Sport
3 July, 2026
Former Maryborough local Sam Christie emerges as future ultramarathon star
Since the turn of the decade, marathon running has seen a remarkable spike in popularity.
According to Ausrunning, approximately 73,000 Australians completed the arduous physical and mental challenge of running 42.2 kilometres in 2025, a massive increase from roughly 23,000 finishers in 2019.
By extension, ultramarathons, describing any event that exceeds the traditional marathon length, have also seen a rise in notoriety, with many athletes striving to push the human body to its absolute limit.
Someone who’s caught the ultramarathon bug is former Maryborough local Sam Christie, who’s quickly made a name for himself as one of the rising stars in Backyard Ultra (BYU).
An extreme form of ultra-marathon, BYU sees competitors run a 6.7 km loop within the hour, every hour, until there’s one left standing, with events routinely lasting days.
While many would perceive the event as absolutely ludicrous, Christie said he became emboldened to test himself after starting his running journey just before COVID and watching documentaries about ultramarathons.
“It got me really hyped and I wanted to see how far I could push it,” he said.
“It was just the absurdity of what people can push their body through and how far the mind can take you once the body thinks it’s done.”
Christie has quickly built an impressive BYU resume ever since he won his first race at the 2025 Gil’s Galavant in Wallumbilla, Queensland, after running 29 laps, equating to 194.5 km.
After achieving a personal best of 42 laps (281.7 km) in a runner-up finish at last October’s Garden City race and going back-to-back at this year’s Gil’s Galavant, Christie had a breakthrough performance at the Dead Cow Gully last May, highly regarded as one of the biggest races in Australia.
Among a stacked field of 242 starters, Christie outlasted them all, etching his name into a prestigious winners list after running for nearly three days straight, finishing with 66 laps (442.6 km).
“It was amazing, just knowing the reputation of the Dead Cow Gully, I didn’t think I had a chance at winning it. I just wanted to go as far as I could,” Christie said.
“It was really a pinch-yourself moment. I couldn’t believe that I got the win.”
To complete these near-superhuman feats, Christie runs at least 70 km a week to preserve his fitness, an astounding workout program that increases past 120 km a week near race day.
While spending countless hours putting one foot in front of the other can at times be a lonely experience, Christie said the support of his peers and loved ones helps fuel his passion for BYU.
“I just try to stay present and stay calm, because if you think about the big picture and how much there still is to go, it’s just overwhelming and it’s not helpful at all,” he said.
“One of the things I’ve always had is people there to support me. My wife is always there to look after me. So I’m not just running for myself, I’m also running for her.
“When doing BYU, you know that you’ve got something to look forward to every hour, whether it’s just to sit down or see friends and family.
“If you put in a faster lap, you’ve got 15 minutes sometimes to try to get some sleep.
“I used to put too much pressure on myself to try and sleep, but now I just put these meditation noises on in noise-cancelling headphones and I’ve actually dozed off a few times.
“I also enjoy chatting to people out on course. There’s always a great bunch of people out there who you can run with.”
Christie’s Dead Cow Gully victory placed him on the precipice of qualification to represent Australia at the 2026 Big’s Backyard Ultra World Team Championship.
Held in October, the biennial world championships sees national teams of 15 runners compete simultaneously from their home countries to compile the highest combined number of laps.
While Christie’s 66 laps place him 16th in the nation, the former Maryborough local will have another chance to qualify for the team at The Clint Eastwood Last One Standing event next month.
Unlike the Dead Cow Gully, victory at The Clint Eastwood would automatically qualify Christie for the team regardless of distance.
While his eyes are currently fixated on competing at the world championships, Christie said he envisions himself being an elite BYU runner for years to come.
“I just want to be the best really at BYU. I’m young enough, I think I’ve got a good chance to keep working on it and I want to try to be the best that I can be and try to be one of the best in the world,” he said.
“It’s kind of an older person sport. People peak in their 40s and sometimes even later, so I’m getting in nice and early and hopefully my body can last that long.
“I also want to branch out and work on some other areas of running. I’ve never actually done a road marathon before, so I’d like to do one of those next year.
“I’m just trying to be great at something. I think it’s the first thing in my life I’ve really been good at, so I’ve really got the fire burning to take it as far as I can.”