Introducing our January profile and our first for 2023, Aaron Young!
For those of you who don’t know Aaron, he was assist to Phil Gore at Birdy’s Backyard last year when the Australian record was brought to 54 yards. He was also part of the Australian team at the satellite World Championship race in 2022.
Surprisingly, Aaron only became an ultra runner last year! Yes, you read that correctly. He went from not running ultras to knocking out a personal best distance of 355.4kms.
Aaron was a secondary Teacher but recently decided to have a go at something different and started his Carpentry apprenticeship this week. He says so far, he is really enjoying it. While he is no longer teaching, he is still involved in several education groups/programs and he intends to keep supporting them for the foreseeable future.
Aaron is also building a Tiny House on Wheels. It was something he decided to do whilst on a bike packing trip towards the end of 2020. His first career was as an Architect, and he thought it would be fun to design and build something himself. He says when he initially started building it, he made a cardboard model and a friend said that it looked kind of like a train. So he decided to go with that idea and it will look something like Thomas the Tank when it’s finished. Aaron says adding all the curves and bespoke details has slowed down the progress, but he is enjoying the physical process of building it.
So, let’s see what Aaron has to say about his Backyard Ultra experience so far….
How long have you been running and why did you start?
I started cycling during 2020 as a way to get out of the house during COVID lockdowns and found that I really liked going on longer and longer rides (up to 600kms). I ended up with a knee problem, so I started looking at other ways to exercise in September. After going to one swimming session and talking to my friend John who was training for an Ironman Triathlon, I decided I wanted to give that a go too. I started running almost immediately afterwards.
To begin with, I found it frustrating because I was so slow and the fitness I had gained from cycling didn’t seem to be carrying over. However, after I had been running for a couple of months it got easier and I realised that although I love cycling, I enjoy running more.
Have you done a Backyard Ultra? What draws you to the backyard ultra format?
I have competed in 4 Backyard Ultras. My first was Birdy’s Backyard in 2021 where I stopped at 10 laps. The furthest I had run at that point was a 25km trail race a few weeks earlier. I instantly fell in love with the format, and I thought that it was something I could do well at.
One of the things that I love about Backyard Ultras is the community and the banter. I am generally quite awkward in social situations, worrying that I am going to offend someone if I share my opinion on things. It is so easy to do in this day and age.
I still remember my first interaction with Shaun Kaesler, the race director at Birdy’s. I came across the line after my 10th lap at around the 42 minute mark and told him I was stopping, coach’s orders. He looked at me, chuckled then said “get fucked” in a jovial tone and pointed to the start line with a big grin on his face. I thought it was brilliant.
I have made some great friends out of these events, most of whom love a practical joke and a bit of a ribbing as much as I do.
If you could do any race in the world, what would it be?
At this point I have my sights set on making it to Tennessee for Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra World Championships in October. I think it is best to just concentrate on one thing for the moment because I know I could get carried away.
There are so many amazing races and challenges that could be done. Towards the end of this year, I will sit down and work out what comes after that.
What is your greatest running moment to date?
Definitely getting the opportunity to represent Australia at the 2020 Backyard Ultra World Satellite Championships.
What has been your worst running experience?
When my Garmin watch stopped working at around Lap 38 of Birdy’s Backyard Ultra. Assisting Phil Gore to set a new Australian record and beating the existing Aussie record is my biggest individual sporting achievement to date, so I was really disappointed to lose the data from the race.
If you could share a course with any runner/athlete, who would it be?
There are a couple of people that I would like to race against. At the top of the list are Courtney Dauwalter and David Goggins. I have been following both of them since I started running and really enjoy listening to them speak about the mental aspect of running.
What advice would you give to a new runner thinking about doing a backyard ultra?
Just give it a go. Whether you do one lap or win the race, you will learn something about yourself and what you might be capable of. It is also a great opportunity to make some new friends and be a part of an awesome community.
What inspires you to stay motivated?
I enjoy competing and pushing myself in general, so once I have set myself a goal, motivation doesn’t come into it. I think to be good at anything, discipline is much more important. I recently listened to an interview where Mike Tyson was speaking about discipline. He said, “discipline is doing something you hate but doing it like you love it.”
Whilst I love running, there are plenty of mornings where my alarm goes off and I would love to stay in bed instead of getting up to run intervals. I get up because it’s part of my plan and I said I would do it. I think I have missed one scheduled training session in the past two years. I am learning to accept the discomfort that comes with pushing myself and I never feel more alive than when I have pushed myself past my perceived limit.
What do you think about during long runs?
I generally find that it is a good place to process emotions and destress. On more than one occasion when I have been out on a long run, I have been talking aloud to myself and someone has ridden up behind me on a bike. It is always a bit awkward trying to work out whether this person thinks I am crazy. Maybe I am a little crazy.
What is your next race?
My next race is Herdy’s Frontyard Ultra in Western Australia. I think this is going to be a big race and there are a lot of good runners registered to compete. It could be a great opportunity to qualify for Bigs.
Do you have the support of your family and friends of your running?
I definitely would not have achieved what I have without the team of people behind me. I am really lucky to have the support of so many people both in the lead up to races and during them. I would particularly like thank my mum, Julie, and my friend John Gilbertson who crewed for me in all of the Backyard Ultras during 2022.
Also, my coach Pete from Walk the Plank Coaching, who always goes above and beyond to support me with my preparation for races and for supporting me during races.
Have you ever hallucinated in a race?
In most of the races I often start seeing things. Runners wearing their headlamps, often look like they are doing star jumps on the spot or sometime trees look like people posing in an odd manner.
I have only hallucinated once during the day. For the last 5 laps of Birdy’s Backyard there was a fallen tree that turned into a sabre tooth tiger. It was a big one too.
What is your favourite fuel during a race?
I try to stick to real food as much as possible. I find if I eat too much sweet food, I have problems with my stomach. I try to mix it up and have different options available throughout the race. One thing that I had never really eaten until I started running was Nutella, but Nutella sandwiches are one of the first things that go on any race meal plan.
How important is mental strength compared to physical strength in a race?
Both play an equal role in ultra-endurance sports for an athlete trying to put their best foot forward. No matter how mentally strong you are you will not be able to keep running if you have not physically prepared your body for the run.
However, if you are trying to push yourself as far as possible, at some point it is going to get hard, you are going to experience discomfort and it is likely that you will think about giving up. It’s at this point that mental strength becomes important.
I think the way to develop mental toughness is the same fundamentally as developing physical strength; you need to consistently put yourself in controlled situations where mental heavy lifting is required. Part of your training needs to include situations where you want to give up or stop but you must concentrate in order to not quit or fall down. At the point towards the end of a race where you are tired and feeling discomfort, just having a few mantras won’t cut it.
What is the toughest part for you in an ultra?
I find resting after a race really difficult. I always want to get going as quick as I can, but I had to learn the hard way that sometimes the body needs time to recover.
Thank you so much for sharing your journey and insights with us Aaron. We can’t wait to see what 2023 brings for you and if 2022 is anything to go by, its going to be huge!
