124-yard backyard world record
Completed 124 yards with Ivo Steyaert at Belgium’s race of the World Team Championship, five more than Phil Gore’s previous record of 119. Neither started yard 125, so the race had no winner.
Athlete profile · Sources reviewed Oct 23, 2026
Merijn Geerts
Backyard world record holder: 124 yards with Ivo Steyaert (2026)
Merijn Geerts is a Belgian backyard specialist who shares the 124-yard backyard world record with Ivo Steyaert, set at the 2026 World Team Championship.
BelgiumWilseleM50–54
World record at the World Team Championship · 124 yardsBackyard Ultra World Team Championship 2026 · World record
124 yards, shared with the last other runner
Completed 124 yards and stopped on the same yard as Belgium’s last other runner, so the national race had no winner. The 124 yards beat the previous backyard ultra world record of 119. Belgium’s national race is over: the team finished on 1058 yards, 3rd in the standings at this point.
Final results after yard 124 (16:07 UTC, 22 October), matching the organizer's official leaderboard. Organizer results ↗ Championship guide →
The record so far
Merijn Geerts is a Belgian ultrarunner from Wilsele whose backyard career combines exceptional depth with repeated appearances at global championships. He shares the backyard world record of 124 yards with Ivo Steyaert, set at the 2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championship in Retie.
Geerts has reached at least 100 yards six times: 101 in 2022, 100 in 2023, 110 in 2024, 102 in 2025, and both 110 and 124 in 2026. His 2022 and 2024 performances formed part of shared world-record progressions before later results moved the overall mark higher. In May 2022 he also held the record alone after winning the Backyard Masters in Rettert with 90 yards, and he has won Legends Backyard Ultra twice, in 2021 and 2024.
He also races continuous six-day events, covering 807.986 km at the 2025 GOMU Six-Day World Championship in France and 761.314 km at the 2026 EMU 6-Day Race in Hungary. At the October 2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championship, he and Ivo Steyaert were the last two runners in the whole championship. Running side by side in Retie, they passed Phil Gore’s 119-yard world record on 22 October and completed 124 yards, 831.49 km or 516.7 miles, before neither started yard 125, so Belgium’s race had no winner.
Defining performances
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110-yard world-record share
Completed 110 yards with Ivo Steyaert and Frank Gielen at Belgium’s satellite championship, setting a new world-best mark as Belgium won the team title.
Race of Champions winner
Won the Backyard Masters race in Rettert, Germany, after 90 completed yards, then a new world record.
Fifth 100-yard performance
Reached 110 yards at Legends Backyard Ultra, his second result at that distance.
Belgian 24-hour champion
Won the national 24-hour championship race at the Ultraloopfestival in Bruges with 226.817 km.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backyard Ultra World Team Championship 2026 · BelgiumBackyard ultraRan with Ivo Steyaert in Retie; neither started yard 125. | 124 yards · 831.49 km | World record · shared, no winner | View ↗ | |
| The Great Escape 200 km206 km trail | 38:23:14 | 24th overall · 1st M50 | View ↗ | |
| EMU 6-Day RaceSix-day roadThe Balatonfüred race also hosted the GOMU 6-Day World Championship. | 761.314 km | 10th overall | View ↗ | |
| Legends Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 110 yards · 737.660 km | 3rd overall | View ↗ | |
| Legends Trail 350350 km trail | 3d 07:51:00 | 7th overall | View ↗ | |
| Big Dog’s Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 88 yards · 590.128 km | 13th overall | View ↗ | |
| Dead Cow Gully Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 102 yards · 684.012 km | 3rd overall | View ↗ | |
| GOMU Six-Day World ChampionshipSix-day race | 807.986 km | 8th overall | View ↗ | |
| Backyard Ultra Team World Championship — BelgiumBackyard ultraGeerts, Ivo Steyaert and Frank Gielen stopped together after 110 yards, so there was no individual winner or assist. | 110 yards · 737.660 km | Shared world-best mark · team champion | View ↗ | |
| Legends Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 53 yards · 355.418 km | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Big Dog’s Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 100 yards · 670.600 km | 6th overall | View ↗ | |
| Ultraloopfestival Brugge — Belgian 24-Hour Championship24-hour race | 226.817 km | Winner · Belgian champion | View ↗ | |
| Backyard Ultra Team World Championship — BelgiumBackyard ultraGeerts and Ivo Steyaert both stopped after 101 yards, so there was no individual winner or assist. | 101 yards · 677.306 km | Shared then-world record | View ↗ | |
| Backyard Masters — Race of the ChampionsBackyard ultra | 90 yards · 603.540 km | Winner · then-world record | View ↗ | |
| Legends Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 43 yards · 288.358 km | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Backyard Ultra Team World Championship — BelgiumBackyard ultraKarel Sabbe won the Belgian race with 75 yards, then a world record. | 74 yards · 496.244 km | Assist · 2nd overall | View ↗ |
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