With running, going further was always more appealing to me than going faster. I got into running in 2019, but it was only in 2021 that it took off. In January, I challenged myself to run at least 5km every day for the whole month. In March, I ran my first marathon, and my first 50km in June. I was bitten by the running bug.

Towards the end of 2021, I was dreaming of running 100km. I found the Jurassic Coast Ultra Challenge, a 100km race on the south coast of the UK, but was hesitant to sign up. Only when I started talking about it with family and friends, did I summon the courage to sign up for the 2022 race.

The run itself was great and I had a very enjoyable day out. I ran most of it with Peter, a seasoned ultra runner who I met on the trail and who was good company and a steady pacer. He's one of the reasons I ended up getting 4th place.

Fast-forward to late 2025 and early 2026 and I found myself dreaming of a Backyard Ultra. Once again, I found myself hesitant to commit and sign up to a race. Remembering my experience from the Jurassic Coast race, I began talking about the backyard with people. Discussing the race format and hearing people's reactions, some encouraging, others looking at me like I was mad, already made me commit to signing up.

For me, the phenomenon of telling people what I'll do is driven by a high desire of having self-consistency. If I say I will do something out loud, I have a strong desire to do it. Going back on something I've said is one of the things I dislike the most, and I'm not alone. Robert Cialdini found that people generally desire to be consistent in their behaviour, as outlined in Influence: Science and Practice (1985). Although the book is framed in a commercial setting on how this can be exploited by businesses to improve sales, the same behavioural phenomenon also applies elsewhere.

I signed up to the Endless Garden for September 2026. My goal is 100 miles, or 24 hours - anything additional will be a bonus. And now I've told the internet too, so best thing to do is to get on with it...