British men’s backyard record
Completed 87 yards at Suffolk and earned the assist behind Łukasz Wróbel’s 88-yard win.
Source-checked athlete record · Updated Oct 12, 2026
Matthew Blackburn
British men’s backyard record holder and 48-hour specialist
Matthew Blackburn holds the British men’s backyard record at 87 yards and has won two 48-hour races, with a best of 368.330 km.
United KingdomNew Mills, EnglandM40–44
The record so far
Matthew Blackburn is a British backyard and fixed-time ultrarunner from New Mills. His results include deep national-team backyard performances, 24- and 48-hour races, and multiple finishes at Spartathlon.
At the 2024 Suffolk Backyard Ultra, Blackburn completed 87 yards for 583.422 kilometers and assisted Łukasz Wróbel’s 88-yard victory. Yardlore lists the performance as the current British men’s backyard record.
Blackburn was also the 80-yard assist to John Stocker’s former world-best 81 yards at Suffolk in 2021. In fixed-time competition, he won 48-hour races in 2022 and 2023 and improved his best to 368.330 kilometers at the 2025 GOMU World Championship. He is on the United Kingdom team for the 2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championship, which starts on October 17, 2026.
Defining performances
Performance history
| Date | Event | Performance | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GOMU 48-Hour World Championship48-hour road | 357.003 km | 10th man · 14th overall | View ↗ | |
| Sparta City Ultra24-hour road | 219.526 km | 2nd overall | View ↗ | |
| Big Dog’s Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 63 yards · 422.478 km | 31st man · 36th overall | View ↗ | |
| GOMU 48-Hour World Championship48-hour road | 368.330 km | 5th man · 8th overall | View ↗ | |
| Spartathlon246 km road | 31:00:10 | 35th man · 43rd overall | View ↗ | |
| Suffolk Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 87 yards · 583.422 km | Assist · British men’s record | View ↗ | |
| Big Dog’s Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 56 yards · 375.536 km | 33rd man · 35th overall | View ↗ | |
| UMF Winter Edition48-hour road | 357.923 km | 1st overall | View ↗ | |
| Backyard Ultra World Team Championships — United KingdomBackyard ultra | 47 yards · 315.182 km | 1st at the UK venue | View ↗ | |
| UMF Winter Edition48-hour road | 351.650 km | 1st overall | View ↗ | |
| Suffolk Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 80 yards · 536.480 km | Assist · 2nd overall | View ↗ |
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