Race planning
Plan River-Run Backyard Ultra
Use the listed edition as your starting point. Each tool keeps imported race facts separate from the targets and assumptions you choose.
This is a past edition. These details are for reference; confirm a future edition before making a plan.
Edition notes: The fourth edition starts at 9:00 AM on Saturday, October 24, 2026, over Labour Weekend. The published Webscorer deadline was 8:59 PM NZDT on October 21. On October 22 the organizer’s homepage still advertised registration open, but current entry availability could not be verified. Entry is free; on October 20 Webscorer showed 307 registrations across the backyard and the Kids Classic. Big’s Backyard Ultra lists a capacity of 250. Big’s race listing still gives the record as 37 yards (Fiona Hayvice, 2024); the council’s 2025 race report and Yardlore show Glenn Tomlinson won the 2025 edition with 43 yards, so 43 is the current course record. The organizer’s rules page is still dated for the 2024 race.
- Listed edition
- Oct 24, 2026
- Format
- Backyard Ultra
- Distance
- 6.7 km every hour
- Local start time
- 9:00 AM Saturday, October 24 (NZDT)
- Duration / cutoff
- Each 6.7 km yard must be finished within the hour, including the last one; no fixed overall finish. Runners must be in the starting corral when the bell goes, with warning whistles 3, 2 and 1 minutes before each start. The winner must complete one more yard alone after the last other runner stops.
- Crew and pacers
- Crews may help only in the event village between yards. Runners may not accept help from anyone on the course, which is a public trail, and eliminated runners may not run on it. Poles are not allowed.
- Drop bags
- Check the current race rules
Recorded facts reviewed Oct 20, 2026. Check the organizer’s latest rules. Calendar downloads use all-day dates and do not set a starting alarm.
Pace & duration
Choose a distance target. Choose a planning duration; this race has no single recorded time limit to import.
Gear checklist
Start with the matching format checklist. Add the organizer’s mandatory gear.
Crew & drop bags
Bring across the race name. Add confirmed access points, distances and your own arrival estimates.
Planning hourly yards? Use the backyard calculator for loop pace and time between starts.