118-yard New Zealand backyard record
Covered 791.308 km at Dead Cow Gully and assisted Phil Gore’s 119-yard world-record performance. Big’s national-record table lists the mark as New Zealand’s best.
Athlete profile · Sources reviewed Oct 20, 2026
Sam Harvey
New Zealand record holder and 118-yard world-record assist
Sam Harvey is a New Zealand ultrarunner whose 118-yard performance assisted Phil Gore’s 119-yard world record in 2025 and set the New Zealand best.
New ZealandChristchurch, New ZealandM30
National champion at the World Team Championship · 77 yardsBackyard Ultra World Team Championship 2026 · National champion
Won the national race with 77 yards
Completed yard 77 alone as the last runner standing for New Zealand. New Zealand’s national race is over: the team finished on 834 yards, 8th in the standings at this point.
Final results after yard 124 (16:07 UTC, 22 October), matching the organizer's official leaderboard. Organizer results ↗ Championship guide →
The record so far
Sam Harvey is a New Zealand endurance athlete and coach whose best-known results connect the backyard and mountain-trail worlds. At Dead Cow Gully in 2025 he completed 118 yards for 791.308 km, setting the New Zealand national record while assisting Phil Gore’s 119-yard world-record win.
The result extended a partnership that had already reshaped the format in 2023, when Harvey reached 101 yards and Gore completed a record 102nd. Harvey also placed ninth at Big’s that year with 91 yards.
Away from the hourly format, Harvey won the Kosci Miler at Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko by UTMB in November 2024 and the 2025 Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB 100-mile race in 15:16:54. The victories add front-of-field trail results to his backyard record.
Harvey headed New Zealand’s official pre-race selection list for the 2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championship, which started on October 17, 2026. He won the New Zealand site of the championship in 2022 with 46 yards and in 2024 with 73 yards; Backyard Ultra NZ listed the 73 as the New Zealand venue record when the 2026 race started. He won the site again in 2026 with 77 yards, beating that mark; Theo Atkinson was the last to stop, on 76.
Defining performances
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Tarawera 100 Mile champion
Became the first New Zealander to win the race since the 100-mile distance was introduced in 2018, finishing in 15:16:54.
101-yard world-record assist
Reached the then-world-record distance of 101 yards at Dead Cow Gully before Gore completed a solo 102nd yard.
Performance history
Selected results, not a complete race history. Rankings and record descriptions reflect the cited sources at their review dates. Distances may use different rounding conventions.
| Date | Event | Performance | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Stampede 100km100 km trail | 11:39:36 | 5th overall | View ↗ | |
| Big Dog’s Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 24 yards · 160.944 km | 68th overall | View ↗ | |
| Dead Cow Gully Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 118 yards · 791.308 km | Assist · New Zealand record | View ↗ | |
| Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB100-mile trail | 15:16:54 | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko by UTMB — Kosci Miler100-mile trail | 16:38:59 | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Backyard Ultra World Team Championships — New ZealandBackyard ultra | 73 yards · 489.538 km | Winner · New Zealand venue record | View ↗ | |
| Dead Cow Gully Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 69 yards · 462.714 km | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Fault Line Ultra50 km trail | 4:05:21 | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Tarawera 100 Mile Endurance Run100-mile trail | 15:29:53 | 2nd overall | View ↗ | |
| Big Dog’s Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 91 yards · 610.246 km | 9th overall | View ↗ | |
| Australian Backyard Masters — Dead Cow GullyBackyard ultra | 101 yards · 677.306 km | Assist · then-world-record distance | View ↗ | |
| Backyard Ultra World Team Championships — New ZealandBackyard ultra | 46 yards · 308.476 km | Winner | View ↗ |
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