The Backyard Ultra is a last person standing Endurance Race.
– Riverhead Backyard ReLaps Ultra describe a Backyard Ultra like this…
A Backyard Ultra is a type of ultramarathon where participants run laps of a set course of 6.706 metres (4.167 miles) and they must finish each loop in less than an hour. The race restarts each hour with all those that finished the previous lap on time. The race is over when only one runner remains to complete a lap. This runner is marked as the winner and only finisher, with all other runners receiving a DNF (Did Not Finish). The strange distance is because the distance for 24 laps is equal to 100 miles.
Lactic Turkey.
Shaun Collins of Lactic Turkey was the good person who bought Backyard to New Zealand, creating the Riverhead Backyard ReLaps Ultra in 2019 & continuing to support the sports growth & the people in it – Thank you Shaun!
You’ll find a calendar of New Zealand Backyard Events on the Lactic Turkey Events page.
Another way of saying what & how a Backyard Ultra rolls, is described below by ducklings Steve & Chris from The Best Dam Backyard Ultra in Otematata – Home of the NZ World Championship.
A Backyard Ultra is a form of running event where competitors try to consecutively run a loop measuring 6.7km in less than one hour.
Inch Events
Each competitor chooses how quickly they run the loop (known as a yard) and when each yard is completed, the remaining time within the hour is typically used to recover before the next yard starts on the hour.
Competitors complete as many yards as they can and the winner is the last person to complete a lap within the allocated hour.
The good lady Steph – Krayzie event director of Krayzie Midwinter Backyard Christchurch, quote reasons for running the backyard format in total…
We run the backyard for many reasons.
Krayzie Midwinter Backyard
We run because it’s fun.
We run to socialise with our friends – old & new.
We run to go further than we have ever gone before …
Big’s Backyard in Bell Buckle, Tennessee is where this beautiful sport became.
Listen to Lazarus Lake – Founder of the Backyard format – describe Backyard in this Find Your Feet Film: Just One More Lap. – Laz speaks on a visit to Aotearoa New Zealand…
“When you start a race, one of two things happen: One is you win, or you mentally quit.”
Lazarus Lake
Here you’ll find World Rankings & the Global At Large List – You’ll see our Sam Harvey of New Zealand at #2 – Being Assist for Phil Gore of Australia in 2025 at Dead Cow Gully – both runners performing a momentous feat – Phil holds the world record running 119 yards – Sam ran 118 Yards or 790.6km in 118 hours. – You’ll also find a calendar for a backyard event anywhere in the world.
There’s some mighty fine events just across the ditch, an opportunity to sign up for an event while you visit. – Here’s a fantastic glimpse into Dead Cow Gully – with this Backyard Ultra Film Breaking Point. – Some super Kiwis make an appearance.
“…the backyard format is so different to your point to point race for a number of reasons. One is the social aspect, because the gun doesn’t go off & you’re not rushing to get round, so there’s a lot of time out there to chat to your other runners & get to know each-other.
Fiona Hayvice NZ – Dead Cow Gully 2023.
And really, at the end of the day, it’s a game against yourself. You’re up against yourself & your own mind, so that’s really different to your point to point standard race.”
Fiona is founder of M.A.S.H Backyard Ultra NZ Kāpiti Coast.
For us at Backyard Ultra Wānaka -we’ve found a love of the Backyard format & it’s so beautifully kaleidoscopic, with all the colours & contours. A fun game of science, discovery & movement.
Backyard Ultra is for everyone – of every age & ability – there’s a supportive & fun environment waiting for you here.
We’ve a lovely yard to travel on in our backyard & we’d love to share that with you.
Dear data freaks:
if you’re looking for a deep dive into the stats, a fantastic resource to visit, created by Warren Sergeant is BackyardUltra.com.au – You’ll find latest results & National Age Records – choose your nation. This site continues to grow.
For students of the Art of Backyard.
There’s a ton of good content to assist you learn about Backyard & we’re looking forward to loading more.
– to start & make it easy, we recommend you tuning into the Backyard Ultra Podcast with Patto – On this podcast Patto interviews A LOT of Backyard veterans and asks them ALL the good questions – the detail will keep you entertained & informed. & the tips you glean will be invaluable.
Here’s a recent interview with Patto speaking with Jack Hanley – The Crazy Running Man to get you started. – An interview that has to be in the running for best Australian sports interview surely!