6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 19-25, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com 831 Some races begin with jittery runners awaiting the sound of an official’s gun as their toes edge up against the starting line. The Dewey Backyard Ultra begins entirely differently. People mingle and chat in a driveway and front lawn, then line up (roughly) with a mailbox representing the starting line for a collective group countdown: 3, 2, 1. The runners set out from the cul-de-sac in front of Garrett De Witt’s Toro Park house, wrap around the neighborhood along Highway 68, and then turn onto Fort Ord National Monument for a scenic jaunt past a pond and along a lush stream bed. The course turns back at a flag, and runners return on a reverse-lollipop loop to De Witt’s (aka Dewey’s) mailbox, clocking in at exactly 4.167 miles. This number is not arbitrary: When repeated 24 times, as in the number of hours in a day, a runner will have completed 100 miles. (In 2025, one participant, Jenny Jacox, in the second annual Dewey Backyard Ultra did just that, beginning the loop every hour on the hour for 24 hours.) For the third annual, which began at 9am on Saturday, March 14, the rules of engagement remained the same as ever: You do not need to go 100 miles and you do not need to be fast. The last person still running is the winner, whatever their pace. (Diane Clifton claimed victory among women with 44 miles, and Frankie Mora was the winner with 58.3 miles, or 14 laps over 14 hours.) Bryan Banks of San Benancio showed up hoping to run a 50K—that’s 33.3 miles, or eight laps—in honor of turning 50 this year. He completed six laps and then quit, but afterwards says he’s feeling great about it: “I realized that’s the longest I’ve run in one day in 10 years. I’m happy with my 24 [miles]. It’s nothing to feel ashamed about.” There is no shame in this backyard race, and that is part of the point, according to De Witt and race cofounder Matt Ledoux, who works as a tennis pro at Chamisal fitness club. The friends and fellow-runners compete at a variety of levels—they did their first 100-miler in 2024, and have a 250-mile race in Arizona coming up—and across big terrain. But the Dewey is meant to be inclusive and fun and welcoming to everyone, even those who might complete just one lap (like this reporter) and people who want to push their mileage goals, but are not prepared to end up 50 miles out in the wilderness with a knee twinge. Lots of kids participate, some in sandals. De Witt ran three laps then took his son to a T-ball game, then returned later for a bonus three laps before joining in for food and camaraderie on the front lawn, checking in with continuing runners between laps. (Faster runners get a longer rest between laps as a digital clock keeps moving toward the hourly starting time.) “If felt like everyone could give everybody else a hug, because everyone was just happy to be there,” De Witt says. Ledoux adds: “That’s the energy we have been trying to hold onto. If you’re trying to win the lap every time, maybe this isn’t for you.” The race has grown in just three years from about 20 people to 80, through word of mouth. De Witt works as a firefighter for the Salinas Fire Department, and the event was a fundraiser for the union’s nonprofit, Salinas Firefighters Foundation, which launched in 2024 to raise money to provide scholarships to young people pursuing public safety careers. Ryan Macoubrie, president of the foundation, joined the Dewey with plans to run two laps. But back at the mailbox after lap two, snacking on a muffin with the clock counting down toward 11am for the start of lap three, Macoubrie says: “My chief is doing three, so I have to do three.” His girlfriend, Taylour Matz, chimes in: “I knew he was going to do that!” This kind of personal challenge is what De Witt and Ledoux hope runners bring to their unusual race—going a distance that feels like a push, even if it’s not 100 miles or a marathon. The event has also pushed its limits in just three years, gaining sponsors (like the Big Sur International Marathon and El Charrito, which provided burritos as part of a buffet lined up in De Witt’s garage). The next-door neighbor set up a bounce house on the front lawn. “The enjoyment for us is seeing people that really don’t even run have a good time,” De Witt says. On the Run Three years in, a backyard ultramarathon race has become a tradition for runners at all skill levels. By Sara Rubin “That’s the longest I’ve run in one day in 10 years.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE KYLE VILLAVICENCIO / COPILOT GOOSE PHOTOGRAPHY Runners starting a lap in the Dewey Backyard Ultra on Saturday, March 14 (the start and finish line are the mailbox). Laps begin every hour on the hour for up to 24 hours. BEYOND THE HANOI HILTON: A conversation with former naval flight officer and vietnam pow larry fries Enjoy light breakfast, an update from Monterey Bay Defense Alliance Chairperson Fred Meurer, and a conversation with Guest Speaker Larry Friese followed by a Q&A WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 • 7:30 - 9:00 AM MONTEREY CONFERENCE CENTER TICKETS: $45 REGISTER AT: MONTEREY.GOV/MBDAEVENTS
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