Race planning
Plan Sydney's 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: This page covers the September 19, 2026 edition, which started at 8:00 AM AEST and ended early on Tuesday, September 22 after 66 yards. The race runs twice a year, and the next edition is Saturday, April 17, 2027. Capacity and climb differ between sources: the race website gives 750 runners and 34 m per yard, while Big's race page lists 500 runners and 45 ft per loop.
- Listed edition
- Sep 19, 2026 – Sep 22, 2026
- Format
- Backyard Ultra
- Distance
- 6.706 km every hour
- Local start time
- 8:00 AM AEST (UTC+10) on Saturday. The April 17, 2027 start is 6:00 PM Friday, April 16 in New York and 11:00 PM Friday in London.
- Duration / cutoff
- Each 6.706 km yard must be finished within the hour, and runners must be in the starting corral for the next bell, with warnings at 3, 2 and 1 minute and no late starts. There is no set finish or yard cap. The winner is the last runner to complete a yard, and if nobody completes one more than everyone else there is no winner. Head torches are compulsory for night yards, usually from about 5:00 PM to 6:00 AM. Between yards runners rest at their own 3 x 3 m gazebo or in a communal gazebo area beside the corral.
- Crew and pacers
- Crews may help only after a runner completes a yard, never during one, and a crew's rule breach can disqualify its runner. Pacers are not permitted at any stage. Children are allowed only at a runner's own aid station, under adult supervision.
- 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.