Team USA at the World Team Championship
Selected via Silver Ticket and still running with 93 completed yards at Bell Buckle as of 09:04 UTC on 21 October, one of three US runners left.
Source-checked athlete record · Updated Oct 21, 2026
Nicholas Steel
Team USA’s youngest runner, past 90 yards at the 2026 World Team Championship
Nicholas Steel is a Minnesota ultrarunner who won Tartarus Backyard Ultra with 53 yards, then went past 90 yards for Team USA at the 2026 championship.
United StatesMankato, MinnesotaM20s
Still running at the World Team Championship · 93 yardsBackyard Ultra World Team Championship 2026 · Still running
93 yards completed and still in the race
The United States is 1st with 1092 yards and 3 runners still in.
From the organizer’s live results after yard 94 (09:49 UTC, 21 October). Live results ↗ Championship guide →
The record so far
Nicholas Steel is an American ultrarunner from Mankato, Minnesota, born in 2002. A 2020 graduate of Owatonna High School, where he ran cross country and track, he ran his first marathon around late 2023 and moved quickly into ultras. He races unusually often: he reported completing 18 events of 100 miles or more in 2025 and set a goal of 30 for 2026, and DUV lists 20 ultra results for him in 2025 and 21 more in 2026 through the end of September. CBS Minnesota reported that he began the project as a tribute to Matt Watts, who completed 95 official 100-mile races before his death, and KEYC reported his longer-term aim of becoming the youngest runner to finish 100 races of 100 miles.
His backyard record began with 26 yards at Queeny Backyard Ultra in March 2024. He took the assist at Elm Creek Backyard Ultra in April 2025 with 41 yards, behind Adam Kerr’s 42, then won Broken Anvil Backyard Ultra in Iowa with 33 yards and Four Fore Thirty Infinity Backyard Ultra in Missouri with 32. At Queeny in March 2026 he went 60 yards before Jeff Walker completed the winning 61st. In August 2026 he won Tartarus Backyard Ultra in Spokane, Washington, with 53 yards, a course record, after Guadalupe Gonzalez stopped on 52. Tartarus was a Silver Ticket race, and the win put Steel on Team USA’s 15-runner roster for the 2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championship.
Outside the backyard, Steel won the 2025 Arrowhead 24 Hour Endurance Run in Illinois with 220.174 km, the tBunk Endurance Challenge 200 Mile in 46:48:43 in November 2025 and the 2026 FANS 24 Hour Runs with 205.931 km.
The 2026 World Team Championship started on October 17. As of 09:04 UTC on 21 October, the official live feed showed Steel still running at Bell Buckle, Tennessee, with 93 completed yards (623.658 km). Jon Noll and Mark Dowdle were the other US runners still in the race, and Steel had already gone 33 yards past his previous backyard best.
Defining performances
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Tartarus Backyard Ultra winner
Won with 53 yards, a course record, after Guadalupe Gonzalez stopped on 52; the Silver Ticket win secured his Team USA place.
60 yards at Queeny Backyard Ultra
Took the assist with 60 yards, his deepest backyard before the 2026 championship, as Jeff Walker won with 61.
Arrowhead 24 Hour winner
Won the Illinois 24-hour race with 220.174 km, his best 24-hour distance on DUV.
Two backyard wins
Won Broken Anvil Backyard Ultra with 33 yards in September and Four Fore Thirty Infinity Backyard Ultra with 32 in November.
Performance history
| Date | Event | Performance | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backyard Ultra World Team Championship 2026 · USABackyard ultraStatus as of 09:04 UTC on 21 October 2026, when Steel, Jon Noll and Mark Dowdle were the last US runners in the race at Bell Buckle, Tennessee. | 93 yards · 623.658 km (in progress) | Still running | View ↗ | |
| Hindsight Ultra Trail Runs100 miles | 19:20:00 | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Tartarus Backyard UltraBackyard ultraGuadalupe Gonzalez was the assist with 52 yards. Tartarus was a Silver Ticket race, and the win gave Steel his place on Team USA. | 53 yards · 355.418 km | Winner · course record | View ↗ | |
| FANS 24 Hour Runs24-hour race | 205.931 km | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Elm Creek Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 24 yards · 160.944 km | 16th overall | View ↗ | |
| American Bottoms110 miles | 21:21:49 | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Queeny Backyard UltraBackyard ultraJeff Walker won with 61 yards. | 60 yards · 402.360 km | 2nd overall · assist | View ↗ | |
| Four Fore Thirty Infinity Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 32 yards · 214.592 km | Winner | View ↗ | |
| tBunk Endurance Challenge200 miles | 46:48:43 | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Arrowhead 24 Hour Endurance Run24-hour race | 220.174 km | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Broken Anvil Backyard UltraBackyard ultraKeely Miyamoto was the assist with 32 yards. | 33 yards · 221.298 km | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Elm Creek Backyard UltraBackyard ultraAdam Kerr won with 42 yards. | 41 yards · 274.946 km | 2nd overall · assist | View ↗ | |
| Queeny Backyard UltraBackyard ultraHis first backyard ultra. | 26 yards · 174.356 km | 11th overall | View ↗ |
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