Harry’s King of the Hill

Event Overview

A last-one-standing race on a private farm near Pyalong, Victoria: every hour the field climbs a 4.2 km loop with about 300 m of vertical, until one runner has completed one more lap than everyone else.

Course & Terrain

A 4.2 km loop through a private paddock at 2240 Seymour-Pyalong Rd, with two major climbs, one very steep descent and roughly 300 m of vertical per lap; the spot height is 411 m. The surface is mostly grass with clusters of small rocks. The course is marked with poles, ribbons and reflective markers and is not lit at night. The 2024 edition used a shorter 3.2 km loop with 266 m of climbing.

Key course features to know before comparing this race:

• Two major climbs on every lap of exposed farmland
• The Altra “Ghee Up” hype zone over the top of the second hill
• A festival village with a beer tent showing the broadcast

Grassy, uneven paddock with small rocks, two climbs and a steep descent that punishes quads hour after hour. A head torch is mandatory between 8:00 PM and 8:00 AM. Watch for cows, kangaroos and snakes.

The farm is exposed, so heat and cold both bite, and the organizer warns that hay fever hit many athletes in 2025. A fire ban applies, and extreme weather can postpone or cancel the race.

Entry & Logistics

Why This Race Matters

Hardcore Harry’s, an Australian fitness-challenge app, launched King of the Hill in 2024 on farmland near Pyalong, about 93 km north of Melbourne. The first edition ended with Piotr Babis and Pyry Liukkonen stopping together after 75 laps and splitting the prize; in 2025 Babis won outright with 90 laps (378 km), 4 hours further than anyone had gone on the hill, after a duel with Blaine Bourke. ABC News covered both editions, and the organizer says the 2025 livestream ran for 90 hours and reached more than 100,000 viewers. The format borrows the backyard ultra’s hourly start, but the loop is 4.2 km rather than the standard 6.706 km yard, the organizer itself says it “isn’t a backyard ultra,” and it is not one of Big’s Backyard Ultra’s affiliated races, so laps here are not backyard yards.

Historical benchmark notes in the directory record (verify current records with the linked official sources):

• Most laps: 90 (378 km), Piotr Babis, 2025, on the 4.2 km loop; Blaine Bourke was runner-up with 89
• 2024 (3.2 km, 266 m loop): Piotr Babis and Pyry Liukkonen stopped together after 75 laps (240 km) and split the prize
• Most laps by a woman: 49, Judith Arndt, 2026 (provisional); previously 31, Kelly Conroy, 2025

Preparing for a Race Like Harry’s King of the Hill

The backyard ultra race guide covers the format as a whole. These guides go deeper:

• Backyard ultras explained: Rules, distance math, current records and how a race ends.
• Backyard ultra training plan: A 16-week framework with hourly-loop rehearsals and a printable worksheet.
• Backyard ultra race strategy: Loop pacing, the routine between loops, sleep and knowing when to stop.
• Backyard ultra nutrition: A fueling framework to test for eating and drinking between loops.

Best Fit

• Backyard runners who want a much hillier hourly format
• Australian ultrarunners chasing a big cash purse close to Melbourne

Planning Notes

• Practice the exact hourly routine: loop, eat, foot check, bottle refill, and back to the start. The format rewards repeatability.
• Train for terrain-specific fatigue. Technical trails and mountain courses demand downhill durability, hiking efficiency, and reliable night lighting.
• The directory does not mark this as having simpler logistics. Confirm qualification, terrain, support, registration, medical, and withdrawal requirements before planning around it.
• No water on site: bring everything you and your crew will drink
• No poles and no headphones, and no help at all during a lap
• Rest-area spots are first come, first served; arrive Friday
• Mobile reception is patchy at the farm

Event FAQs

Related Preparation

• Compare this race in the full 2026 calendar
• Browse the 2026 backyard ultra calendar
• Open the Backyard Ultra format guide
• Compare all race formats
• Use the timed-race pace calculator
• Build a backyard yard and rest-time schedule
• Estimate race calories and plan fueling
• Build a crew and drop-bag plan
• Build a race-specific gear checklist