After running nearly 300 kilometres over a span of some 43 hours, Michael Rouleau was feeling a little uncomfortable - and it had nothing to do with the physical pounding his body had taken over the course of the Persistence Backyard Ultra in London (ON) last summer.

A devotee of the race format that sees athletes covering a 6.71 kms loop - and are given one hour to do so, unable to start the ensuing loop (referred to as a "yard" on this circuit) until the clock strikes twelve to begin the next hour, Rouleau was holding down one of the at-large positions with the Canadian team that would be competing in the Big Backyard Ultra World Team Championships this August.

(The brainchild of American Gary Cantrell, the format of the backyard ultra was designed to allow participants to cover 100 miles over the course of a 24-hour period, with the miles divided evenly over the course of that particular stretch of time.)

"I knew that number (43 yards recorded in London) would not suffice; I knew I would get bumped off," said Rouleau, having captured first place at the Old Man Backyard Ultra in Lethbridge (AB) in early May, one of six events for which the first place finisher was rewarded with an automatic berth on the 15-runner national team alluded to earlier.

"The advantage was this was a qualifying race - which also means all of the best talent typically flock to qualifying races," noted Rouleau, the field in Lethbridge attracting some 200 competitors.

For as much as the 32 year-old member of the Greater Sudbury Police Services needed to extend his personal best by just two loops in Alberta in order to eliminate hometown favourite Austin Sedgwick (race format limits to race winner to completing one more lap than the second to last man / woman standing), Rouleau has more to build on than simply his fourth victory in the six Backyard Ultras he has raced.

"I still feel like I have lots more in the tank and I am super excited to see what that may look like in a field where it is going to go very, very far," opined the local man who heads to Sicamous (B.C.) on October 17th to join the balance of his teammates from across the country, with the goal simply to accumulate as many total team yards as possible prior to your last racer dropping out (likely around hour 80).

Subject to a diverging range of emotions in the weeks leading up to the completion of a backyard ultra, Rouleau delved into both sides as we chatted about his latest accomplishment. "Going in, I had self belief that I could win it - and I also had some doubt based on the number of runniners and their resumés."

Additionally, the longer than usual winter made for a great deal of time spent training on a treadmill, not the ideal scenario to replicate the race environment.

"With this running, there is so much that we don't control," suggested Rouleay. "If the uncontrollables went my way and things went well, I felt comfortable I would win that race. But if I run that same race against the same people, I understand the results could be very different, just for all of the variable that we have taked about."

"To win an event like that, you have to have things go your way; it's a must," added the former "AAA" hockey talent who was drafted by the Sudbury Wolves back in 2010.

"There will be problems, sure, but are the problems managable? I had issues, but they were minor and were issues that me and my crew could resolve and manage."

With Jeremy Thielmann unable to complete his 38th lap, it was down to just Rouleau and Sedgwick in Lethbridge.

"The last couple is a very unique dynamic," suggested Rouleau. "Over eight hours, we spent a decent amount of time together - but not always. Two people may just run at different paces or have different pacing strategies."

"There were times when he was struggling and I would stop and offer help. It was a friendly competition."

But one from which Rouleau was intent on emerging victorious.

"Really, you just focus on doing one more lap," he said. "If the bi-product of that is you end of winning, that's great - but it truly is a race with yourself."