"The backyard ultra race format, originally created in 2011 by Gary Cantrell, or Laz, of Barkley Marathons notoriety, is a rapidly growing corner of ultrarunning. The timed-lap race format, which values attrition over speed, lends itself to some interesting pacing strategies. Runners can either run fast and have a lot of rest between laps or run slower at the expense of rest."
"While Gore didn't set a new record this year, Sarah Perry of the U.K. set a new women's standard by running for 95 hours and 395.8 miles (637k). The racing format involves running a 4.167-mile (6.705k) course, also called a "yard," every hour, starting on the hour. Runners continue until they miss the 1-hour cutoff, or don't want to run anymore, and the winner is the last person to complete a lap."
The backyard ultra format began in 2011 by Gary Cantrell (Laz) and emphasizes attrition through timed hourly laps. Big's Backyard Ultra functions as the de facto world championship for the format. At the 2025 event, Phil Gore completed 114 laps (475 miles/764.4 km) and Ivo Steyaert dropped at 113 laps. Sarah Perry set a new women's benchmark with 95 hours and 395.8 miles (637 km). The course is a 4.167-mile (6.705 km) yard run every hour on the hour until a runner misses the cutoff. The second-to-last finisher serves as the "assist." Top-25 performances illustrate tradeoffs between faster lap speed with more rest versus slower sustainable pacing with reduced rest.
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