Dehydrated and Overheated: Kim Gottwald Forced to Abandon Record Attempt in Texas

In the grueling world of Backyard Ultras, the battle is as much against the body’s basic biological needs as it is against the clock. For 22-year-old German extreme athlete Kim Gottwald, that battle reached a breaking point this weekend at the Bare Ranch in Austin, Texas.

Gottwald entered the Go One More Ultra with a daring ambition: to complete 100 laps, covering more than 670 kilometers. Had he succeeded, he would have become the youngest athlete ever to reach that historic milestone. Instead, the physical toll of the Texas heat and the relentless nature of the format forced him to withdraw after 58 laps.

Der deutsche Extremsportler Kim Gottwald bricht den „Go One More Ultra“ in Texas völlig erschöpft ab und verpasst den Rekord für seine Altersklasse. Hinterher berichtet Trainer Pawel Dregan über das kleine Drama.

By the time Gottwald stepped off the course, he had covered 389.006 kilometers. While falling short of his ultimate goal, the distance represents a staggering feat of endurance for an athlete of his age.

The Breaking Point

The collapse was not a matter of willpower, but of physiology. According to his trainer, Pawel Dregan, Gottwald’s body simply stopped accepting the fuel and hydration necessary to keep moving. In a video shared on Instagram, Dregan described a distressing scene, noting that the young runner was severely dehydrated and overheating.

“He is dehydrated and overheated. He needs ice,” Dregan reported. “And he currently cannot eat. He can’t get anything down.”

For an ultra-endurance athlete, the inability to ingest calories—often referred to as “gut failure”—is a common but devastating hurdle. When combined with heat exhaustion, it creates a critical situation where continuing would pose a severe health risk. After 58 hours of racing, the combination of these factors made further progress impossible.

Understanding the Backyard Ultra Format

To the uninitiated, the Backyard Ultra is one of the most psychologically taxing formats in sports. The rules are deceptively simple: participants must complete a 6.7-kilometer loop exactly once every hour. If a runner finishes the loop in 45 minutes, they have 15 minutes to rest, eat, and recover before the next whistle blows at the top of the hour.

The race does not have a fixed distance. It continues indefinitely, hour after hour, until only one runner remains. To reach 100 laps, as Gottwald intended, an athlete must maintain this pace for over four days and nights without significant sleep.

A Shared Exit with a Legend

Gottwald was not the only high-profile casualty of the 58th hour. In a striking coincidence, he exited the race at the exact same time as Harvey Lewis. Lewis, a former Backyard world record holder who once completed 111 laps, also recorded a DNF (Did Not Finish) after 58 laps and 389.006 kilometers.

The simultaneous exit of a rising star like Gottwald and a veteran like Lewis underscores the brutal attrition rate of the event. While Gottwald sought to set an age-based record, Lewis brought the experience of a man who has pushed the boundaries of the sport further than almost anyone else.

Final Standings and Results

The 2026 edition of the Go One More Ultra, held from April 10 to April 14, eventually saw Kendall Picado Fallas emerge as the victor. Fallas pushed through to 66 laps, covering a total distance of 442.662 kilometers to claim the top spot.

The depth of the field was evident in the final rankings, with several other athletes pushing past the 30-lap mark before succumbing to the elements or exhaustion:

Note: Results are based on official event tracking via Spoferan and are subject to final confirmation.

The Road Ahead

Despite the disappointment of the DNF, Gottwald’s performance remains a significant marker of his potential. Covering nearly 390 kilometers at age 22 places him in an elite bracket of extreme athletes. The experience in Austin—particularly the lessons learned regarding heat management and nutritional intake under extreme stress—will likely serve as a blueprint for his future attempts at record-breaking distances.

For now, the focus shifts to recovery. After 58 hours of continuous exertion and a battle with overheating, the priority for the German athlete is physiological restoration.

We will continue to monitor Gottwald’s recovery and any official announcements regarding his next competitive outing. Share your thoughts on this incredible effort in the comments below.