Inside Belgium's Backyard Triumph: a discussion with Merijn Geerts, Ivo Steyaert & Frank Gielen.

Belgium may be a small country, but once again, it showed the world the strength of its endurance athletes. Merijn Geerts, Ivo Steyaert, and Frank Gielen decided to stop together after 110 yards, sharing a new world record and leading Team Belgium to a resounding victory in the 2024 Backyard Ultra Team World Championships. Daniel Westergren spoke with them 35 hours after they finished. Together, they discuss the power of teamwork, the secrets behind Belgium's success, future plans, and much more. 00:00 Introduction to the Belgian Backyard Ultra Champions 02:11 Post-Race Reflections and Recovery 03:51 Frank Gielen Joins the Team 05:52 Secrets to Belgian Success 09:46 Team Dynamics and Training 20:28 The Importance of Crew Support 22:23 Breaking World Records and Team Achievements 28:09 Pushing Beyond Limits: The Final Hours 30:18 Running Together vs. Running Alone 30:39 Adapting to Different Running Partners 31:14 The Final Hours and Team Dynamics 33:14 Deciding to Stop at 110 Laps 34:55 Reflecting on the Team's Decision 36:54 Celebrating the Victory 39:20 Anecdotes from the Race 41:36 The Appeal of Multi-Day Races 43:40 Lessons Learned from Ultra Running 46:48 Comparing Backyard Ultra to Six-Day Races 52:27 Future of Backyard Ultra Records 58:12 Pressure to Perform at Big's Backyard Ultra 59:42 Concluding Thoughts and Inspirations