Vegan ultrarunner Harvey Lewis recently achieved a personal best by running 462 miles in 111 hours at Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra 2025 in Tennessee. Competitors run a 4.167-mile loop once per hour until failure, covering around 100 miles per full day. Lewis fell after running more than 400 miles but continued for another 50 miles, earning him a joint sixth-best result of all time for the backyard ultra format.

Lewis, who has credited his plant-based diet with aiding his endurance and recovery, previously won the Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra in 2023 and has competed in 24-hour endurance races since the mid-1990s. The 49-year-old vegan athlete continues to teach at a high school in Cincinnati and shared his vegan fuel for the race, including Abe’s vegan muffins, chips and hummus, soups, pad thai, vegan mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese.

Other notable achievements at the race include course record-breaking performances by Phil Gore, the men’s overall winner, and Ivo Steyaert, who took second place. The top women’s finisher, Sarah Perry, set a new women’s world record for the course by running 395.83 miles in 95 laps. Lewis's dedication to a vegan lifestyle and impressive running accomplishments showcase the power of plant-based fuel in endurance sports.