Ultramarathoner Mark Dowdle won the Last Soul Ultra in Germany, running 395 miles in under 4 days in a backyard ultra format. He discusses the mental, emotional, and spiritual practices that enable him to push past physical limits, including faith-based frameworks, journaling, gratitude practices, and the power of supportive relationships to overcome self-doubt and pain during extreme endurance races. Backyard ultras require runners to complete 4.167-mile loops every hour until one person remains; the real challenge is mental and emotional, not purely physical, as runners battle self-created narratives about their capability and pain.