Back to sports wiki

Sport from the database

Backyard Ultra

Backyard ultra is a last-one-standing ultrarunning format: every hour a 4 miles 880 feet / 6.7056 km yard starts. Runners who do not finish in time or are not in the corral at the bell are out; the last person able to complete one more yard wins.

LevelVariant FamilyAthletics CategoryAthletics

Representative sports image for Backyard Ultra — Kalendar · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image source

Classification

Category Athletics

Family Athletics

Level Variant

Getting started

Kurzbeschreibung Backyard ultra is an hourly loop ultrarun with no fixed finish line.

Geeignet für Suitable for experienced runners who like pacing, endurance, food, sleep and mental repetition.

Cost Low to medium for shoes, headlamp, food and entry; crew setup can add effort. Medium due to long training time, travel, entry, night/weather gear and nutrition. Trail/ultra running group, running club or organised backyard event. The format is mentally and logistically demanding; test shorter versions first.

First progress Short tests work quickly; real open-ended toughness needs months of endurance and logistics practice.

Fitness level high

Was du brauchst

running shoes
headlamp
weather layers
nutrition
rest place
watch
crew or alarm
marked loop

First steps

plan a 3-6 hour test
practise run-walk pacing
test nutrition
try night running
set crew/wake-up routine

Backyard-ultra calendar, trail-running community, running group or beginner/Backyard 24 event.

Start only with safe route, weather plan, lights, emergency contact and realistic stop decision.

Weitere Angaben

Aliases Last man standing running, Last Man Standing Running

Tags running, ultra, endurance, backyard-ultra, athletics, leichtathletik, last-man-standing-running

Rules and format

Die Grundlagen

Ziel

Complete one yard every hour and remain in the race longer than everyone else.

Teilnehmer

Individual runners in an open-ended format.

Teamgröße

Individual; crew is support, not a team on course.

Spielfeld

4 miles 880 feet / 6.7056 km loop or out-and-back.

Dauer

Open-ended until only one person completes one more yard.

Wertung

Yards completed; everyone except the winner is recorded as DNF.

Gewinnbedingung

Be the only person to complete one more yard.

Ausrüstung

running shoes
headlamp
nutrition
watch
crew/basecamp setup

Wichtige Regelpunkte

not in corral at bell
yard not under one hour
personal aid during yard
leaving course except restroom
artificial aids

Regelquellen

Federations and sources

Federations

World Athletics (WA)

Backyard Ultra Rules Big's Backyard Ultra · official-rules · high
Sarah Perry's Guide To Backyard Ultra Running INOV8 · athlete-blog-guide · medium
Backyard Ultra Tips - Pacing & Sleep Miles Together · experience-blog-guide · medium
What is a Backyard Ultra? Run Your Heart Out · runner-explainer · medium