German M65 backyard best
Completed 45 yards at Last Soul Ultra, 18 more than the next German M65 mark in DUV’s ranking.
Athlete profile · Sources reviewed Oct 12, 2026
Hubert Karl
45-yard backyard runner and 25-time Spartathlon finisher
Hubert Karl is a German ultrarunning veteran whose 45 yards at Last Soul Ultra 2026 lead DUV’s German M65 backyard ranking as of October 2026.
GermanyZeil am Main, GermanyTV ZeilM65
The record so far
Hubert Karl is a German ultrarunner, coach, and running therapist from Zeil am Main. At Last Soul Ultra 2026 he completed 45 yards for 301.8 km; as of October 2026, that leads DUV’s German M65 backyard ranking by 18 yards.
The backyard result adds a new format to an unusually long endurance résumé. Karl’s own career account reports 25 Spartathlon finishes from 28 starts, 21 24-hour races and more than 200,000 lifetime running kilometers. His recorded Badwater 135 finish in 2008 was 29:30:40.
His recent age-group results include first M65 at Spartathlon in 2023, third M65 at the 2025 Gotha 24-hour race, and first M65 at the 2026 Brazil 135 before his Last Soul performance.
Defining performances
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Sub-30-hour Badwater 135
Finished in 29:30:40; his athlete website lists him as the German Badwater record holder from 2008 to 2022.
25 Spartathlon finishes
Karl’s athlete website records 25 finishes from 28 attempts on the Athens-to-Sparta route and describes him as the only runner to complete it 25 times.
Performance history
Selected results, not a complete race history. Rankings and record descriptions reflect the cited sources at their review dates. Distances may use different rounding conventions.
| Date | Event | Performance | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last Soul UltraBackyard ultraThe organizer lists Karl and Philipp Rüger jointly 15th overall. | 45 yards · 301.8 km | 1st M65 · joint 15th overall · German M65 best | View ↗ | |
| Brazil 135 Ultra Journey240 km trail | 2d 00:51:01 | 1st M65 | View ↗ | |
| Mauerweglauf 100 Meilen Berlin100-mile road | 23:35:02 | 3rd M65 | View ↗ | |
| 24 Stunden von Gotha24-hour race | 170.670 km | 3rd M65 | View ↗ | |
| Spartathlon246 km road | 35:12:47 | 1st M65 | View ↗ | |
| Badwater Ultramarathon135-mile road | 29:30:40 | 6th overall · 1st M50 | View ↗ |
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