NEEDHAM, Mass. – At its core, the format of the backyard ultra is rooted in simplicity: a set distance, a set time, repeated over and over again.

For runners at the second annual MetroWest Backyard Ultra, that simplicity may have been summed up best by the official race timepiece. There was no fancy digital clock next to a blow-up arch. Instead, there was a classic plastic circular clock with hands on it to track the hours, minutes and seconds.

“It’s normally hanging right in my kitchen,” said co-Race Director Kiko Bracker said with a chuckle.

Though not high-tech, the humble kitchen clock served its purpose flawlessly. Bracker hoisted it above his head and swung it in a sweeping motion each time he sent runners on their way for another hour, always precisely on time.

In a sense, the clock was the boss.

“It’s kind of just a nice metaphor for the race because the clock rules,” Bracker said. “The pace is so not important. You go by the hour. You run for an hour, when you’re done you’re done, and it’s just not about the actual rate but the progression of the hours. The clock rules our day whether it’s 12 hours or 24 hours or however long we go.”

In the lead-up to the race it looked as though the weather might rule the day and keep Bracker’s clock in its place on the kitchen wall. During the two weeks prior to race day, Hurricane Lee inched its way from the Northern Leeward Islands, past Bermuda and toward New England. Even as it weakened from a Category 5 hurricane to a tropical storm, its impact on the region was slated for Saturday, Sept. 16, the day of the race. Bracker and fellow co-RD Bill Gallagher of the Needham Running Club eyed the forecast with concern, knowing they might have to make hard decisions to prioritize runner safety.

Worries about the weather may have been the reason about a half-dozen registrants stayed home, but the only noticeable signs of the storm on race day were occasional wind gusts, clouds and a light morning drizzle that disappeared after a few hours.

“This has been a good day,” Bracker said. “There was a little bit of rain at the beginning, but it wasn’t much of a deterrent and didn’t slow anybody down. There were a few wet feet but it was no real problem. We were more worried about wind, which never really materialized.”

Thirty runners gathered at the Claxton Field Quarry for the 8 a.m. start. The challenge that awaited them on the 60-degree morning was a 4.17-mile course that circled Claxton Field, passed through some mildly technical trails in Needham Town Forest, did an out-and-back on the Needham Rail Trail, and then returned through the forest, around the field and back to the quarry. Runners had one hour to complete the course and return to the starting corral to begin the next loop, repeating the routine on the hour, every hour until only one runner remained.

Runners adopted a variety of strategies depending on their goals for the day. Some pushed the pace for a few loops, while others trotted slowly in packs or adopted a run-walk mix. The entire field made it through the first hour, but the second hour was the last for three runners. Four more retired after the third hour, and others continued to time out or choose to stop as the hours went on.

When Bracker carried the official clock to the starting corral and called the runners over to begin hour number seven, he noted that just half the field remained. They’d all run 25.02 miles so far. Ultra territory and an unknown amount of time awaited.

Hour number seven was the last for Kevin McClaren, 23, of Somerville, Mass., and Philip Crider, 45, of Needham, Mass., as both retired after 29.19 miles of running. Another three runners – Joan Francesc Garcia, 33, of Boston, Mass.; Chris Wristen, 43, of Norwood, Mass.; Michael O’Connor, 28, of Waltham, Mass.; and Max Chapmick, 32, of Allston, Mass. – stopped after eight hours and 33.36 miles of racing.

Hour number nine was the last for 58-year-old Bruce Leung of Natick, Mass., as the 2022 third-place finisher matched his mileage from the year before (37.53) while finishing ninth this year. One lap later, 2022 runner-up Molly Karp, 41, of Natick, Mass., called it a day after 41.70 miles and 10 hours of running.

Seven runners remained and darkness was starting to settle in.

It took two more hours for the field to shrink again. Nicholas Mangiameli, 27, of Suffield, Conn., and Benjamin Tammany, 30, of Sandown, N.H., completed their 12th hour of running and then stopped with 50.04 miles on their legs.

One lap later, 25-year-old Ryan Pfenning of Boston, Mass., and 20-year-old Oscar Wilmerding of San Francisco, Calif., ended their runs after 13 hours and 54.21 miles. It was Pfenning’s third time going beyond 50 miles at an ultra and Wilmerding’s ultra debut.

With Pfenning and Wilmerding eliminated, that left three runners to vie for the win. Defending champion Daniel Leonard, 35, of Brighton, Mass., and challengers Mike Martineau, 32, of Sandown, N.H., and Jason Kaplan, 40, of Boston, Mass., gathered at the starting line and Bracker sent them on their way for hour number 14. An hour later, they repeated the process.

The 15th hour was the last for Leonard. He stopped after 62.55 miles of running – a three-lap improvement from 2022 when he needed 12 hours and 50.04 miles to win. Leonard’s departure whittled the field to two.

Hour 16 began with Martineau and Kaplan, but that would be Martineau’s last. Four weeks away from a 100-mile effort at Ghost Train in New Hampshire, Martineau closed out the MetroWest Backyard Ultra with 16 hours and 66.72 miles of effort, as well credit for the official assist.

One runner stepped to the starting line for hour number 17. It was midnight when Bracker sent Kaplan on his way for what would be a victory lap if he could complete it within the one hour allotted. Kaplan had been the most patient competitor throughout the day, briskly walking most of the loops, only running the downhills, and returning to the quarry with minutes to spare. He’d spent all day conserving his energy, and he was strong at the end as he picked his way through the course by the glow of his headlamp. When he returned to the quarry shortly before 1 a.m., he was officially the last runner standing and the winner with a new event record 70.89 miles.

For Kaplan, the victory was the latest strong performance during a busy year of racing ultras. He was second in the 50K and third in the 50-mile at the Trail Animals’ “Don’t Run Boston” Ultras in April, fifth overall at the TARC Wapack and Back 43-miler in May, and then finished the Chesterfield Gorge Ultra 50K in June before finishing 13th overall at the TARC Fall Classic 50K the week before the backyard ultra. And Kaplan’s not done. Up next on his ultra calendar is the Womp Romp 50K in Hingham in October.

Several of Kaplan’s competitors at the backyard ultra will be back in action in mid-October at the Ghost Train Ultras in New Hampshire.

With the second annual event behind them, Bracker and Gallagher are already looking ahead to year three. The inaugural event in 2022 was held in May and had 26 starters. This year’s event was shifted to the fall. Although it fell during the busiest part of the ultrarunning season in New England, it saw an increase in interest from runners and saw more individuals travel to the race from throughout the region.

The biggest changes between years one and two were the date, a name change (the event was known as the Needham Backyard Ultra in 2022) and online registration so they could have a better idea about numbers prior to race morning.

“We didn’t have to make many adaptations (from year one to year two),” Bracker said. “We were sort of crossing our fingers a lot last year hoping it would work, and most of our anticipations and guesses did work so we pretty much repeated what we did last year.”

The simple strategy worked once again in year two, so as they look ahead to 2024 they are planning to keep the race in September and hope to see it continue to grow.