this year’s edition of Capital Backyard. Granted, I had a list of items that I would be happy to see accomplished but for the most part they really weren’t specific black and white items that I could check off as completed. The primary goals were to enjoy myself and run a race that I was proud of. Obviously, measuring success there is a bit more ambiguous than a goal such as complete x number of yards. My measure of success for those two goals could also very well fluctuate throughout the course of a backyard; news alert - backyards aren’t always fun and enjoyable for me from start to finish. Even though I prefer the clarity of binary goals, these two were my focus at Capital 2025 in large part due to my current status for the qualification standards for Big’s 2025 and 2026. As the gold ticket winner of Big’s 2024, I am guaranteed a spot at the World Individual competition at Big’s 2025, so there is no pressure this year to secure a spot in the starting corral. My 88 yard run at Big’s last year also gives me a pretty comfortable spot on the at large list for the 2026 US Team; currently #1 of the eight available at large slots for the team. While it’s not a guaranteed spot, it would require eight US runners putting up a greater than 88 yard performance between now and mid August 2026 to knock me off the at large list. It’s certainly possible, but I do not believe it is highly probable. Hence my lack of feeling pressure to put up a huge performance at Capital this year and why my goals were a bit more open ended.
With my less than definitive goals in place, my headspace was a little funny leading up to the race. Thankfully, I had a chance to chat with Marty Fox (my running idol that crewed me at Big’s 2023) about it while setting up my aid tent the Friday afternoon before the race. I’m not sure if Marty knows it or not, but he’s kind of my unpaid, unofficial sports psychology coach. After talking with Marty and voicing my concerns, I felt better about my plan as a whole. He seems to always give insight and guidance that helps to right my ship.
My biggest concern and a factor that was pretty much out of my control this year was having my family join me for the race, the first time that had happened in about four years (last time being at Backyard Squatch). My two older sons would be my primary crew while my two younger sons would be there for moral support and to cheer on all the runners. My wife, Amanda, had the toughest task of keeping our wildlife out of trouble, mostly happy, and fed. I was confident my two older boys could handle crewing me with no problems as they have done it before multiple times (Bob’s Big Timber and BS Backyard) and both times impressed me with how well they handled it. My main worry was my two younger boys (ages 2 and 4) and Amanda’s stress level at keeping them entertained and safe for several days. I say it often, but it bears repeating, my wife is a saint. It was comforting to know that in the worst case scenario Amanda could bail from the race and take the little guys to a nearby hotel.
After what I felt like was a pretty darn good backyard training block, all the travel logistics sorted and fallen into place, and the aid tent set up was complete, it was the morning of the race and I had my whole family there to cheer for me. It felt great and I was feeling extremely confident before the yard 1 bell rang. The only thing missing was other members of past USA Backyard Teams. The last two years of Capital had felt like mini Team USA reunions, but this year I was the only returning Team USA member running Capital. It was nice catching up with them after the last couple years so I missed that, but it also gave me the opportunity to meet and run with other backyard runners. There were a couple runners that had been the last ones standing at races that ended too early to qualify them for the team (Steven Carr, 33 yards at Little Dog’s Backyard) and Julian Long, 44 yards at Death at Dupuis) so I was looking forward to running some yards with them and getting to know them. This also leads to one of the factors I was using to assess whether I ran a race that I was proud of. I wanted this race to be an opportunity for any backyard runners looking to earn a spot at Big’s this year or on the team next year. If I could play a role and assist in pushing the distance of Capital this year for another runner to qualify for either of those, that would have been an accomplishment to be proud of regardless of whether my race ended as the last one standing or not.
Day 1 went smoothly for me and I felt like I was causing minimal stress to my body, largely in part thanks to the ideal temperatures we were treated to. The forecast leading up to the race called for high temperatures of around 70 °F Saturday - Sunday, a huge change from the higher temperatures I had run through at Capital the previous three years. With the less stressful temperatures and keeping my body well fueled and hydrated, I was expecting this would be a great year to push the distance of the Capital course.
Night 1 was as smooth and painless as running through the night can be. I battled some drowsiness off and on, but that is to be expected. I was trying to avoid caffeine as long as possible to fall asleep more easily between yards and bank more sleep expecting the need for sleep in the long run with the distance I was expecting the race to go. Around midnight it became too much for me and I needed some caffeine as I found myself dozing off during walk breaks. I chugged half a can of Rockstar energy drink and put my headphones on just before 1 AM between yards 17 and 18. It gave me a bit more of a boost than I had planned and I ran my fastest yard (47:44) of the night. The pace increase was short lived, but it did keep me from dozing off while upright.
By sunrise, we had already lost nearly half the field of runners with only 17 remaining of the total 37 that were in the starting corral for yard 1. The drop that hurt the most was Marty Fox. At 74 years of age, Marty dropped after 19 yards only 5 yards short of a 100 mile backyard performance. I really thought he was going to get his 24 hour backyard this year, and I was really sad to find out he had dropped.
As day 2 progressed, runners continued to thin out. I was surprised because the weather and course conditions were great. I was expecting a long race, potentially pushing the course record beyond 75 yards. I still hoped for it, but with the declining numbers it seemed less and less likely. Eventually, the field declined to just five runners: Steven Carr, Julian Long (both mentioned earlier), Andrew Janeway, Megan Alverado, and myself. Andrew was the assist to Steven’s win at Little Dog’s last year and the two of them seemed to have a fun, friendly competition going between one another. I thought this was awesome as it would fuel both of them to continue to push far. Megan I was aware of because she was mentioned in a Capital Backyard predictions Reddit thread I was looking at leading up to the race. This was her first backyard, but she is an accomplished 24 hour runner and has represented the US on the National 24 hour team. With that background, she was a bit of a dark horse at her backyard debut. I hadn’t talked to her at all during the race because she was running her yards way faster than I was running mine. She was looking strong all the way through the second day as was Julian. Steven and Andrew were just talking about trying to survive into the second night. With only a few hours of day course yards left, I was expecting Megan, Julian, and I to run through the second night and push the distance of the race but the backyard always has surprises.
I spent most of the second afternoon running with Steven, Julian, and Andrew as a group. For the sake of strategy to try to push us all farther and make the upcoming night yards more manageable, we formed what we called our “wolf pack” and did a little howling. As we headed out howling for the first night yard, Megan didn’t take off fast out the gate as she had been consistently doing. I was surprised when she matched my pace as we ran the first out and back of the night course which was cool because one more member of the wolf pack would help get us all through the night. We chatted a bit during that time and I didn’t really pick up on the fact that she was struggling until she said she was thinking about stopping. Initially I thought she meant just taking a walk break but she meant the race as a whole. I tried to be encouraging and offered to run together through the night if she thought it would help. We talked a little about her goals and I suggested setting surviving the night as an additional goal. This interaction brought me back to my race goal of running a race that I was proud of. In order for me to be proud of my race, I had to give it my best shot to encourage her and keep her in the race. Eventually after a little walking and talking, she said she would finish the yard on her own and told me to run my pace. In retrospect, I wonder if I could have said more or something else that would have reignited a drive to continue on through the night, but what, I’m not sure.
So in extreme contrast to what I had predicted just a few hours earlier, the final three runners in the race were Steven, Andrew, and me. Julian unexpectedly timed out on the second night yard (38) and Megan went out for one more after that which she timed out on. At this point, Steven and Andrew were both moving well and I thought the three of us may make it through the night. Just a few hours later, Steven hit me with the surprise that he had made the decision to end his race and stop after the current yard we were running, yard 41. I’m not sure of his entire thought process in his decision, but he seemed confident in it and just asked that Andrew and I get a picture with him at the end of yard 41.
In what felt like a whirlwind development, the race was down to the final two runners. Andrew was still moving well so I still thought we would make it to sunrise. But again, the backyard surprised me. After completing yard 42 with no apparent issues serious enough to be race ending (Andrew had mentioned that he was experiencing some acid reflux) I emerged from my tent about 10 seconds before the bell to start yard 43 and didn’t see him. I scanned the edge of the corral and there Andrew was hunched over in a chair just outside the corral line with his head in his hands. Then the bell rang as his crew and a race volunteer tried to stand him up and I heard someone say “it’s too late.” Having just woken up from a quick nap and still being groggy, I wasn’t sure what was going on but I thought he was hunched over vomiting. All I knew for sure was that to follow the backyard rules and not be disqualified myself, I had to begin forward motion out of the corral when the bell rang (as per Backyard Ultra Association rule 3.3: “All competitors must start at the bell (No late starts)” - https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=123339). As I walked out of the corral to start my unexpected final yard of the race I just said to Andrew that I was sorry the race ended this way.
I ran my final yard with mixed emotions. I was happy and relieved I would be the last one standing and secure another win at Capital, but at the same time I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed that the race would end far sooner than I had expected and had prepared myself mentally to go. I returned to find Andrew bundled in a blanket and laid back in a zero gravity. Still thinking that he failed to get in the corral due to stomach issues, the first thing I said was how sorry I was that the race ended that way and so abruptly. Andrew told me that shortly after I left to run that yard he passed out. It turns out he wasn’t vomiting or about to vomit, but was about to pass out. After hearing that, I was relieved that he didn’t go out on that yard and pass out after getting out on the course. As scary as it was to hear he passed out at the corral, it would have been far worse and scarier if it had happened out on the course. Thankfully, he seemed fine after a little rest in the chair and the next morning after a few hours sleep he was in good spirits and seemed in pretty good shape all things considered.
Although the race didn’t go as far as I expected or planned for, it felt like a huge success for me. I felt like I accomplished my two goals going into the race: to enjoy myself and to run a race that I was proud of. I felt like I ran a race that displayed determination and the results of consistent and dedicated work towards a goal for my two older boys crewing me to observe. On top of it all, all my family (wife and little guys included) also had a great time which was probably the greatest relief for me of the entire experience. Amanda enjoyed it so much that she was checking out races on Ultrasignup within a day or two of our return home to find other races that looked ideal to merge a family camping trip with a race! After seeing that, I’m pretty sure there will be more races in my future where I’m happily loading up all of our camp gear for another family camping/race adventure and I couldn’t be happier about it!
Scott Snell
4 June 2025
With my less than definitive goals in place, my headspace was a little funny leading up to the race. Thankfully, I had a chance to chat with Marty Fox (my running idol that crewed me at Big’s 2023) about it while setting up my aid tent the Friday afternoon before the race. I’m not sure if Marty knows it or not, but he’s kind of my unpaid, unofficial sports psychology coach. After talking with Marty and voicing my concerns, I felt better about my plan as a whole. He seems to always give insight and guidance that helps to right my ship.
 |
| Race Director Sarah Smith giving final instructions before the first yard. |
My biggest concern and a factor that was pretty much out of my control this year was having my family join me for the race, the first time that had happened in about four years (last time being at Backyard Squatch). My two older sons would be my primary crew while my two younger sons would be there for moral support and to cheer on all the runners. My wife, Amanda, had the toughest task of keeping our wildlife out of trouble, mostly happy, and fed. I was confident my two older boys could handle crewing me with no problems as they have done it before multiple times (Bob’s Big Timber and BS Backyard) and both times impressed me with how well they handled it. My main worry was my two younger boys (ages 2 and 4) and Amanda’s stress level at keeping them entertained and safe for several days. I say it often, but it bears repeating, my wife is a saint. It was comforting to know that in the worst case scenario Amanda could bail from the race and take the little guys to a nearby hotel.
A live stream of the start.
After what I felt like was a pretty darn good backyard training block, all the travel logistics sorted and fallen into place, and the aid tent set up was complete, it was the morning of the race and I had my whole family there to cheer for me. It felt great and I was feeling extremely confident before the yard 1 bell rang. The only thing missing was other members of past USA Backyard Teams. The last two years of Capital had felt like mini Team USA reunions, but this year I was the only returning Team USA member running Capital. It was nice catching up with them after the last couple years so I missed that, but it also gave me the opportunity to meet and run with other backyard runners. There were a couple runners that had been the last ones standing at races that ended too early to qualify them for the team (Steven Carr, 33 yards at Little Dog’s Backyard) and Julian Long, 44 yards at Death at Dupuis) so I was looking forward to running some yards with them and getting to know them. This also leads to one of the factors I was using to assess whether I ran a race that I was proud of. I wanted this race to be an opportunity for any backyard runners looking to earn a spot at Big’s this year or on the team next year. If I could play a role and assist in pushing the distance of Capital this year for another runner to qualify for either of those, that would have been an accomplishment to be proud of regardless of whether my race ended as the last one standing or not.
Day 1 went smoothly for me and I felt like I was causing minimal stress to my body, largely in part thanks to the ideal temperatures we were treated to. The forecast leading up to the race called for high temperatures of around 70 °F Saturday - Sunday, a huge change from the higher temperatures I had run through at Capital the previous three years. With the less stressful temperatures and keeping my body well fueled and hydrated, I was expecting this would be a great year to push the distance of the Capital course.
 |
| Day 1, enjoying dill pickle chips with the crew! |
Night 1 was as smooth and painless as running through the night can be. I battled some drowsiness off and on, but that is to be expected. I was trying to avoid caffeine as long as possible to fall asleep more easily between yards and bank more sleep expecting the need for sleep in the long run with the distance I was expecting the race to go. Around midnight it became too much for me and I needed some caffeine as I found myself dozing off during walk breaks. I chugged half a can of Rockstar energy drink and put my headphones on just before 1 AM between yards 17 and 18. It gave me a bit more of a boost than I had planned and I ran my fastest yard (47:44) of the night. The pace increase was short lived, but it did keep me from dozing off while upright.
An animated chart of my yard splits.
By sunrise, we had already lost nearly half the field of runners with only 17 remaining of the total 37 that were in the starting corral for yard 1. The drop that hurt the most was Marty Fox. At 74 years of age, Marty dropped after 19 yards only 5 yards short of a 100 mile backyard performance. I really thought he was going to get his 24 hour backyard this year, and I was really sad to find out he had dropped.
As day 2 progressed, runners continued to thin out. I was surprised because the weather and course conditions were great. I was expecting a long race, potentially pushing the course record beyond 75 yards. I still hoped for it, but with the declining numbers it seemed less and less likely. Eventually, the field declined to just five runners: Steven Carr, Julian Long (both mentioned earlier), Andrew Janeway, Megan Alverado, and myself. Andrew was the assist to Steven’s win at Little Dog’s last year and the two of them seemed to have a fun, friendly competition going between one another. I thought this was awesome as it would fuel both of them to continue to push far. Megan I was aware of because she was mentioned in a Capital Backyard predictions Reddit thread I was looking at leading up to the race. This was her first backyard, but she is an accomplished 24 hour runner and has represented the US on the National 24 hour team. With that background, she was a bit of a dark horse at her backyard debut. I hadn’t talked to her at all during the race because she was running her yards way faster than I was running mine. She was looking strong all the way through the second day as was Julian. Steven and Andrew were just talking about trying to survive into the second night. With only a few hours of day course yards left, I was expecting Megan, Julian, and I to run through the second night and push the distance of the race but the backyard always has surprises.
I spent most of the second afternoon running with Steven, Julian, and Andrew as a group. For the sake of strategy to try to push us all farther and make the upcoming night yards more manageable, we formed what we called our “wolf pack” and did a little howling. As we headed out howling for the first night yard, Megan didn’t take off fast out the gate as she had been consistently doing. I was surprised when she matched my pace as we ran the first out and back of the night course which was cool because one more member of the wolf pack would help get us all through the night. We chatted a bit during that time and I didn’t really pick up on the fact that she was struggling until she said she was thinking about stopping. Initially I thought she meant just taking a walk break but she meant the race as a whole. I tried to be encouraging and offered to run together through the night if she thought it would help. We talked a little about her goals and I suggested setting surviving the night as an additional goal. This interaction brought me back to my race goal of running a race that I was proud of. In order for me to be proud of my race, I had to give it my best shot to encourage her and keep her in the race. Eventually after a little walking and talking, she said she would finish the yard on her own and told me to run my pace. In retrospect, I wonder if I could have said more or something else that would have reignited a drive to continue on through the night, but what, I’m not sure.
 |
| One fueling option, although I think my crew drank more of it than me 😅 |
So in extreme contrast to what I had predicted just a few hours earlier, the final three runners in the race were Steven, Andrew, and me. Julian unexpectedly timed out on the second night yard (38) and Megan went out for one more after that which she timed out on. At this point, Steven and Andrew were both moving well and I thought the three of us may make it through the night. Just a few hours later, Steven hit me with the surprise that he had made the decision to end his race and stop after the current yard we were running, yard 41. I’m not sure of his entire thought process in his decision, but he seemed confident in it and just asked that Andrew and I get a picture with him at the end of yard 41.
In what felt like a whirlwind development, the race was down to the final two runners. Andrew was still moving well so I still thought we would make it to sunrise. But again, the backyard surprised me. After completing yard 42 with no apparent issues serious enough to be race ending (Andrew had mentioned that he was experiencing some acid reflux) I emerged from my tent about 10 seconds before the bell to start yard 43 and didn’t see him. I scanned the edge of the corral and there Andrew was hunched over in a chair just outside the corral line with his head in his hands. Then the bell rang as his crew and a race volunteer tried to stand him up and I heard someone say “it’s too late.” Having just woken up from a quick nap and still being groggy, I wasn’t sure what was going on but I thought he was hunched over vomiting. All I knew for sure was that to follow the backyard rules and not be disqualified myself, I had to begin forward motion out of the corral when the bell rang (as per Backyard Ultra Association rule 3.3: “All competitors must start at the bell (No late starts)” - https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=123339). As I walked out of the corral to start my unexpected final yard of the race I just said to Andrew that I was sorry the race ended this way.
I ran my final yard with mixed emotions. I was happy and relieved I would be the last one standing and secure another win at Capital, but at the same time I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed that the race would end far sooner than I had expected and had prepared myself mentally to go. I returned to find Andrew bundled in a blanket and laid back in a zero gravity. Still thinking that he failed to get in the corral due to stomach issues, the first thing I said was how sorry I was that the race ended that way and so abruptly. Andrew told me that shortly after I left to run that yard he passed out. It turns out he wasn’t vomiting or about to vomit, but was about to pass out. After hearing that, I was relieved that he didn’t go out on that yard and pass out after getting out on the course. As scary as it was to hear he passed out at the corral, it would have been far worse and scarier if it had happened out on the course. Thankfully, he seemed fine after a little rest in the chair and the next morning after a few hours sleep he was in good spirits and seemed in pretty good shape all things considered.
 |
| The finish with Andrew recovering. |
Although the race didn’t go as far as I expected or planned for, it felt like a huge success for me. I felt like I accomplished my two goals going into the race: to enjoy myself and to run a race that I was proud of. I felt like I ran a race that displayed determination and the results of consistent and dedicated work towards a goal for my two older boys crewing me to observe. On top of it all, all my family (wife and little guys included) also had a great time which was probably the greatest relief for me of the entire experience. Amanda enjoyed it so much that she was checking out races on Ultrasignup within a day or two of our return home to find other races that looked ideal to merge a family camping trip with a race! After seeing that, I’m pretty sure there will be more races in my future where I’m happily loading up all of our camp gear for another family camping/race adventure and I couldn’t be happier about it!
Scott Snell
4 June 2025
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