Agony of DeFeet Wadena Running Club

🔔 The DNF Chip.

In a Backyard Ultra, eventually everyone hears the gong—except one.

But at Blacks Grove, we wanted to recognize the effort behind every mile, every loop, and every return to the corral.

Each runner who was eliminated received a personalized DNF chip as a reminder of what they accomplished out on the course.

Some runners set personal bests.
Some reached distances they had never run before.
Some battled through rain, mud, darkness, and exhaustion longer than they thought possible.

These chips aren't about where the race ended.

They're about the grit, determination, and miles that came before it.

Congratulations to every runner who earned one. 🔔

We are incredibly honored and humbled to have the inaugural Blacks Grove Backyard Ultra recognized in a Letter to the Editor published by the Wadena Pioneer Journal.

The letter highlights the grit of the runners, the beauty of Blacks Grove Park, the support of our sponsors and volunteers, and the community that helped make this event possible.

As first-time race directors, reading these words means more than we can express. We poured our hearts into this event, and seeing the experience resonate with others makes every late night and early morning worth it.

Thank you to every runner, volunteer, sponsor, and supporter who helped bring this vision to life.

If you'd like to read the full letter, be sure to check out the Wadena Pioneer Journal.

Letter to the Editor: The Backyard Ultra was a true success Local runner applauds endurance, community support and organization behind inaugural Blacks Grove Backyard Ultra.

Scenes from the Grind.

What started with fresh legs and nervous energy turned into rain, mud, darkness, exhaustion, and a whole lot of heart.

Loop after loop, runners kept showing up to that corral ready to go again.

The first-ever Blacks Grove Backyard Ultra gave us everything we hoped for — and then some.

More moments from the woods are still to come.

Hello everyone — it’s officially post-race day.

We hope all of our runners, crew members, volunteers, and supporters are finally getting the fuel, hydration, showers, sleep, and recovery they absolutely earned this weekend. Your bodies probably hurt, your shoes are destroyed, and there’s probably still mud somewhere you haven’t found yet—but wow… what an unforgettable weekend it was.

Reading messages like this absolutely humbled us.

As race directors, Joe and I poured everything we had into creating an experience that felt bigger than just a race. We wanted people to feel challenged, supported, welcomed, and part of something unforgettable—and hearing words like this means more than we can explain.

To every runner, crew member, volunteer, sponsor, cheerleader, photographer, and supporter: thank you for trusting us with our very first event. The turnout, the energy, the grit, the laughter, the suffering, the sportsmanship—all of it exceeded anything we could have imagined.

Watching runners hit PRs, push beyond limits they thought were impossible, and continue moving forward through rain, mud, darkness, exhaustion, and uncertainty was honestly inspiring. Some of you discovered new strengths out there in those woods. Some of you went farther than you ever have before. And every single one of you became part of the story of our very first Blacks Grove Backyard Ultra.

And to Laurie and Jaci—what you both displayed out there was bigger than competition. It was class, respect, resilience, and humanity. The ending of Loop 16 was something people will talk about for a long time. That moment represented exactly what this event was meant to stand for.

We are incredibly grateful for every kind comment, every message, every muddy shoe that showed up to the start line, and every person who believed in this crazy idea from the beginning.

Also—keep an eye out over the next several days because the photos and videos coming from this weekend are unreal. We captured SO many moments from the woods, the aid station, the rain, the darkness, the grit, the smiles, the suffering, and the finish line emotions. We cannot wait to share them all with you.

This was only Year One.

– Sulma & Joe

LOOP 16. (3 AM)
66.672 MILES.
That was the breaking point that finally brought an end to the VERY FIRST Blacks Grove Backyard Ultra. 🔥🌲🥾

After battling through nonstop mental and physical warfare — rain, mud, darkness, exhaustion, slippery boards, and the relentless sound of the gong — Laurie Yliniemi, bib #11 from Frazee, Minnesota, emerged as our FIRST EVER LAST RUNNER STANDING!

For 16 straight hours, Laurie kept answering the call for one more loop while the woods slowly wore everyone else down. Absolute grit. Absolute toughness. Absolute legend status earned out there tonight.

And what a battle it was.

Runner-up Jaci Wilson, bib #1 from Fergus Falls, Minnesota pushed this race deep into the night, completing an incredible 15 loops for a total of 62.505 miles. Jaci fought hour after hour through brutal conditions and helped create one of the most unforgettable finishes we could have imagined for our inaugural year.

These two women put on an absolute SHOW of endurance, resilience, and heart.

To every runner who stepped onto that start line this weekend: thank you for trusting us with this crazy vision. You became part of Blacks Grove history forever.

The gong rang.
The woods won some battles.
But legends were built at Blacks Grove this weekend.

And this is only the beginning. 🔔🔥

2:00 AM.
2 RUNNERS LEFT.

That’s it.

After hours of rain, mud, cold wind, darkness, slips, suffering, and the relentless sound of the gong claiming runner after runner… TWO still remain standing.

Blacks Grove has tested every single person who stepped onto this course tonight.
And now it comes down to this.

One more loop.
One more hour.
One more chance to break.

The rain keeps coming on and off like the woods themselves refuse to let this race rest. The trail is destroyed. Legs are destroyed. Minds are hanging on by threads.

But two runners are STILL answering the call.

Who will become the VERY FIRST
Blacks Grove Backyard Ultra
LAST RUNNER STANDING?!

This is no longer just a race.
This is history being written in mud, darkness, and grit.

LET’S GO!!! 🔥🌲🥾🔔