Women’s Backyard Ultra world record
Completed 95 yards at Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra, eight more than Megan Eckert’s previous women’s record of 87 yards; the distance was also a UK overall backyard record.
Athlete profile · Sources reviewed Oct 20, 2026
Sarah Perry
Women’s Backyard Ultra world-record holder at 95 yards
Sarah Perry is a British ultrarunner who holds the official women’s Backyard Ultra world record at 95 yards.
United KingdomCockermouth, EnglandW35–39
World Team Championship · 76 yardsBackyard Ultra World Team Championship 2026 · Stopped
76 yards completed before stopping
Completed 76 yards, then finished yard 77 over the hour. United Kingdom’s national race is over: the team finished on 939 yards, 5th 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
Sarah Perry is a British backyard ultrarunner from Cockermouth. At the 2025 Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra, she completed 95 yards and 637.03 km, setting the official women’s world record and placing tenth overall.
Perry’s selected backyard history includes wins at the 2021 Backyard Ultra Cymru, the 2022 Cow Shed Backyard Ultra, the 2024 UK satellite team championship, and the 2025 Medieval Backyard Ultra. She progressed from 20 yards in her first listed start to 95 yards four years later, was first woman with 76 yards at Belgium’s Legends Backyard Ultra in April 2026, and headed the United Kingdom’s pre-race selection list for the 2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championship, which started on October 17, 2026. As of October 2026, her 95 yards place her 15th on Big’s at-large roster for the 2027 Individual World Championship.
Away from the backyard, Perry won the 108-mile Winter Spine MRT Challenge South outright in January 2026 in 31:37:42. She was fourth woman in the 268-mile Winter Spine Race in 2025 and covered 505.752 km at the EMU 6-Day Race in Balatonfüred, which hosted the GOMU six-day world championship, in September 2026.
Defining performances
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMU 6-Day RaceSix-day roadThe Balatonfüred race also hosted the GOMU 6-Day World Championship. | 505.752 km | 21st woman · 65th overall | View ↗ | |
| Legends Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 76 yards · 509.656 km | 1st woman · 10th overall | View ↗ | |
| Winter Spine MRT Challenge South108-mile winter ultra | 31:37:42 | 1st overall | View ↗ | |
| Big Dog’s Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 95 yards · 637.03 km | Women’s world record · 10th overall | View ↗ | |
| The Medieval Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 35 yards · 234.710 km | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Winter Spine Race268-mile winter ultra | 115:07:52 | 4th woman · 23rd overall | View ↗ | |
| Backyard Ultra Team World Championship — United KingdomBackyard ultra | 59 yards · 395.654 km | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Rasselbock Backyard Ultra — Sherwood PinesBackyard ultra | 41 yards · 274.946 km | Assist · 2nd overall | View ↗ | |
| Cow Shed Backyard UltraBackyard ultra | 33 yards · 221.298 km | Winner | View ↗ | |
| Backyard Ultra CymruBackyard ultra | 20 yards · 134.120 km | Winner | View ↗ |
Related coverage
Runner directory
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