The Threshold Podcast podcast

Nick Steel Returns

0:00
1:35:00
Rewind 15 seconds
Fast Forward 15 seconds

Nick Steele just jumped from a 60-yard personal best to 94 yards and nearly 392 miles at the 2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championships, finishing third among the Americans and ninth in the world.

Garrett and Tanner welcome Nick back to The Threshold Podcast to break down what happened at Big’s, how he pushed more than a full day beyond his previous best, and why his approach to backyard running looks so different from almost anyone else in the sport.

The conversation also covers:

What the Team USA course change actually felt like from inside the race, why Nick was willing to run wherever the team needed him, and how the endless road loop eventually became mentally brutal

The sleep deprivation, hallucinations and emotional swings that begin to take over when a backyard stretches deep into the fourth night

How Jon Noll and Levi Yoder helped keep Nick moving when he was barely staying awake and literally falling into roadside ditches

The full story of yard 94, when Nick laid down believing his race was over, hallucinated figures in the woods, heard what he believed was his girlfriend Ava’s voice telling him to get up, then somehow made it back with minutes to spare

Why Nick believes his body still had more to give, and why the real limit at Big’s became sleep deprivation and simply no longer wanting to be out there

His plan for Last Soul Ultra, where he intends to treat an individual race almost like a team event and help as many runners as possible go farther than they thought they could

Nick also opens up about the years before ultrarunning, when he struggled to find a reason to keep moving forward, and how running eventually gave him a sense of purpose he now wants to pass on to other people.

He is only 24, already one of the most recognizable young runners in the backyard world, and still chasing an even bigger goal: becoming the youngest person ever to complete 100 races of 100 miles or more.

But the most interesting part of Nick Steele may not be how far he can run.

It may be how determined he is to make sure the people around him go farther too.

If you want backyard ultrarunning covered like its own sport, not an afterthought inside the larger ultra world, you’re in the right place.

#BackyardUltra #NickSteele #Ultrarunning

More episodes from "The Threshold Podcast"