ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Meg Eckert just ran 636.482 miles (1,024.3 km) in six days, becoming the first woman to surpass 1,000 kilometers in a six-day race while also breaking the overall American record. Weeks later, she joins Garrett and Tanner to talk through what actually happens when you run for 144 hours, how she managed sleep, pacing and the mental lows, and why the six-day format has become her favorite event in ultrarunning.
Meg also explains her decision to step away from Team USA ahead of the 2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championships. After digging as deep as she did in Hungary, she didn’t believe she could show up at 100 percent for her teammates and chose to give the spot to an alternate who could.
We also discuss:
The moment in the middle of the six-day race when Meg woke up from a sleep break, couldn’t see the beginning or the end of what she was doing, and had to give herself the same pep talk she would give another athlete
How three different six-day attempts taught her to stop thinking about 144 hours and instead break the race into manageable six-to-twelve-hour pieces
Why sleep may be the biggest separator between six-day racing and the backyard, even when the physical distance suggests the two formats should translate
Her 92-yard performance at Big’s Backyard Ultra, whether women are ready to break 100 yards, and why she believes that milestone is coming very soon
Cocodona 250, where Meg finished third among women in her first 200-plus-mile trail race and rediscovered how much she loves the trail-running community
Melbourne Frontyard Ultra, the loaded international field already forming for 2027, and why Meg believes 10 to 15 runners could still be standing beyond 90 yards
What comes next at the 24-hour distance, why she wants to find out what she can do with a full training block, and how someone who once bailed on her first 5K ended up becoming one of the best multi-day runners in the world
Plus, Meg talks about being a teacher, coaching high school and adult athletes, building her own training while still leaning on mentors, and why running should stay rooted in joy even when the races become brutally difficult.
Meg Eckert has already proven she can go farther than almost anyone in the sport. What makes this conversation special is hearing how she thinks about the moments when the body is still capable, the mind is starting to crack, and the next decision matters more than the accomplishment behind her.
From stepping away from Team USA because she knew she couldn’t give the team 100 percent, to talking herself out of bed midway through a six-day race, to already wondering what she can learn from the next one, this is a conversation about much more than mileage.
If you’re fascinated by what happens when an elite endurance athlete reaches the edge of what she knows she can do and starts looking for what might exist beyond it, you’re in the right place.
Links
Meg Eckert coaching profile
https://www.sharmanultra.com/coaches/meganeckert
Meg’s Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/_megeckert/
Meg’s 636-mile six-day world record
https://www.irunfar.com/megan-eckert-six-day-running-world-record-2026
2026 EMU-GOMU 6-Day World Championships
https://iau-ultramarathon.org/emu-6-day-race%2C-balatonf%C3%BCred%2C-hungary.html
Big’s Backyard Ultra World Team Championships
https://bigsbackyardultra.com/world-team-championship-2026/
Team USA Backyard Ultra World Team Championship
https://bigsbackyardultra.com/races/big-dogs-satellite-championships-team-usa/
Cocodona 250
https://www.irunfar.com/2026-cocodona-250-mile-results
Melbourne Frontyard Ultra
https://www.melbournefyu.com.au/
Desert Solstice 24 Hour
https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=135023
#MegEckert #BackyardUltra #Ultrarunning
