Hourly-loop planning
Convert yards into distance, compare loop pace with between-yard time, and build a printable schedule from the first bell to your target.
Standard backyard yards start every hour; custom mode supports local variations.
Printable yard plan
24 yards · 6.7056 km per yard
100.00 miles
12:00/mi
Per yard, after the corral buffer
At the planned loop time
One hour after the target yard starts
Exactly 100 miles by standard yard math
| Yard | Start | Planned finish | Back in corral by | Base time | Cumulative km | Cumulative miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 08:00 | 08:50 | 08:57 | 7.0 min | 6.71 | 4.17 |
| 6 | 13:00 | 13:50 | 13:57 | 7.0 min | 40.23 | 25.00 |
| 12 | 19:00 | 19:50 | 19:57 | 7.0 min | 80.47 | 50.00 |
| 18 | Day 2 · 01:00 | Day 2 · 01:50 | Day 2 · 01:57 | 7.0 min | 120.70 | 75.00 |
| 24 | Day 2 · 07:00 | Day 2 · 07:50 | Day 2 · 07:57 | 7.0 min | 160.93 | 100.00 |
| Milestone | Yards | Distance | Completed at | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 km | 15 | 100.58 km / 62.50 mi | 22:50 | First yard at or beyond this distance |
| 100 miles | 24 | 160.93 km / 100.00 mi | Day 2 · 07:50 | First yard at or beyond this distance |
| 150 miles | 36 | 241.40 km / 150.00 mi | Day 2 · 19:50 | First yard at or beyond this distance |
| 200 miles | 48 | 321.87 km / 200.00 mi | Day 3 · 07:50 | First yard at or beyond this distance |
| Women's record | 95 | 637.03 km / 395.83 mi | Day 5 · 06:50 | Sarah Perry, Big's Backyard Ultra, October 2025 |
| Overall record | 119 | 797.97 km / 495.83 mi | Day 6 · 06:50 | Phil Gore, Dead Cow Gully, June 2025 |
Distances use 1 mile = 1.609344 km and are rounded to two decimals; 24 standard yards are exactly 100 miles. Loop times follow your planned time plus any slowdown, so darkness, weather, foot care and fatigue can still change the real numbers.
A standard backyard ultra requires one yard every hour. The calculator keeps the fixed hourly start separate from your planned loop time, so the remaining minutes are visible rather than hidden inside an average pace. For the format itself, read the backyard ultra guide.
The yard length, the 3, 2 and 1-minute warnings and the rule that you must be in the corral at the bell come from the official backyard ultra rules. The corral buffer subtracts that margin from your time at base, and the slowdown field shows the yard at which a drifting loop time stops leaving that margin.
Use custom mode only when the event publishes a non-standard loop. Planning values should always be checked against the current race rules; the organizer determines the actual distance, start procedure and completion standard.
The table is arithmetic, not a prediction. Repeated loop times may drift with darkness, weather, congestion, foot care and fatigue. Read the separate backyard strategy guide before turning a calculated rest window into a race plan.
A standard yard is 4 miles 880 feet: exactly 6.7056 kilometers, or 4.1667 miles rounded. Twenty-four standard yards are exactly 100 miles. Some local events use a different loop, so confirm the organizer's rules before planning.
A 50-minute standard yard is about 7:27 per kilometer or 12:00 per mile. That leaves ten minutes before the next bell, but warnings sound at 3, 2 and 1 minute and you must be in the corral at the bell, so plan on about 7 usable minutes at your base if you head in at the 3-minute warning.
It buys more clock time before the next start, but at a higher effort. In a 2024 field study of backyard runners (De Pauw et al.), average speed fell from 9.0 to 7.5 km/h over the race, which is a loop time drifting from about 45 to 54 minutes. Use the slowdown field to see how quickly a fast start runs out of buffer once that drift sets in.
Big's Backyard Ultra's official record table lists 119 yards (797.97 km / 495.8 miles) by Phil Gore at Dead Cow Gully in June 2025, and a women's record of 95 yards (637.03 km / 395.8 miles) by Sarah Perry at Big's Backyard Ultra in October 2025. The milestone table shows when each would be completed on your schedule.
Yard one begins at the event start. Yard 24 therefore begins 23 hours later. Completing that standard yard reaches 100 miles before the next hourly bell.