900.487 km six-day podium
Placed third overall and second among the men at the GOMU Six-Day World Championship in France.
Source-checked athlete record · Updated Aug 17, 2026
Frank Gielen
Belgian team world champion and 110-yard record setter
Frank Gielen is a Belgian ultrarunner who shared the 110-yard world-best in 2024, won the team world title, and later covered 900.487 km in six days.
🇧🇪 BelgiumKortenberg, BelgiumDplusdinsdagM45
The record so far
Frank Gielen is a Belgian ultrarunner from Kortenberg and a co-founder of the Dplusdinsdag running community. At the 2024 Backyard Ultra World Team Championships in Retie, he completed 110 yards for 737.660 km alongside Merijn Geerts and Ivo Steyaert. The trio shared a new world-best mark and helped Belgium win the team title.
His backyard record was already international before that breakthrough. Gielen completed 97 yards for 650.482 km at Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra in 2023, placing eighth overall, and won Legends Backyard Ultra in 2022 with 42 yards.
Gielen has also moved successfully into continuous multiday racing. At the 2025 GOMU Six-Day World Championship in France he covered 900.487 km, placing third overall and second among the men. The result demonstrates competitive range well beyond the backyard format.
Defining performances
Performance history
| Date | Event | Performance | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GOMU Six-Day World ChampionshipSix-day race | 900.487 km | 3rd overall · 2nd male | View ↗ | |
| Backyard Ultra World Team Championships — BelgiumBackyard ultra | 110 yards · 737.660 km | Shared world-best mark · team champion | View ↗ | |
| Legends Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 43 yards · 288.358 km | 4th overall | View ↗ | |
| Big Dog’s Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 97 yards · 650.482 km | 8th overall | View ↗ | |
| Legends Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 53 yards · 355.418 km | 5th overall | View ↗ | |
| Backyard Ultra World Team Championships — BelgiumBackyard ultra | 67 yards · 449.302 km | 3rd at the Belgian venue | View ↗ | |
| Legends Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 42 yards · 281.652 km | Winner | View ↗ |
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