Key Numbers
Multiday running is still a niche inside ultrarunning, but the broader ultra base continues to grow. UltraRunning Magazine's North American participation table lists 137,699 total ultra finishes in 2025, up from 132,714 in 2024. That is a 3.8% year-over-year increase across North American races in the database.
| Metric | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total finishes | 132,714 | 137,699 | +3.8% |
| Races tracked | 2,835 | 3,071 | +8.3% |
| Unique runners | 100,217 | 102,715 | +2.5% |
| Female finish share | 31.74% | 31.71% | Flat |
Participation Is Still Growing
The important signal is not explosive growth. It is resilience. After the pandemic disruption and the post-2021 rebound, the North American ultra calendar has continued adding races and finishes without losing the sport's small-community feel.
That matters for runners considering a first timed event. More races means more formats, more looped courses, more backyard ultras, more fixed-time options, and more opportunities to choose a race that matches your current life rather than forcing every ambition through a mountain 100-mile race.
If you are new to the sport, start with our introduction to multiday running and the guide to different multiday race formats. The best first event is usually the one that lets you learn pacing, fueling, and problem-solving without too many variables stacked at once.
Backyard Ultras Keep Expanding the Ceiling
The most visible performance story remains the backyard ultra. In June 2025, Phil Gore completed 119 loops at Dead Cow Gully in Australia, covering almost 800 kilometers over nearly five days. That record pushed the event format further into territory that looks less like ordinary ultrarunning and more like a controlled experiment in sleep loss, logistics, appetite, and emotional regulation.
The format is simple: one 6.7056 km loop every hour, on the hour, until only one runner remains. The simplicity is exactly why it is hard. Pacing has to be repeatable. Food has to work again and again. The runner has to solve small problems before they become permanent failures.
Runners interested in the format should read Backyard Ultras Explained first, then move to the backyard ultra training guide and backyard ultra race strategy.
What This Means for Runners
The 2026 takeaway is practical: the sport is becoming broader, but not easier. Timed races, backyard ultras, and 48-hour or 6-day events reward preparation that looks boring from the outside: practicing walking, rotating shoes, eating on schedule, changing layers early, and keeping decisions simple when tired.
Gear also matters more as events get longer. Shoes that feel fine for three hours may feel narrow after twelve. A headlamp that is bright for a short trail run may bounce or pressure your forehead after a full night. Use the gear checklist and the 24-hour race shoe guide before race week, not the night before you pack.
What to Watch Next
The next growth signal is not only how many people enter ultras. It is where they enter. Timed loop races, backyard ultras, and stage formats make the sport more accessible to runners who want endurance without technical mountain terrain. They also create better entry points for crews, families, and race directors because the logistics are more visible and contained.
We will be watching three things through 2026: whether female participation moves beyond the low-30% range, whether timed races keep expanding outside traditional ultra regions, and whether backyard ultra performances continue shifting from novelty to specialized discipline.