Backyard ultra race calendar
Find a backyard ultra by comparing listed dates, locations, terrain, and organizer information. Browse US races first, followed by international editions and the archive. Upcoming editions stay together as new years are added to the directory.
A nearby event can still have specific qualification, crew, parking, or camping rules. Check the current organizer instructions before choosing a race.
Listed US editions across all available years, ordered by start date. Check each event's entry or qualification requirements.
Bell Buckle, Tennessee, USA (and worldwide satellite sites) · Trail
The premier backyard ultra team event. National teams of up to 15 runners compete simultaneously at satellite sites worldwide. Each runner completes 4.167-mile loops every hour. The country with the most total loops wins.
Edition note: The race started on October 17 at 12:00 UTC. The organizer's live results list 69 nations; Mauritius (civil unrest) and Singapore (smoke haze) withdrew, so 67 started with 990 runners. After 43 hours (07:00 UTC on October 19), 205 runners had completed 43 yards. Japan led with 645 yards and all 15 runners still in, ahead of the United States and Belgium (644 each) and Australia (642). Spain's race was stopped at yard 25 by severe weather and will be re-run later; 34 other national races had ended with a national winner, the longest after 43 yards in Latvia, Greece and Guatemala. There is no fixed finish: each national race goes on until its last runner stops.
Lorton, Virginia, USA · Trail
A high-level backyard ultra at Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area, built for deep performances in a small, highly supported field.
Edition note: The registration page confirms March 20, 2027 at 8:00 AM. One paragraph of the main website instead says March 27. Entry is selective and requires prior ultra experience.
Listed editions outside the United States, ordered by start date.
Zeewolde, Netherlands · Trail
A public backyard ultra at Scoutinglandgoed Zeewolde, held alongside the Netherlands World Team Championship satellite. Runners repeat the same forest loop by day and night.
Edition note: Sold out. The organizer's ticket and programme text give a 14:00 start on October 17, but its session list puts the national-team world championship at 14:00 and the public Dutch Backyard Ultra at 14:30, so entrants should confirm their start time. The organizer has room for 300 runners and keeps the event window open through October 24; there is no fixed finish.
Smithfield, Cairns, Australia · Trail
A Cairns backyard ultra on the trails of Smithfield Mountain Bike Park, with hourly starts and a separate six-lap introductory event.
Edition note: Entries are open at the late fee of $200 until October 22. The backyard and the six-lap Mini Backyard share a cap of 250 entries. The organizer's pages give the climb per lap as about 95 m on the event page and about 125 m on the course page.
Tandur, Queensland, Australia · Trail
A Queensland backyard ultra at Cobb & Co Nine Mile Camping Grounds, with a campsite base for runners and crews between hourly loops.
Villa Carlos Paz, Córdoba, Argentina · Mixed
An inaugural night-start backyard ultra on Villa Carlos Paz's lakeside costanera, repeating a flat 6.706 km loop every hour.
Archived editions for course and organizer research. Check the official website for a newer race date.
Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia · Mixed
An hourly backyard race based at Toowoomba Showgrounds, using a loop of trail, grass, dirt, and bitumen until one runner remains.
Result: The organizer-linked leaderboard indicates a second consecutive Garden City Backyard Ultra win for Chris Van Leer with 38 yards (254.828 km), ahead of Walther Fuglevik with 37 yards (248.122 km). Karla du Plessis recorded the most yards among women with 16 (107.296 km). The table is still labelled live rather than final.
Cajamar, São Paulo, Brazil · Trail
A steep last-person-standing race in Cajamar, with each hourly 6.706 km trail loop climbing roughly 293 m.
Result: Guilherme Santos Victor won the 2026 A Lenda Backyard Ultra with 18 yards (120.708 km). Douglas Silva provided the assist with 17 yards, and Jannicken Versori ran the most yards among women with 14.
Monsanto Forest Park, Lisbon, Portugal · Trail
A last-person-standing trail race on an hourly 6.706 km loop inside Lisbon's large Monsanto Forest Park.
Result: Henrique Alves won the 2026 Lisboa Backyard Ultra with 22 yards (147.532 km). André Costa provided the assist with 21 yards (140.826 km).
St Ives Showground, Sydney, Australia · Trail
One of Australia's premier backyard ultra events. A last-person-standing race starting at 8:00 AM at St Ives Showground with a community-focused atmosphere.
Result: Justin Makhlouf won the September edition with 66 yards (442.57 km). Lee Warren provided the assist with 65 yards (435.87 km), and Kim Lueck recorded the most yards among women with 37 (248.11 km).
Domein Beverdonk, Retie, Belgium · Mixed
A spring last-one-standing backyard ultra at Domein Beverdonk in Retie, organized by Backyard Belgium vzw within the Legends Trails family. Łukasz Wróbel won it with 116 yards in 2025, a world record at the time, and again with 114 yards in 2026.
Result: Łukasz Wróbel defended his title with 114 yards (764.27 km). Oriol Antolí Sarrau provided the assist with 113 yards, Merijn Geerts reached 110 and Christophe Baud 100, and Sarah Perry was the first woman with 76 yards, 10th overall.
View verified race details →Bell Buckle, Tennessee, USA · Mixed
The original backyard ultra, run by Lazarus Lake on his land near Bell Buckle, Tennessee, and now the individual world championship in odd-numbered years. A field of up to 75 qualified runners starts a 4.167-mile yard every hour, on trail by day and road by night, until one runner is left.
Result: Phil Gore won the 2025 individual world championship with 114 yards (764.438 km), the most ever completed at Big’s. Ivo Steyaert was the assist with 113. Harvey Lewis and Jon Noll each completed 111, now the US national record, and Sarah Perry’s 95 broke the women’s backyard record of 87.
Edition note: Since 2020 Big’s has alternated between formats. The organizer’s results archive lists individual world championships in 2021, 2023 and 2025 and team championships in 2020, 2022, 2024 and 2026; in team years Bell Buckle hosts Team USA’s national race. The 2025 race started at 7:00 AM Central on Saturday, October 18. Gore’s 114th yard started at midnight, so the race ended in the early hours of Thursday, October 23.
Compare the locations in the US or international section, then check the organizer's website for course access and entry details. This directory is selective and does not calculate travel distance or list every local event.
Yes. It includes all backyard editions currently in the directory. Active and upcoming races are ordered by date, and listed editions move to the archive after their recorded end date. A separate calendar contains only 2026 editions.
No. Some events have qualification or team-selection requirements. Use the event profile and official organizer information to confirm eligibility and current registration availability.
Rules, training, strategy, nutrition, and events in one place.
Open resource →Satellite format, national teams, live tracking, and past results.
Open resource →Understand yards, hourly starts, and how a winner is decided.
Open resource →Use an adaptable 16-week framework and printable planning worksheet.
Open resource →Compare yards, distance, loop pace, and the time left at base.
Open resource →Focus on the listed 2026 editions, including the archive.
Open resource →Current calendar: Backyard Ultras