A backyard ultra is a last-person-standing race: every competitor starts a 4.167-mile loop, called a yard, at the top of each hour and must finish it inside that hour to stay in, until one runner completes a yard nobody else completes. This is an official
… MoreA backyard ultra is a last-person-standing race: every competitor starts a 4.167-mile loop, called a yard, at the top of each hour and must finish it inside that hour to stay in, until one runner completes a yard nobody else completes. This is an official affiliate race organised independently by Brian Doerrfeld and Luke Guyton rather than by the championship organisation.
It starts at 11:00 a.m. on Friday 13 November 2026 at Tubbs Farm in Delmar, Iowa, directly behind the 61 Drive-in movie theater. A companion Bear River 4 Miler starts at 6:00 p.m. the same evening. Entry is $200, or $231.41 including fees, for the backyard ultra and $45, or $51.65, for the 4 Miler, both through UltraSignup; registration closes on 5 November.
The field is capped at 250. Each participant gets a 10-by-10-foot camp space and may bring one to three crew members. Everyone collects a custom Bear River Backyard Ultra hockey sweater at packet pickup. No age minimum or pacer policy is published, though the format’s global no-pacer rule applies.
Less Get upcoming events and news about your thing in your inbox.
Veteran owned