How Julija ran 250 miles with Pep and qualified for Backyard Ultra World Champs
Julija Šorytė, a runner from Portland, OR, took home 3rd place Overall at the 2026 Banana Slug Backyard Ultra held at Champoeg State Park in Champoeg, OR.
She ran a total of 250.61 miles in 59 hrs and 49 minutes.
This race was a silver ticket race for the 2026 Backyard Ultra World Championship held on October 17th, 2026. Her amazing result qualified her for the event and she will proudly represent the team of her native Lithuania.
Backyard Ultra is a wild discipline of ultra running, where runners compete on a closed loop of 4.167 miles. Runners must complete each loop in 1 hour and it's the last person standing who wins.
We caught up with Julija a week after the race to ask her about her nutrition and race strategy. The highlights are here below and the full interview is at the bottom of this blog.
Julija relied on cookies, watermelon, chips and Precision gels as her primary source of fuel for about the first 28hrs of the race. She also had hot Ramen and mashed potatoes every few hours. She transitioned to Pep Race Raspberry as her main source of fuel from the hour 28 to 60 of the race.
Her goal was to consume at least 300 calories and at least 300ml of water with 500mg of Sodium per hour.
Starting at hour 28, when she transitioned to Pep, her goal was to consume 1 Pep pouch every lap (so every hour). She would take the pouch with her on the course to keep the calories coming in while running, and not just at the crew tent. Her crew mixed 2 scoops (60g of Carbs) per pouch.
When it was hot during the day, she directed the crew to make the consistency thinner, almost drinkable. During the cold night and when she was getting hungry, the crew made the consistency thicker.
Julija's strategy was to finish each loop in approximately 50 minutes and use the remaining 10 minutes for fueling, rest, body maintenance and even short naps.
She was in excellent spirits throughout the whole adventure. She unfortunately started to experience ankle pain around mile 150 and the swelling continued to get worse. She persevered another incredible 100 miles, but her foot became too painful and swollen to allow her to continue past mile 250.
What was your overall nutrition strategy?
I started off mainly eating real food at the aid station each hours - cookies mainly, but chips and other savory snacks as well. Also, hot food every few hours, which I continued throughout the whole race. First day I used precision gels as I ran (30grams of carbs), and then I replaced it with PEP nutrition starting the second day (28th through 60th hours). I would take a pouch with me on the run, as it is essential to use nutrition not only at the aid station each hour, but also on the run. Pep was so easy to consume, it gave me the energy I needed and no GI issues.
How about liquids and electrolytes?
I would take a 300ml handheld bottle filled with water and 500mg of sodium per lap. My practice was to have a pouch of Pep and hand-held bottle each hour.
Did you have specific Carb goal you were trying to hit every hour?
I did not have super specific goals, but I would aim to consume ~300 calories per hour minimum. It would get more difficult in later hours, and that is where liquid nutrition like PEP was most excellent.
Can you tell us a little more specifically how you consumed Pep and how you used the pouches?
I directed my crew to mix two scoops per pouch. My favorite part about mixing Pep was that I could ask my crew to make the consistency to my liking which varied greatly at different stages of the race. When it was hot during the day, I would ask them to make the mix almost drinkable, so I don't need to even drink water after sipping pep from the pouch. Other times, when I would feel more hungry and feel like I can consume food, I would ask them to make the mix thicker. It worked so well.
I would say I started consuming Pep nutrition in the late morning of the second day, maybe 28 hours in. Until then I had no issue consuming real food like cookies, a lot of them, and ramen, an afterwards I would consume Pep regularly as I would come back to the aid station, my crew would have several pouches mixed and ready, keeping them in the cooler.
What Pep flavors did you use and do you have a favorite?
I used up over a bag of the Race Raspberry mix, it is my favorite. I did not direct the crew to mix up other flavors and experiment with them all, which I probably should have. I have plenty of time now to experiment with the rest of the flavors and try mixing them before my other two major races this year.
Tell us about those two major races!
On June 20th I will race the 24hr track invitational in Wisconsin where I will attempt to set Lithuanian record for 24 hours. And then especially the Backyard Ultra World Championship that takes place October 17th.
BYU Worlds sounds so exciting. You mentioned this race qualified you?
Yes, this race was silver ticket race and an official BYU. Each country participating in the backyard world championship has 15 people team. Runners with most completed yards (1hour = 4.17miles = 1 yard) qualify for the team. I am second on the Lithuanian team after trail runner Harry Subertas who has 64 yards. I hope we will have an amazing race in October!
You had to stop due to injury. What happened?
My leg started bugging me on the second night, which was about 150 miles into the race. It started with a slight pain but it kept increasing and the swelling kept increasing too. I kept fighting through the pain for the rest of the race but when I went out for the 61st hour, I simply could not stand the pain anymore, as I could not bear weight on my right leg. It appeared to be tendon injury, maybe wrong shoes, maybe I started heel striking too much, but I sure learned my lesson. Injury was what stopped me, I definitely had enough energy and strength to keep on going.
Last question I have is about your sleep strategy if you're down to share.
Yes, there were laps, especially during the nights that I would aim to complete quicker so I can lay down for 5 or 7 minutes each time. It is a tricky thing to do as I cannot run too fast because keeping heart rate low is a key thing to be able to fall asleep quickly.
So fun and so amazing, thank you for sharing with us and bringing Pep on this awesome adventure!!!