Introducing our next athelete, Jessica Smith!
Jess really needs no introduction in our community. She is the reigning Australian female longest distance/laps Backyard Ultra record holder with 46 yards which she achieved when she demolished her own Australian record earlier this year.
If I was asked “If you could share a course with any runner/athlete, who would it be?” Jess would be right up the top of my list right next to Courtney Duawalter!
This weekend sees Jess take on the world stage at the World Satellite Championships in our Backyard Ultra Australia Team. This lady is built tough yet remains so delightfully calm and centred. She has worked hard and deserves all the race glory that comes her way.
I have been so excited to share this one with everyone!
- How long have you been running and why did you start?
I started running when I was 10 years old at little athletics. This then progressed to fun runs, followed by marathons and finally ultras in 2019. I probably started because there was an icy pole at the finish! But I’ve continued because I love that feeling of using your legs to explore and take you places – I think that’s why I’m drawn to ultras.
- Have you done a Backyard Ultra?
I’ve proudly DNF’d at 4 backyard ultras! I’ve done 2x Herdy’s Frontyard and 2x Birdy’s Backyard in WA with a progression of 6 (self-capped due to another race), 32, 41, and 45.
- What draws you to the backyard ultra format?
I love that you don’t have to be the fastest runner to do well at this format – getting around the 6.71km course in an hour is achievable for most runners. I also love seeing everyone push themselves to their limit – whatever that may be. Everyone is working just as hard to reach their best and it’s inspiring to watch. There’s a lot of team work and support out there.
- If you could do any race in the world what would it be?
I have a long bucket list of races but if I had to choose one it would probably be UTMB. The course, the crowds and the atmosphere – it looks insane!
- What is your greatest running moment to date?
Reaching 41 laps and setting a new Female Australian Backyard benchmark was pretty special. This was my first time getting through two nights and it was pretty rough at times. It was the hardest running moment I’ve ever had, which easily makes it the greatest! This event is so much about mental strength and not allowing yourself to give up. I hope to tap into that again next week at the Satellite champs.
- If you could share a course with any runner/athlete, who would it be?
Running with Courtney Dauwalter would be pretty special. I love her outlook on life and approach to running. Her interview with Joe Rogan where she talks about her casual approach to running and training – I love that!
- What advice would you give to a new runner thinking about doing a backyard ultra?
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The format is 6.71km in an hour which gives an average pace of 8m57s for the lap. It really is an achievable pace and it is such a fun and social event on that first day. It doesn’t matter if you’re aiming for a half marathon, your first 50km, 100km or beyond, this race pushes everyone to their limits and this race is for everyone. As far as training – I would say practice eating! Eat meals before running, practice taking on more real food while running and just generally train the gut to get comfortable running after eating.
- What inspires you to stay motivated?
I’m very goal oriented. With my running, I’ll set myself goals – whether that be particular events, time based or distance based – then work backwards to put a plan in place to get there. Once I’ve got that plan in place, the motivation to do the training just comes naturally. I think because I’ve been a runner as long as I can remember, it’s all I know!
- What do you think about during long runs?
How to solve the problems of the world! There’s really no limit to where my mind wanders, particularly during these long events. I listen to a lot of podcasts while I run so this keeps me occupied. Also planning what food I’m going to eat afterwards takes up a lot of time!
- Do you have the support of your family and friends of your running?
I’m very lucky to be supported in my running by my family! My crew is usually made up of my boyfriend Jaryd, sister Katelyn and cousin Carly with Mum and Dad also jumping in sometimes to help. I’m so thankful to have their support and encouragement through these events – they’re great problem solvers!
- Have you ever hallucinated in a race?
I’m not sure if it’s hallucinations or just my eyes playing tricks on me but the second night at Herdy’s I kept seeing cars and spaceships in the trees. I knew it wasn’t real but it wouldn’t be until I got closer that they became trees. I’ve done multiple overnight races but this is the only time I’ve had anything close to hallucinations.
- What is your favourite fuel during a race?
I really like to mix things up. For shorter runs I’ll use mainly gels and glucose drinks then for longer runs I’ll start adding in real food. I really go for variety in the backyards, sticking to an average of 50g of carbohydrate per hour. Favourite things lately have been rice cream, nutella sandwiches, and pizza.
- How important is mental strength compared to physical strength in a race?
In the backyard, I would say mental strength is way more important. It hurts up to a point, then it doesn’t get any worse. But it takes mental strength to keep pushing on lap after lap when it’s hurting.
- What is the toughest part for you in an ultra?
Sleep deprivation, definitely. Pushing through that can be tough as your brain starts to turn to mush. So it makes it harder to reason with yourself to keep going. It’s what I’ve really been focusing on in training – strategies to overcome this.
- Do you have a coach?
I’ve recently signed up with Tony Smith and have been coached for the last 8 weeks. I’ve been a member of the Tony Smith Run Club for some time but it’s only recently that I’ve started getting coached. Tony has been great – the coaching support, advice and feedback has definitely helped my running.
- What does your training week/load look like?
I work away so my weeks look different depending if I’m home or at work. When I’m at work I’ll run between 6-15kms but when I’m home this can go up to 40-50km for my long run, depending what I’m training for. This also includes back to back long runs and double days, particularly leading up to an event like the backyard. As for the type of sessions, the week is made up of easy runs, intervals, threshold sessions and a long run – as well as race simulations when leading up to an event.
- What is your next race?
The Satellite Backyard Team Championships. There’s 37 countries competing with each country being represented by 15 of their top Backyard runners. We all compete in our own country, starting at the same time. The country that posts the biggest team score wins the championship, as well as the outright winner of each country receiving a golden ticket to Big’s Backyard in 2023. I feel very grateful to be representing the Aussie team. I’m excited to meet and run alongside some of the best runners in this format in Australia, and know that we can hit big numbers together! 
Thank you so much for sharing with us Jess. We wish you all the best for this weekend at the World Champs and we will all be cheering for you as you push yourself “just one more lap”.
