British backyard record
Completed 87 yards at Suffolk and earned the assist behind Łukasz Wróbel’s 88-yard win.
Source-checked athlete record · Updated Aug 18, 2026
Matthew Blackburn
British backyard record holder and 48-hour specialist
Matthew Blackburn holds the British 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.
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 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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