I am originally from Tampa, FL. I have lived in Portland since 2019. Father of 3 wonderful little humans: Tyler, Teddy and Willow.

I am an architect based in Eugene, Oregon. I started trail running as an excuse to explore the woods with my Pitbull mutt, Bixby. That evolved into sub-ultra trail racing and now ultras. The Banana Slug will be my first backyard ultra attempt!

Hi, I’m Joe. This will be my 3rd time running the Banana Slug Backyard Ultra.

Last January, I suffered a life altering ankle sprain. Doctors and specialists were baffled by my unique case. “A trail runner with a sprained ankle? In all my years of practicing I’ve never heard of such a thing! He must be really fast and run really technical trails like that Jim Walmsley fellow over in Europe!” one of my physical therapists probably said. Instead of spending my time running in preparation for the Banana Slug, I suddenly found myself in spandex and on a bike trainer binge watching The Sopranos (It still holds up!) They even had me in the gym playing with these things called "weights".

As it turns out, my buddy Jim also had an ankle sprain earlier this year (I know because we’re in the same ankle support group). Months later he set a course record at UTMB. Months after my injury, I found myself in a Taco Bell drive thru at 3am after quitting the Banana Slug. It was only after stuffing my face with a Gordita Crunch that I realized I had hit my bottom. Right then and there I promised myself that 2024 Banana Slug would be different. Because this time I wouldn’t be running for Jim. I’d be running for me.

Just a San Diego boy who loves the occasional suffer fest. Thought this would be a descent option.

I feel I’m a versatile,durable,consistent and competitive runner. I’ve run races on the road, track and trail and love pushing the envelope to see we’re that breaking point might be.

Hello fellow Slug runners! My name is Saulius (Saul) Eidukas. I live in Bend, Oregon and have enjoyed running as far back as I can remember. From timing myself running home from school in the 6th grade to finally taking up racing at the youthful age of 42 by completing my first half trail marathon running has always been a joy for me. Took another five years to take up ultra marathons and long adventure runs and I haven’t looked back since.

I prefer running on trails, preferably on and around mountains but I love running no matter the distance or format. The backyard ultra has intrigued me for some time and with a little cajoling from two fellow Lithuanian running friends, Julija and Saulius (yeah there will be two of us there) I decided to join them and the rest of you to experience for myself what this race is all about.

Looking forward to the fun, hardships, smiles, pain and bonding this race will provide us all. Until then happy trails everyone.

I'm looking forward to the event and thought I would also take this opportunity to share a picture for the slug.run site. I haven't put together a writeup for myself (and I am not sure I will), but I'll let you know if I do come up with something.

Hey everyone, I am Katie from Sisters, OR. I am new to the ultra community and ran my first 50k this past September! Friends from my local running club have encouraged me to try out the Banana Slug so I am coming out to test my limits with them. (Shout out to Amy and David!) I love the running community and meeting new people so I am so stoked to run with all of you!

Originally from Indiana, moved to Oregon in 2006. I hold a Master's Degree in Architecture, bowled a 300 perfect game, have a BB in my ass since age 12, completed race distances up to 200+ miles, been sober since 2010, enjoy listening to all genres of music and am a proud member of the Clean Pinch Run Club.

Howdy! I am Jeremy, aka Coach Smith, aka Kermode (the Great White Grizzly!)

Soon after 14-year-old-me joined the high school’s XC team, I told my coach “Someday I am gonna run a 100 mile race!” She and everybody else laughed.

Well eventually I got around to accomplishing that, but I also ate way too much pizza and ice cream along the way, tipping the scales at 314 lbs in early 2022.

Adopting a rowdy baby boy motivated me to be the best version of myself, so I went to work, changing up my diet and dropping 100 lbs, getting back to steady running in 2023, not only finding a renewed love for myself and of running, but also, for all others trying to forge their way through tough times.

When I’m not running or hiking or coaching or exploring with my wife, son, xc team, or australian shepherds… I’m probably sleeping!

Looking forward to toeing the line again and again and again (and again?!?) with like-minded folks until the mind or body makes us stop!

My name is Paul Bourman, I got to participate in the first Banana Slug Backyard Ultra—but I had to call it a day after 12 loops so that I could be ready to preach in church the next morning. With a Friday start I’m really looking forward to pushing my limits!

I’m planning to run this race for a local Portland school. This winter during the ice storm, pipes burst in the Kindergarten (my son’s classroom) and Pre-K classrooms making them completely unusable. They do have insurance, but of course, it’s not going to cover everything. I’m running the Banana Slug for two reasons—to test my limits—I want to run this year until I actually just can’t anymore, and I’m also running to raise money for these classrooms to be able to get back on their feet. Here is a link to the fundraising page.

Hi, I’m Mike Grant. I have a big blended family of 6 and am fortunate to have an amazing and patient finance. I’m a therapist and work around addiction and mental health. I have a small practice called Aid Station Performance Therapy and Coaching where I assist athletes in overcoming mental barriers to reach their goals. I’m also a coach for Wyeast Wolfpack. This is my first backyard and I can’t wait!

I'm a Beaverton local currently studying Kinesiology at Pacific University. Long time runner, first time ultra-runner and looking forward to an awesome first experience!

On race day I will be 62 years old. I have some ultra experience which I will describe here.

My first attempt at an Ultra was the Winterhawk 50 mile on the Wildwood Trail in Portland’s Forest Park in 1993. I was ill-prepared and ran continuously for 36 miles chasing the race leader. Then I walked 5 miles until I could get a ride home from some friends that came out to watch.

My next Ultra length event was a solo run from Cascade Locks to Timberline Lodge on the Pacific Crest Trail in 1999. This is about 48 miles with 6000 feet of net gain. I ran unsupported and finished just under 14 hours.

Next was Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim in 2011. I tackled this 42 miler unsupported, but with a partner. We finished in just under 14 hours.

Finally, I ran the Wy’East 50 km in 2021 and managed to win the 50+ age group even though I was only a few months from turning 60.

I am stoked to be able to run the Banana Slug Backyard 24! My invitation to register arrived in my inbox the day I finished a 24-hour endurance run in St. George UT called Last One Standing. The format of that race is a 6-mile loop, run every 90 minutes. It tops out at 17 laps (102 miles) and unfortunately my stomach failed me and I only made it 13 laps before missing the cutoff time. I recuperated and ruminated after reading your email, then true to the ultra runner spirit decided... why not try again?? this race in April will not only be my redemption race, but also a birthday present to myself! My birthday is April 14, so I will turn 44 the morning I finish the 24th loop of the race 😁.

I truly love running, and the feeling of accomplishing something hard. I do believe running is mostly mental, which made my failure in St. George tough to come to terms with. But mostly, I enjoy starting a long distance/time event knowing that all I have to worry about for the next 6, 12, 24 (or more) hours is putting one foot in front of the other and keeping forward progress.

It's so good to have the 24 format to allow more of us runners to join in on the fun! I look forward to meeting and running with other amazing people. I am hoping to have my friend Laura join me for some of the laps too. She's the best support!

I'm from Colorado and have never done a backyard ultra. Will be running with my daughter (pictured) who lives just north of Portland. This is going to be a blast (except for the running part)!

I'm a runner from Colorado, currently living in Vancouver, WA. I started running in college, doing half marathons, and got into trail running when I moved to the PNW. Since then I've run a trail marathon and 50k and plan to set my sights on longer distances. I love running for the peace of mind and community it brings, and my favorite trail snack is cold brew M∧Ms.

Every couple of years I decide to do something that puts me out of my comfort zone. I’ve traveled all over the world, I’ve jumped in frozen waterfalls in -20 weather, climbed mountains in that same weather in nothing but shorts and hiking boots, jumped out of planes, and have done no train marathons in other countries on a wim. The last few years I’ve been grinding for my masters and I sit for my boards in March and thought a great way to celebrate would be to try to run 100 miles in 24 hours.

I've been a "long distance" runner most of my life. In high school I ran cross country and track all 4 years but was not very fast. I soon realized that the longer the race, the better I placed. In my highschool sophmore year, after cross country season, I decide to run a marathon. I decided this the week before the race and I ran an 8 miler then a 14 miler as preparation. With 14 miles as my longest run in my life, I was able to run 20 miles a 8 minute pace, then walked the last 6.2 for a 4:07 marathon (Jan 1976, age 15). I tried another marathon the following summer, still under trained, and finished in 4:04. In Jan 1977 (now age 16) I ran my 3rd marathon having run a 20 miler in 7:30 pace in training. My time in the marathon was 3:15; I was now hooked. Since then, I have run 100 more marathons (most between 3 and 4 hours).

I started ultra running at age 38. The reason I started is because I tore an ab muscle playing soccer with my daughter's team. I was not able to run fast but could run slow and long so I decided to run my first ultra (Bridle Trails 50K) in January of 1999. After running 5 of the 6 loops in over 5 hours (the longest I'd ever been on my feet), I gave up. I just thought it was dumb being out there so long. At that time, I was running marathons in the low 3 hours. So yes, I DNF'd my first ultra. Later, feeling horrible about that, I immediately ran another 50K later than month with ultra studs Cheri Pompeo and Lynne Werner. It was a Fat Ass type race called Yours Truly. So no support; just go find a course and run a 50K. While I didn't run that fast, I did finish. Since that time, I've accumulated 250 "Maniac official" ultra marathons and have run 100s of training runs of ultra distances between 30 and about 125 miles.

Since starting ultras, I've tended to look at those who came before me to see how they are doing as they age. It's very encouraging to see older ultra runners still out there putting in the miles. At 63 I've been lucky to be able to maintain 3,000-3,500 miles a year without injury; in fact, I ran about 3,800 miles in 2020 at age 60, running 60 miles on my birthday in a little over 10 hours. I like to run more than I like to race so I tend to run longer runs with no real purpose other than for pure enjoyment. And, I'm no Van Phan, but I do like to do as many races as I can throughout the year. Here in Alaska, there are not too many ultras so I do try to do a couple of races in the lower 48 each year. For 2024 I've signed up for Dizzy Daze 12 hour run in Seattle and the Banana Slug 24. I may run the North Coast 24-hour in Cleveland if it's held next September. Otherwise, the rest of my races will be in Alaska.