A Race Within a Race

The Loblolly Redemption

"You died on the main course. Welcome to your second life."

The Loblolly Redemption is not a race you sign up for. It's a race you earn the hard way, by getting dropped from the main backyard ultra.

When you fail to complete your loop on the Big Bastrop Backyard Ultra main course, your race isn't over. It's different. You line up in the Loblolly corral and start on the next bell, released once the main field has cleared. Same format. Smaller loop. New field. Last person standing wins. 

You can't register for the Redemption. You can only be sent there. Redemption loops do not count toward The Last Frontier Circuit standings. Only your main course yards are banked.

1. Eligibility

Only runners registered for the Big Bastrop Backyard Ultra are eligible for The Loblolly Redemption. There is no separate registration. You enter the Redemption by being eliminated from the main event. No unregistered runners, spectators, pacers, or crew may participate.

2. Entry Trigger

A runner is eligible for the Redemption the moment they fail to complete a main backyard loop before the hourly bell, or voluntarily withdraw from the main event. The runner must verbally confirm entry with the Redemption timer at the Loblolly basecamp before the next bell.

3. Voluntary Participation

Entering the Redemption is optional. Dropped runners may choose to retire completely. However, once a runner starts their first Redemption loop, they are committed to the Redemption format and subject to its elimination rules.

4. Start Time

Redemption runners start each loop on an hourly bell after the main backyard ultra runners have left. There is one universal clock. Redemption runners hold in the Loblolly corral until a race official releases them, but the hour counts from the bell, not the release. A runner dropped from the main event at, say, the Hour 8 bell begins their first Redemption loop at the Hour 9 bell.

5. The Loop

The Redemption loop is the Loblolly Loop via Swift Trail, approximately 5.1 km (3.17 miles), starting and finishing at the Loblolly basecamp. The course is marked and must be followed in its entirety. No shortcuts. No course modifications.

6. Elimination

A Redemption runner who fails to return to the Loblolly basecamp before the next hourly bell is eliminated. This elimination is final. There is no further consolation event.

7. Skipping Loops

Redemption runners may not skip loops. Once entered, a runner must start every subsequent loop at the bell. Failure to start is treated as failure to finish, which means elimination.

8. Event Termination

The Big Bastrop Backyard Ultra has no time limit, so the Redemption has no time limit either. It ends when the main race ends: when a main event winner completes their solo victory lap, or when the main race ends without a winner. All Redemption loops in progress at that moment are completed and counted.

9. Redemption Winner

The last Redemption runner still completing loops when the main race ends wins The Loblolly Redemption. If two or more Redemption runners are still standing at that moment, they share the Redemption title. Nobody is ranked by speed. Like the main race, this is about how long you last, not how fast you go.

10. Aid & Support

The Loblolly basecamp will have water, basic aid and hot food overnight. Redemption runners may use their own crew and drop bags at the Loblolly basecamp. Main event aid stations on the Gideon loop are not available to Redemption runners.

11. Headlamps & Safety

Headlamps are required for any loop started between sunset and sunrise. On December 31, that is roughly every bell from 5:00 PM until 7:00 AM the next morning. All main event safety rules, medical protocols, and race director authority apply equally to the Redemption.

12. No Additional Fee

The Loblolly Redemption is included in main event registration at no additional cost. It is a feature of the Big Bastrop Backyard Ultra, not a separate event.

You Can't Sign Up for Redemption

Register for the Big Bastrop Backyard Ultra. If you last to the end on the 4.167-mile loop, you'll never see Loblolly. If you don't, the Redemption is waiting.

Can I register for just the Redemption?

No. You must register for the Big Bastrop Backyard Ultra. The Redemption only exists because the main event creates it.

Is there an additional fee, and do Redemption loops count toward the Last Frontier Circuit?

No and no. The Redemption is included in your main event registration, and only your main course yards are banked toward The Last Frontier Circuit.

Do I have to enter the Redemption if I get dropped?

No. It's entirely optional. You can retire, eat tacos, and cheer from the sideline. But the loop will be there, calling you.

What if I get dropped from the main race late?

You start the Redemption at the next bell. If you're dropped at the Hour 30 bell and the main race ends after 32 yards, you get one Redemption loop. That's the tradeoff: lasting longer in the main race means fewer Redemption chances. Choose your suffering.

Can my crew help me on the Loblolly Loop?

Your crew can be at the Loblolly basecamp between loops. They cannot be on the course. Same rules as the main event.

What if the main event ends while I'm mid-loop?

You finish your current loop. It counts toward your total.

Has anyone ever done this before?

We offered it at the first Big Bastrop in 2026 and nobody ended up on the Loblolly start line. The first Redemption champion is still out there. It could be you.