Becky Atkinson leads historic all-female top three in ultra event

CEREDIGION ultra athlete Becky Atkinson has achieved her greatest success to date by running 166.4 miles in 40 continuous hours to win a gruelling endurance event ahead of more than 140 rivals, the majority of them men.

The Ysbyty Ystwyth runner claimed victory at the Rasselbock Backyard Ultra in Derbyshire, a race that challenges competitors to complete a 4.16-mile loop every hour, on the hour, until only one runner remains.

Atkinson was joined on the podium by fellow female athletes Hayley Wilson, from Worksop, and Hollie Jones, from Easby, in what organisers believe is the first all-female top three in the history of a UK Backyard Ultra event.

Even more remarkably, the National Trust employee at Hafod Estate achieved the feat on her debut Backyard Ultra event.

The 48-year-old Sarn Helen Running Club member completed 40 consecutive loops over 40 hours before being crowned the event's last person standing.

Delighted with her achievement, Atkinson said: ”So happy with my win and proud to be amongst a strong field of women.”

Event organiser Eric Keeler highlighted the significance of the result.

“We went through thousands of results worldwide and an all-female winning line-up has only happened once before, in Iceland,” he said. ”Becky’s 40-hour debut, and a female top three, was an exciting result for the event.”

Held at the Hardwick Estate, now owned by the National Trust, the course took runners through farmland shared with sheep and cattle, with competitors battling through both daylight and darkness. More than 700 Backyard Ultra events take place worldwide each year, including around 55 in the UK.

Atkinson, who set the fastest known time on the Cambrian Way in June, said the format presents a unique challenge.

“You need to be ready to start each loop on the hour. If you run a loop in 50 minutes you have 10 minutes’ rest before the next loop starts. A one-minute warning whistle is blown and if you do not start on the hour you are disqualified.

“I ran each loop in roughly 45 minutes, giving me a 15-minute break to eat, change shoes, go to the loo or try to have a power nap.”

She added: “The night loops were tough at times. It was hard mentally not having a finish line or target. You just run until one person is left. You can’t predict when this is going to happen.”

Research suggests women may have certain physiological advantages in ultra-endurance events. Professor Andy Jones, of the University of Exeter, says women tend to burn fat more efficiently, have more endurance-focused slow-twitch muscle fibres and are generally more resistant to fatigue, factors that can help maintain performance over long distances.

Despite the historic result, Atkinson remains modest about the debate.

“I’m not sure women are better suited, but I do think we are equally capable of winning endurance events,” she said. “I think women are gaining confidence to compete against men.”

Her victory adds to an impressive list of achievements that includes winning the women’s category and finishing fourth overall in the 123km Annapurna Challenge at Snowdon24 in 2024, finishing second woman in the Centurion Thames Path 100 in 2023, and securing second place among women in the Endurancelife Gower Ultra Marathon in 2024.