SARAH PERRY’S GUIDE TO BACKYARD ULTRA RUNNING

UPDATED 22/10/2024:

Sarah Perry has set a new Backyard Ultra UK women’s record of 59 laps (245.8 miles). That’s equivalent to 9 consecutive marathons run over two-and-half days. 

The INOV8 athlete crushed her own previous record by a mammoth 18 laps when competing in the Backyard Ultra National Team Championships.

Running as part of a UK team made up of 15 male and female long-distance specialists, Sarah once again demonstrated amazing resilience. She was the last runner standing after all the others - including runner-up Alex Sweet who did 58 laps - had dropped.

It’s simple: run a 4.167 mile loop on the hour, every hour, until only one person is left standing. As soon as the second to last person drops out, the winner runs one more yard or lap.

Founded by the legendary Lazarus Lake, of Barkley Marathons fame, the Backyard Ultra is a growing sport with a reputation for being both unpredictable and gruelling. 

The mixture of an ever-changing finish line, sleep deprivation and competitor tactics are just some of the factors that make this niche sport so fascinating. Another interesting element of the event is that you can only run as far as the race that you are in allows. 

The current world records are as follows: 

• Men: 108 laps, 4.5 days or 450 miles run by American runner Harvey Lewis in 2023.
• Women: 74 laps, 3 days 2 hours or 308 miles, run by Jennifer Russo in 2023 (who smashed Courtney Dauwalter’s previous record of 68 laps).

On 19 October 2024, 63 teams of 15 runners worldwide will fight to be crowned the Backyard Ultra Champions. They will likely be joining forces with competitors that they have, in previous months, battled head-to-head against to gain their place on their country’s team. This time though, competitors will stand shoulder to shoulder with the united goal of running as many laps as possible against other teams from across the world. 

The Backyard Championships is likely to be a great opportunity for lots of distance PBs and will hopefully be an opportunity for country and maybe even world records to be broken. 

Lazarus Lake, the creator of the Backyard, recently branded the satellite championships as a ‘race within a race’. Although working as a team, the last person standing on each team will also win an automatic place to Big’s Backyard in 2025. Big’s will host the Backyard Ultra Individual World Championships, an opportunity for the best Backyarders to battle it out until the World Champion is crowned. 

You must be in it to win it! So, whether you are just beginning your Backyard Ultra journey or looking for some last-minute preparation to help you ace your upcoming BYU, here are my best tips to help you succeed: 

Backyard Ultra courses can vary greatly. Some courses are known for having huge amounts of elevation and others are pancake flat. Knowing your strengths can help you choose your ideal BYU course. 

You have a whole hour to complete the 4.167 mile course but don’t forget that you need to factor in time for any ‘admin’ also: eating, foot care and outfit changes all need to be accounted for. You may choose to run each loop as quickly as you can to allow you to ‘rest up’ between laps. Personally, I like to take it easy out on the course and opt for allowing for a short amount of time to tick off any jobs. 

The format means that time could be limited at the end of each lap. This means you need to have a well-planned strategy for fuelling. Focusing on whatever works for you within an ultra is a good idea, I personally recommend lots of savoury foods such as pretzels, salted potatoes, noodles and of course any sports nutrition that works for you. If you are short on time, you may need an "on the go" strategy such as a carbohydrate drink and food that you can take with you whilst you move. 

My first two Backyard Ultras kicked off in the blazing sun, which meant that I had to prioritise hydration and electrolytes. I also took full kit for all eventualities - you never know what you might need and being able to access kit regularly is one of the advantages of having a checkpoint every 4 miles. 

Having support is a major advantage. Unfortunately for them, it's not all BBQs and beer. They will need to ensure your needs are catered for promptly as time is precious. Choose your support crew wisely as it is not an easy job, they could be supporting you for several days!  

Have a great time on course chatting to your competitors, it's likely you will meet some brilliant, like-minded (and crazy) new running friends. You may be running along time with these people and may help to distract you from the monotony of running loops. 

Think carefully about the race that you choose to do. If your aim is to get onto the BYU team then look for races that runners are known for getting distance PBs at. These courses are usually flat with lots of very runnable sections, they may also be bigger events that are known to attract the best Backyard runners. 

With an uncertain finish line, you need to be prepared to run for numerous days. Depending on your goal, a 100 mile or 200 mile training plan could be your best option. At the very least, get your long runs in. Even if you're not going for the win, it's a great format to stretch yourself and get a distance PB. 

There’s nothing worse than your race being impaired by the looming dread of having to return to work on a set day. If you’re serious, block out a good amount of time and run, run and run until you can’t run anymore! 

Although most of us love ultrarunning because of the beautiful views, I can still highly recommend having a go at the Backyard Ultra format. It’s a great way to challenge yourself and is as much a test of the mind as much as your athletic abilities. Remember, you don’t have to be speedy either, it evens the playing field for men and women meaning that it really could be anybody’s game!