Backyard ultra

The backyard ultra or last one standing is a form of ultramarathon race where competitors must consecutively run the distance of in less than one hour. Each loop, commonly referred to as a "Yard", is 100⁄24 miles, so in 24 hours, a competitor would run 100 miles. They must repeat this every hour until only one person completes a full lap - the last one standing.

The backyard ultra format has gained a reputation for its grueling and unpredictable nature, as well as the camaraderie among participants. Challenges include sleep deprivation, exhaustion, and varying weather conditions.

History Backyard ultras are the invention of Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell, who is also one of the founders and race directors of the Barkley Marathons.

The original backyard ultra is Big's Backyard Ultra, which is held on Cantrell's property in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, and is named after his dog. First held in 2011, today Big's is an invitational race where the top competitors participate based on wins in a bracket of the various American and international backyard ultras. Description A backyard ultra consists of repeated one-hour laps. Each lap begins on the hour and must be completed within that hour. The distance of each lap is set at , a figure derived to ensure that completing one lap every hour for 24 hours results in exactly covered in a single day.

The event continues until a single runner completes a lap alone; that runner is declared the winner and the sole official finisher, while all other competitors are recorded as "DNF" (Did Not Finish). If no competitor manages to complete one more lap than the others (for example, if the remaining runners all fail to finish the next lap), the race ends with no winner and all competitors listed as DNF. The competitor who completes the second-most laps is commonly referred to as the "assist".

Rules are strictly enforced across local and championship events; runners must be in the starting corral at the bell, may not receive aid on the course, and cannot leave the course except for restrooms.

The format's published rules also ban artificial aids, trekking poles among them, and bar non-competitors — including runners already eliminated — from accompanying an entrant on the course. The starting corral is measured to hold the entire field and stays the same size for the whole event, and warnings are given three, two and one minutes before each bell.

A shortened variant, the "Backyard 24", is run to a defined finish of up to 24 hours and is named for its length, so that a "Backyard 6" lasts six hours. No winner is declared in these races — participants either finish or are recorded as DNF — and the remaining backyard rules apply unchanged.

Global growth and impact Since its inception, the backyard ultra format has grown into a global phenomenon. By 2023, events were being held in over 70 countries under an international framework that feeds into a World Championship. Media outlets have noted the format's rapid rise in popularity, attributing it to its accessibility and the "existential" nature of a race with no defined finish line.

The format has also been adapted for virtual events, notably gaining traction during the COVID-19 pandemic when travel was restricted. Beyond the sport itself, the format has drawn attention for its psychological depth; coverage in The New York Times highlighted how the grueling, repetitive nature of the event provided a coping mechanism for Ukrainian runners during wartime.

Records

Phil Gore (Australia) holds the world record of 119 loops (), assisted by Sam Harvey (New Zealand) at the Dead Cow Gully event in Queensland, Australia on 26 June 2025.

The female world record for a backyard ultra performance is 95 laps () set by Sarah Perry (United Kingdom) at the 2025 Backyard Ultra World Individual Championship in Tennessee.

Mike Jones (UK) holds the unofficial Tactical Division (10kg weighted vest) world record of 26 loops at the Red On Backyard Ultra, Cheltenham, UK in May 2026.

A Backyard Ultra snow world record of 84 laps was set in Yoshkar-Ola on March 7–10, 2026. Temperatures dropped to -25°C.

Europes biggest ever Backyard Ultra had 306 participants, held at Cheltenham Race Course by Red On Events in May 2026. The event was won by Jay Stapley with 61 yards (254 miles (408.7km)) completed. The assist was George Jones, with both of them qualifying for the UK Backyard Team Championships.

Milestone performances - Men Milestone backyard ultra performances, including world records (WR). Yards "Loops" Name Runner up "Assist" Date Event/Place Notes 119 (WR) Phil Gore Sam Harvey 26-Jun-2025 Dead Cow Gully, Qld, Australia 116 (WR) Łukasz Wróbel Jan Vandekerckhove 1-May-2025 Legends Backyard Ultra, Retie, Belgium 110 (WR) Merijn Geerts , Ivo Steyaert , and Frank Gielen n/a 24-Oct-2024 Retie, Belgium Backyard Ultra World Team Championship 108 (WR) Harvey Lewis Ihor Verhys 25-Oct-2023 Bigs Backyard Ultra, Tennessee, USA 102 (WR) Phil Gore Sam Harvey 21-Jun-2023 Dead Cow Gully, Qld, Australia 101 (WR) Merijn Geerts , Ivo Steyaert n/a 19-Oct-2022 Kasterlee, Belgium Backyard Ultra World Team Championship 90 (WR) Merijn Geerts Keith Russell 14-May-2022 Rettert, Germany

Milestone performances - Women Milestone backyard ultra performances, including women's world records (WWR). Yards "Loops" Name Runner up "Assist" Date Event/Place Notes 95 (WWR) Sarah Perry Megan Eckert (USA) (92 yards) 21-Oct-2025 Tennessee Backyard Ultra World Championship 2025 87 (WWR) Meg Eckert n/a 24-Oct-2024 Tennessee Backyard Ultra World Team Championship 77 Megan Smyth n/a 24-Apr-2026 Banana Slug Backyard Ultra, Oregon 74 (WWR) Jennifer Russo n/a 30-May-2023 Capital Backyard Ultra in Lorton, VA 68 (WWR) Courtney Dauwalter n/a 20-Oct-2020 Bigs Backyard Ultra, Tennessee, USA 60 Maggie Guterl n/a 22-Oct-2019 Bigs Backyard Ultra, Tennessee, USA Female overall winner 67 (WWR) Courtney Dauwalter n/a 23-Oct-2018 Bigs Backyard Ultra, Tennessee, USA 30 Katie Wright n/a 03-May-2019 Riverhead Backyard Relaps Ultramarathon, New Zealand Female overall winner

Notable events Significant and recurring Backyard Ultra races held around the world. Event Name Location First held Course record Elevation (m) Sources Big Dog's Backyard Ultra Bell Buckle, USA 2011 108 100Red On Backyard UltraCheltenham, United Kingdom20266160 Suffolk Backyard Ultra Festival Suffolk, United Kingdom 2018 88 15 Backyard Ultra World Team Championships Global (simultaneous national events) 2020 110 Dependent on the local course Dead Cow Gully Backyard Ultra Nanango, Australia 2020 119 14 Herdy's Frontyard Ultra Herdsman Lake, Australia 2021 57 48 Legends Backyard Ultra Retie, Belgium 2022 116 6 Sydney's Backyard Ultra St Ives, Australia 2023 81 35 BPN Go One More Ultra Liberty Hill, United States 2025 7344

Scientific research Backyard ultras have become the subject of scientific study in recent years. Their demanding nature in both intermittent high intensity exercise and sleep deprivation allows researchers to gain unique insights into cognitive performance under stress. In 2024 a study was published in PLOS One that examined participants in the Suffolk Backyard Ultra to investigate if the backyard ultra would impair cognitive performance and if this impairment could be mitigated by pre-race sleep patterns. Eleven males were tested during and after the event with the following: a 2 Choice Reaction Time test, a Stroop test, and a Tower Puzzle test. The study concluded that the environment of running a backyard ultra impairs cognitive function, however this impairment can be minimized with good sleep quality during the 7 days leading up to the event.

Backyard ultra

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