Last Soul winner and German-soil record holder
Won with 94 completed yards, approximately 629.8 km, and moved four yards beyond Merijn Geerts’ previous German-soil benchmark.
Source-checked athlete record · Updated Aug 18, 2026
Mark Dowdle
Last Soul champion and German-soil record holder
Mark Dowdle won Last Soul Ultra 2026 with 94 completed yards, setting the best-known backyard performance achieved on German soil.
United StatesSt. Paul, MinnesotaM20s
The record so far
Mark Dowdle is an American ultra-endurance athlete based in St. Paul, Minnesota. He won Last Soul Ultra 2.0 on August 18, 2026, after a final duel with Ayyoub ‘Ello’ El Osrouti. The official final classification records 94 completed yards for Dowdle and 93 for El Osrouti.
Dowdle’s 94 yards, approximately 629.8 km, established the best-known backyard performance achieved on German soil. It surpassed the previous 90-yard benchmark set by Merijn Geerts in Rettert in 2022. Yardlore lists Dowdle in the M20s age group at about 29, making a final pair consisting entirely of athletes in their twenties especially notable.
His Last Soul start nearly did not happen. According to the official livestream, flight disruption led to a private jet being arranged, and Dowdle reached the race only about 15 minutes before the first bell. Despite that rushed arrival, he still looked remarkably strong after completing yard 94. Outside the backyard format, he also won the 2026 Arrowhead 135 foot division in 35:48.
Defining performances
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Go One More Ultra winner
Completed 73 yards to win the Texas backyard race and establish his deepest published backyard performance.
Arrowhead 135 champion
Won the men’s foot division of the winter ultra in 35 hours and 48 minutes.
Three backyard victories
Won WausaUltra, Last Dot Standing, and Summit Backyard Ultra during the calendar year.
Performance history
| Date | Event | Performance | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last Soul Ultra 2.0Backyard ultraDowdle won after Ayyoub El Osrouti did not complete yard 94 and was classified with 93. The official broadcast reported that flight disruption and a private-jet transfer left Dowdle arriving only about 15 minutes before the start; he still appeared remarkably strong after completing the winning yard. | 94 yards · 629.8 km | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Mid-State MileElimination ultraFinished behind Harvey Lewis after 48:40 of recorded running time. | 258.460 km | 2nd overall | View ↗ | |
| WausaUltra Backyard RaceBackyard ultra | 31 yards | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Go One More UltraBackyard ultra | 73 yards | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Arrowhead 135135-mile winter ultra | 35:48:00 | 1st male foot finisher | View ↗ | |
| Summit Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 68 yards | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Last Dot StandingBackyard ultra | 64 yards | Winner | View ↗ | |
| WausaUltra Backyard RaceBackyard ultra | 38 yards | Winner | View ↗ | |
| WausaUltra Backyard RaceBackyard ultra | 34 yards | Winner | View ↗ |
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