2025 Report

Furbutt’s Backyard Ultra 2025: A Tale of Two Events, Plus All the Safety Pins and a Bag o’ Stink

The heat and humidity took its toll at this year’s Furbutt’s 24-hour Backyard Ultra and Furbutt’s After Dark 12-Hour, but fun still prevailed. We had 103 starters and ONE finisher for the 24-hour, 100-mile distance. There were seven starters at Furbutt’s After Dark, with two top finishers – Jonathan Gonzalez with nine yards (37.5 miles) and Ben Abatte with eight yards (33.33 miles).

Other top finishers for the 24-hour included: Juan Vivar and Fraylon Barbosa with 17 yards (70.834 miles) and Noah Pendergast and Elvis Alvarez Hernandez with 16 yards (66.667 miles). Other top finishers for the 12-hour included: Jordi Moya, Jason Ferrufino, Jorge Roca with 7 yards (29.167 miles).

On Sunday morning, a guy was walking his two dogs around the perimeter of the pavilion and he asked me how the event was going and I told him that our top finishers were about to cross the FINAL finish line and he captured it best with his response – “Y’all are a bunch of bad asses.” Yup, that’s how we roll at the Furbutt.

So many stories to recount and I am certain I will leave out important details, but here goes:

Lexi DeLisle came out to get her first 100-mile finish, and that’s exactly what she did (virtual bow and fist bump). She impressed the heck out of us all yard-after-yard, and once she was The Last Runner Standing she said she was open to stopping so that we didn’t have to “wait for her to finish.” She remained the last woman standing for the final seven hours to her emotional and awe-inspiring 24-hour, 100-mile finish!

But Lexi and her big finish are the reasons we host these events, and having high hopes for incredibly inspiring performances that fill our ultra running hearts is the whole point. And the other reason is introducing runners to the sport and witnessing their shocked reactions when they realize that they can run further than they’ve ever run, while having Type 2 fun and sharing good times with their friends. We saw all of this and so much more at this year’s Furbutt Backyard.

All The Safety Pins
The event kicked off with a bit of safety pin chaos. This is no excuse, but I don’t bring the bibs and it never crossed my mind to bring safety pins. I’ve never had a problem at previous events with forgetting things. So, I was on auto pilot with what I needed to bring and had many packing lists, but clearly safety pins were not on any list. I had a couple stashes of safety pins in my car (because this is how I roll), but we ran out about halfway through check-in.

I spent the next hour or so explaining to runners over and over again that we were working on getting them and to check back but I was biting my nails hoping for some magic. Then Steve Miller showed up and informed me that he had safety pins and I instantly shrieked and did a bizarre Safety Pin Dance that was truly inspired from the depths of my soul but I’m certain scared everyone around me.

The best part was that I knew it was Steve’s birthday so I had gotten him a birthday cake so that at some point we could celebrate his special day, but I hope that my reaction showed him how much I appreciated him. The cake was just icing on the cake (pun intended).

VHTRC Trail Running Royalty
Throughout the event, we had numerous appearances from VHTRC trail running legends and key members who truly represented the club. Zach Weinberger came out to support runners and inspire us all as one of the four 2024 100-mile Furbutt finishers.

Trail Boss Kevin Bligan came out to run a few loops and supply us with night reflector markers for the night loop. Chef Jeff Best came out to support his son Jacob Best, who ran 25 miles, which is about 16 miles further than he has ever run (plus Jeff supplied our crew with smash burgers, which is the best fuel for volunteers EVER). The always upbeat and entertaining Jeff Reed came out to give us leftovers from Catherine’s Furnace the previous weekend.

Quatro came out to double check our trail marking (ok, there were some weak spots and I take full responsibility), and he also ran a few loops. He also gave me a trail marking tutorial later in the day when we added night reflectors to the course for the After Dark runners. He taught me how to properly mark a trail and I taught him all about 80s music (win-win).

Gary Knipling came out to elevate our event with some trail running greatness. At some point, he asked if he could have a Furbutt sticker and it was truly ironic because the event is literally in his backyard as a Mason Neck resident, and his quote is actually on the sticker: “Who’s awesome… You’re Awesome”. But I can tell you as an FOG (Fan of Gary) that Gary is truly awesome. (And yes, he got a sticker.)

The Bag o’ Stink
At some point in the dark of night when all of us race organizers were delirious, we noticed a small translucent bag with a bundle of sweaty black clothes sitting on a cooler and we were all perplexed for many hours.

We didn’t have a lost and found per se, and we weren’t convinced that whoever left this bag of stink would want to find this bag of stink so it just became a running joke for awhile. There were some likely suspects and we debated ad nauseum who it might belong to, which only gave us more to talk about as this object was ripe for trail running fodder.

As we would soon discover, the owner of the bag of stink happened to be friends with one of our top finishers who shall remain nameless as we don’t know if this person would want to be called out. The owner of the bag of stink (as we shall call him or her) contacted one of the race organizers to self-identify and ask that the bag of stink be given to his friend so that he or she could return it to its rightful home.

At this point, we had thrown away the bag of stink so volunteers dug through the trash to pull it out in the wee hours of Sunday morning (truly one of the greatest moments in Virginia trail running history from my perspective).

The outcome of this story warms my heart. Our volunteers were given an opportunity to show how far they will go to support our runners. One of our top finishers was given a sticker and a bag of stink as parting gifts. And the bag of stink found its way home. This is the Furbutt in all its stinky glory.

And Then There Were The Moms
I have to start with my Mom because she came out to represent the greatest contribution that could be expected from any Mom and she did just that since she was relentlessly helpful and supportive from beginning to end. That is saying a lot because the two of us were out there for more than a total of 30 hours.

And then there was James Coyne’s Mom, Mia, who many of you may know from the pre-race Zoom call briefing as she jumped on to tell us how proud she was of James even before the race started. After the briefing, James reached out to see if I could share a recording of the briefing and I apologized to him that I couldn’t figure out how to download it and I shared all the important event details with him. Then he clarified that the reason he wanted the recording was so that he could watch the clip of his Mom. So special.

I also have to mention Liz Bligan (Mom to Carl of VHTRC fame) who came out to support husband Kevin Bligan, but in my book she will always be a VHTRC Mom and the Bligans will always be a VHTRC family. She came over to introduce herself as Carl’s Mom at some point but we all knew who she was because she is a Bligan and around these parts, we are all FOBs (Fans of the Bligans). Incidentally, this was Kevin’s first race since before Covid and it is significant that he came back out after words-can’t-capture the challenges he has had, so his miles were particularly special and important.

On our way to the Furbutt race site at Oh-Dark-Thirty on Saturday morning, I joked with my Mom that if her volunteer skills were sub par then I would just have “Bad Mike” (timing guru Mike Dobies) mark off a corner of the pavilion for Moms only.

There was also a Mom in the actual corner of the pavilion, whose son Braylon Frey impressed the heck out of all of us by running 7 yards (29.167 miles) at a solid, consistent pace. My Mom had been watching the two of them all day, and noted his Mom’s excellent crewing skills. When Braylon dropped, my Mom walked over to his Mom and congratulated the two of them on a successful run. His Mom said that she used to run, and her son Braylon just started running and was relatively new to the sport, and she expressed how proud she was of him and started crying. My Mom said it was a very special moment and a great day for Moms everywhere.

Now I know that instead of having a Mom’s Corner at the back of the pavilion, we should have it right up front, with all the Moms front and center providing all the love and support, not to mention the stellar crewing and volunteer skills. They truly represented for all Moms out there on this particular day at this particular event. This is the Furbutt. Truly.

Volunteer Love
While we were endlessly inspired by all the runners from the front of the pack to the back of the pack… and all the finishers from those who ran further than they had ever run to runners who dealt with incredible challenges including injuries and complications from heat and humidity, we also have to take a moment to recognize and show some love for our volunteers and race organizers.

Our volunteers and contributors this year included: Mike Dobies (timing), Quatro Hubbard (all things), my Mom Suzanne (all things), Dana Vardaman (all things), Scott Allender (day into night shift), Maria Suarez (course marking, medical support, water contributor), Keith Knipling (clock / timing contributor), Mia Coyne (Saturday afternoon shift), Alex Papadopoulos (ice and cooler contributor), Nathan Duraisamy (food and beverage contributor), Denise Freeman (COFFEE contributor), Steve Miller (SAFETY PINS contributor), Ryan Jackson (park representative, trail signs, sweeping, pictures), and I’m certain I’ve forgotten someone …

Special thanks to Sarah Smith, the race director of the Capital Backyard, a Last Man Standing event, who originally pitched the idea for the Furbutt Backyard 24-Hour event to a receptive VHTRC Board. Furbutt has really taken off in its three years of existence, selling out early this year with a lengthy wait list, as well. And again huge thanks to Gary Knipling, who’s nearby home of Holly Spring makes the logistics for putting on this race possible.

Also, a special THANK YOU to Arc’teryx and all of the other running groups who came out in force to represent and support our runners. We appreciate you!!!

And a special recognition to our Furbutt mascots this year: So many well-behaved and sweet fur babes, my dog Freyja (sorry to the other dogs, she thinks she owns the place and we all know she doesn’t), the praying mantis that hung out on our cooler all night long, and the horses and adorable pony who stopped by Saturday afternoon to greet some of our crew and supporters.

Finally…
Our event is different than other backyard races because it is intended to be an introduction to the backyard, and the format combined with the informality of the event gives many people an opportunity to run further than they have ever run. I am overwhelmed by the number of people who have reached out to express that the format and support that they received enabled them to do something that they didn’t think they could do, and many of these people are new to ultras.

I am so proud to help organize a backyard event and be some small part of the backyard community, even though I know our event is not an official backyard because there is a time cap and we are more lax with enforcing backyard rules. There are already many changes for next year (stay tuned), and I am hopeful that this event will continue to get better and better each year.

Comments from runners (we didn’t get permission so posting anonymously):

“Hawt wit hawties and v wet”

“My body rejects this climate (my first ultra). What I’ve learned living here: You can’t look at the humidity. You can’t look at the “feels like” temp. Those tell you jack (bleep). You have to look at the dew point. Which today was 76F, so basically you’re in a rainforest, the air is the broth and you’re the soup ingredients, it’s as bad as it can get… Super pleased to have hung on as long as I did and would love to find a COOLER race to really push the distance. Love the girl group who did this with me.”

“A toddler at the finish line asked me, did you fail? I said yes, and he ran away screaming, “Mom that man failed!” The heat, my bowels, lack of sleep for two nights in a row. Excuses galore. Just an altogether brutal experience. DNF, bailed on loop 9. I am humbled.”

“What a great first backyard ultra experience, ‘might’ do another one later in life even though I died and came back to life at one point.”

“Damn, that was the hardest I’ve ever pushed. Thought I had the energy to keep going but the chafing was getting absurd and I never dealt with that before. Overall… great heat training. A few legends helped push me to finish a few more laps when I thought I was toast.”

Event Photos!

Event Videos!
Furbutt Backyard Start
Furbutt After Dark

RD Tracy Cooley's report as posted on her High Mileage Mama blog

Results on the official timing site hosted by Mike Dobies:
Furbutt Backyard 24-Hour
Furbutt After Dark
You may also scroll down below the Photo Gallery to see the posted Results grid.

Photos

Other reports

• Mantis Prime: A Praying Mantis’ Perspective on the 2025 Furbutt, by Praying Mantis

Results

Each yard consisted of a Snowman-style course consisting of 4.167 miles. Ties among the results below have been broken by cumulative running time.

Splits

The results for the event within the event: Furbutt After Dark. This group of runners started their 12 Hour Backyard at 8 PM. There were no 12 hour finishers among the After Dark field for 2025, though some of the runners were still on the course not only at the 8 AM finish, but in the hour or so beyond.