Introducing our November athlete, Carl Douglas!
Outside of ultra running, Carl is a weapons and tactics trainer for the police (how cool!) and he has two kids.
Carl is no stranger to the backyard ultra format having participated in 6 now with his most recent being at the Satellite World Championships which led him to a backyard ultra PB!
It was a pleasure to delve into the world of Carl and hear about his running journey.
- How long have you been running and why did you start?
I have pretty much run my whole life with a couple of breaks here and there. I started running regularly again in 2018 and used it just to explore the amazing trails we have in WA. I initially started running all the events for fun and gradually started to increase distances and race competitively.
- Have you done a Backyard Ultra?
I have done 6 now over a two year period recording 24+ laps in each one. My personal best is now 41 laps.
- What draws you to the backyard ultra format?
I’m a very organised person who likes structure, routine and stats. This format allows me to plan and follow a structure with very minimal variables. The other thing that hooked me straight away is the fact that no matter what the outcome you always want more! Plus, you get to eat snacks every 45-50 mins … I’ve even had the odd beer in between laps from time to time… what is there not to like!
- If you could do any race in the world what would it be?
Bigs Backyard in Tennessee is the goal… hopefully in 2023!
- What is your greatest running moment to date?
Competing in the Backyard Ultra Satellite World Championships a couple of weeks ago and being part of the Australia team that came in third place.
- What has been your worst running experience?
Hardy’s Frontyard in 2022, I went in with such big goals and expectations, everything had gone to plan and then I fell a long way short, timing out and letting everyone down.
- If you could share a course with any runner/athlete, who would it be?
Lindsey Webster and Courtney Duawalter. What these two have done for their respective sports in terms of breaking down the barriers between men and women is unbelievable. They will both go down as one of the greatest athletes in their sports regardless of gender. Listening to podcasts they have appeared on they also appear to be very down to earth and easy to talk to and I feel I would learn so much from them!
- What advice would you give to a new runner thinking about doing a backyard ultra?
My top 4 tips would be:
1. Practice your nutrition and hydration plan
2. Practice a run/walk strategy
3. Enjoy the event and the atmosphere and don’t worry about the future.
4. Get a snack box!
- What inspires you to stay motivated?
I just want to see how far I can push myself. Right now, I’m focusing the Backyard Ultra and the standard of competition here in WA is ridiculous! We have so many good athletes that you could get 40 laps in a local race and still not finish in the top 10! Running with the calibre of athlete in every backyard certainly inspires you to produce the best version of yourself that you can! What is your next race? It looks like it’s going to be Hardy’s Frontyard Ultra in March and then the Masters Backyard in June.
- Do you have the support of your family and friends of your running?
I’m pretty lucky or maybe it could be unlucky that my close friends group all enjoy taking on crazy challenges too!
- Have you ever hallucinated in a race?
Yes, in my second backyard I was starting to suffer from dehydration and was adamant that there were teddy bears in the wooded area 
- What is your favourite fuel during a race?
My go to fuel for hydration is Bix who have supported me in all my backyards. Food wise I will pretty much eat anything but over my recent races I have found tortilla chips and hummus to be a new favourite
- How important is mental strength compared to physical strength in a race?
Mental strength in Backyard Ultras is easily the most important. This is my weakness and has been for a while, but I have noticed that as I have been working in this my performances have improved not only in terms of distance but in terms of how comfortable and controlled and I can execute my race plan. If you start to switch off mentally and struggle, things can unravel very very quickly!
- What is the toughest part for you in an ultra?
The toughest part for me is not looking too far ahead. When I’m in the zone, I can stay focused on what I am doing now, however, when I let my mind drift, I start to think about how far away the end is and that’s when I struggle.
- How do you balance your running and training with your competing priorities?
I find structure really important so will plan my training a couple of weeks in advance which enables me to ensure I can balance work, life, kids and social commitments. I am quite lucky in the fact that my job enables me to train within work time on a regular basis which certainly helps.
- Do you have a coach?
Yes, I’m pretty lucky that I have my partner, Lauren, coach and crew me for all my events for the past 3-4 years. This doesn’t work for everyone but works for us as she has done a lot of long endurance challenges and events too and knows what is required both physically and mentally. I would never have achieved the results I have on my own.
- What does your training week/load look like?
I usually perform my strength / rehab sessions three times per week (Monday/Wednesday/Friday) I have found that my body reacts well to a running load of around 90km per week.
Monday: Recovery run up to 50 minutes
Tuesday: AM – intervals / PM run – walk recovery
Wednesday: 90 mins easy
Thursday: Mountain bike
Friday: 60 mins maybe including some tempo work
Saturday: Rest Day
Sunday: Long trail run up to 40km
Thank you for sharing, Carl! We look forward to seeing how much more you can achieve in this format.
