NEEDHAM, Mass. – The buzz around the Claxton Field Quarry was intense. Would this be the year someone – or even multiple people – achieved or surpassed the 100-mile mark at the MetroWest Backyard Ultra?

Folks had talked about it during the three prior editions, but the triple-digit milestone wasn’t threatened any of those times. The inaugural edition lasted just 12 hours and 50 miles, while year two saw Jason Kaplan win after 17 hours and 70.89 miles. Kaplan went farther in 2024, but was the runner-up to Cory Grant, whose 21-hour, 87.57-mile performance set a new standard for the event.

A record 137 runners started the fourth annual event on Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Claxton Field Quarry in Needham. Some planned to spend just a few hours running the 4.17-mile loop through neighboring Needham Town Forest and the Bay Colony Rail Trail, but several in attendance had a history with the 100-mile distance and brought expectations that they could be the first to do so at the MetroWest Backyard Ultra.

“There are a few people who seem seriously able to make it past 24 hours, so I would not be at all surprised if we get there this year,” said Kiko Bracker, who co-directs the event with Bill Gallagher.

Excitement built early in the day, thanks in part to the large turnout of participants, but also due to the fact that the event returned to its original start/finish in the quarry. Construction at Claxton Field in 2024 forced the event to modify its course and change its start/finish location. Now back in the quarry, the event had a festival-like feel with an enclosed area packed with pop-up tents and enthusiastic support crews.

“It’s such a perfect location, and it’s great for this size,” Bracker said. “With many more people we wouldn’t be able to fit.”

When Bracker and Gallagher started the event in 2022, they hoped to introduce runners to the backyard format. They have had a large showing of first-timers each year, and that was once again the case this time.

“Last year we had 85 percent first-timers,” Gallagher said. “This year we have a lot of first-timers, probably over 50 percent at least. And we have people from Israel, LA, Cincinnati, New Jersey, Vermont and Maine, so a good cross-section of people who showed up. There’s more groups; there’s more big tents; it’s great.”

Runners were treated to near-perfect conditions, with sunny skies and temperatures in the low 60s at the start, and highs in the mid-70s. Despite heavy rains a few days prior, the course was dry. It was ideal for runners seeking to run for most of the day – or all the way into Sunday.

The field began to shrink after the first lap, with five runners stopping after the first hour and another six after two trips through the course. Fourteen more ended their run after three hours and 12.51 miles; more runners joined them on the sidelines with each passing hour.

Seventy-two runners finished the seventh loop within the time limit, officially achieving ultramarathon mileage for 29.19-mile efforts. That was enough for 16 of them, who called it a day at that point. One hour later, after 33.36 miles of running, another 15 runners stopped with a “heavy” 50K on their legs, dropping the remaining field to 41 runners.

A few more runners retired after each of the next few laps. Thirty-one runners successfully completed the 12-lap milestone, achieving 50.04 miles in a half-day of disciplined running and hiking. The next big distance marker came at the 15-hour mark when runners hit 100K (62.55 miles). Fifteen runners did so, but that was the stopping point for Adam Gold and Daniel Bryant. One lap later, the number of 100-mile hopefuls suffered a big hit as five runners withdrew after 16 hours and 66.72 miles of running. That group included Daniel Black, Trey Matthews, Jeremy Singh, Ryan Lushaw, and the event’s youngest participant, 17-year-old Sharon High School senior Aaron Gott.

Eight runners stood at the starting line as the official race clock – a Hello Kitty clock from Bracker’s kitchen – struck midnight. Hour 17 began, and Ryan Hanna, Zofia Defayette, Yousef Alshatti, Anna Miller, Tom Dmukauskas, Dan McCabe, Conor Sleith and Johan Gibcus departed the quarry, trotted along the perimeter of Claxton Field, and disappeared into the Town Forest. The rocks and roots along the singletrack trail and fire roads were hard to see by headlamp, especially as tired legs took their toll. A little bit of suffering came with the $30 entry fee, and they were getting their money’s worth. Fatigue, hunger, pain and stumbling through the darkness made each lap increasingly difficult. After so many hours, it caught up to Alshatti, Defayette and Hanna this time. Each finished their 17th lap, but not within the one-hour time limit. They were credited with 16 completed laps and eliminated. Miller beat the time limit, but opted to stop after 70.89 official miles of running, earning top female finisher honors.

The remaining four runners faced a new obstacle during the 18th hour: rain. Gibcus, Sleith, McCabe and Dmukauskas ran through a light rain for part of the loop. It was Dmukauskas’s final lap, and he departed after 75.08 miles of running. Three more hours passed before the field shrunk again. McCabe completed the 21st lap at 5 a.m. and stopped, tying the winning tally from 2024 with 87.57 miles.

Gibcus and Sleith were the final runners remaining to vie for the win. They became the first runners in event history to run through the night and see the sun rise, and then they kept on going. For the next three hours, they stuck to their strategies, leaned on their support crews to keep them fueled, and kept going. Gibcus clipped his way through the course in the same consistent way he had done from the beginning, while Sleith took his time and finished each lap with a few minutes to spare.

Shortly before 8 a.m., Gibcus emerged from the Town Forest, circled Claxton Field and returned to the quarry with 100.08 miles on his legs. A few minutes later, Sleith joined him, matching the mileage mark as they made event history together. A few minutes later, both men stepped back to the starting line for the 25th hour. They departed the quarry together, but Sleith returned moments later with a smile on his face. He had completed 100 miles. He was satisfied, and he was done. Gibcus ran the final lap solo and returned to the quarry as the last person standing after setting a new event record of 104.2 miles.