94 yards at Dead Cow Gully
Placed sixth with 630.364 km in the race Phil Gore won with 119 yards. Yardlore lists the result as the Japanese M30 record.
Source-checked athlete record · Updated Oct 19, 2026
Michitaro Mizuno
94 yards at Dead Cow Gully and a Japanese age-group record
Michitaro Mizuno is a Japanese backyard ultrarunner whose 94 yards at Dead Cow Gully in 2025 qualified him for Japan’s 2026 World Team Championship squad.
JapanHadano, JapanM30
Still running at the World Team Championship · 51 yardsBackyard Ultra World Team Championship 2026 · Still running
51 yards completed and still in the race
Japan is 1st with 769 yards and 15 runners still in.
From the organizer’s live results after yard 52 (15:53 UTC, 19 October). Live results ↗ Championship guide →
The record so far
Michitaro Mizuno is a Japanese backyard ultrarunner based in Hadano. His best is 94 yards, or 630.364 km, at Dead Cow Gully in June 2025, where he placed sixth in the race Phil Gore won with a world-record 119 yards. Yardlore lists the mark as the Japanese M30 record. A Trail Running NZ recap of that race called him a crowd favourite, nicknamed Bagman.
His first recorded backyard was Last Samurai Standing in Tokyo in November 2023, where he and Tetsuo Kiso both stopped at 70 yards, leaving no outright winner but a new course record. In February 2025 he won the first Last Samurai Standing Big’s Challenge Cup with 63 yards. He has since raced Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra in 2025 and three backyards in Poland and Australia in 2026. DUV also lists road and journey races, including a win at the Little Edo Oedo 230k in 2023.
Mizuno is second on Japan’s official selection list for the 2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championship, which started on 17 October 2026, with his 94-yard Dead Cow Gully result as the qualifier.
Defining performances
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Last Samurai Standing Big’s Challenge Cup winner
Won the first edition with 63 yards in a 14-runner field, one yard ahead of Kazuhiko Nakata.
70 yards in Tokyo
Stopped on the same yard as Tetsuo Kiso at Last Samurai Standing Tokyo, so the race had no outright winner. Their 70 yards set the course record.
Little Edo Oedo 230k winner
Won the 230 km race in 27:04:39.
Performance history
| Date | Event | Performance | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dead Cow Gully Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 54 yards · 362.124 km | 4th overall | View ↗ | |
| Sydney’s Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 65 yards · 435.890 km | 4th overall | View ↗ | |
| BackYard Ultra WarmiaBackyard ultra | 37 yards · 248.122 km | 7th overall | View ↗ | |
| Big Dog’s Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 65 yards · 435.890 km | 32nd overall | View ↗ | |
| Akita Nairiku 100km Marathon100 km | 8:25:09 | 13th overall | View ↗ | |
| Dead Cow Gully Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 94 yards · 630.364 km | 6th overall · Japanese M30 record | View ↗ | |
| Last Samurai Standing Big’s Challenge CupBackyard ultra | 63 yards · 422.478 km | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Backyard Ultra World Team Championship — JapanBackyard ultra | 64 yards · 429.184 km | 6th overall | View ↗ | |
| Last Samurai Standing Backyard Ultra — TokyoBackyard ultra | 70 yards · 469.420 km | Joint last finisher · no outright winner | View ↗ | |
| Little Edo Oedo 230k230 km | 27:04:39 | Winner | View ↗ |
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