Friday Noon to 7 PM and Saturday 6:30 AM to 7:55 AM.

Packet pickup is located inside the SFA State park Group Dining Hall (Start/Finish area)

• • • Personal Support Area Setup (do not set up before Noon)
      
      
    • Start/Finish Parking Lot is for dropoff/pickup only - no parking longer than 10-minutes in this area. Drop your stuff, go park, then setup. See parking tab for details. No vehicle access to the Start/Finish Parking lot after 7 PM on Friday except for volunteers, staff, and emergency services.

Cooking and Fire Safety

Burn Ban Notice: Most of Texas remains under a burn ban expected to continue through race day. No ash producing or ground fires are allowed.

Permitted Cooking: Above ground stoves and grills are allowed. Please follow all safety instructions and operation steps as outlined in the manual for your device.

• Do not cook inside closed tents
• Do not leave cooking devices unattended
• Be considerate of smoke, fumes, and noise for your neighbors

Food Available: TROT will have a full aid station with cooking in the evening for participants. Food trucks and coffee trucks will be available for everyone. The closest town with lots of food options is Sealy, approximately 15 minutes away.

Setup may begin at 12:00 PM on Friday. Personal setup areas are limited to a maximum of 10 ft. x 10 ft. per participant. All styles of tents and canopies are permitted. Please be considerate of space and, whenever possible, share a setup with friends, teams, clubs, or crew.

Participants and their active support crew may remain in this area overnight beginning Friday and throughout the event while the event remains active. Please keep the area safe and respectful for runners who may be resting between or after yards. No ground fires, smoking, loud music, or excessive noise are permitted. All gear and trash must be removed when you leave.

Please secure all food and trash, particularly overnight. Raccoons and other wildlife can open containers and will take unattended food, even when you think it is securely stored.

For crews of more than two people, or anyone wanting additional space, privacy, or overnight accommodations, we strongly recommend reserving a nearby campsite, screened shelter, or RV site within Stephen F. Austin State Park. Reservations can be made through the Texas State Parks online reservation system.

Park Gates will remain open throughout the weekend (Friday onwards). Please ensure all guests entering the park have pre-purchased the special events park pass to avoid stopping at the front entrance and for after hours access.

If you arrive Friday night or before parking attendants on Saturday, please follow the parking instructions to ensure you leave your vehicle in the correct area. Parking is on the right side of the park road only.

6:00 PM to 6:00 AM: Headlamp Laps

Login to your RunSignup account profile and click "Manage Registration" under your registration. All available options will be available via links to manage your own registration. Options depend on proximity to the event. 

The trails at SFA State Park most resemble gravel roads. They are wide pathways of dirt with a layer of gravel on top. There are few very short hill sections (<50ft of elevation per yard) and a short wooden stair section, otherwise this is a flat and fast course. Under wet conditions there are areas that can become slick and sticky but in most cases can be avoided. Road shoes are an option, especially during dry conditions. Cushoning (rock protection) is recommended for long hours on this terrain.

At the group dining hall screen shelter in the north west corner of Stephen F Austin State Park.

Google Maps Pin

Friday:

Can proceed directly to the packet pickup area - 10-minute parking only - drop/pickup. Personal setup starts at Noon-onwards.

Saturday:

The main start/finish is for volunteer parking only after 7 PM Friday - no driving through this area. Please proceed directly to the designated street parking area, guided by volunteers. Parking on the right side of the park road only. Do not park in camping/RV areas. Do not park on grass or block trail or facility access points. Park courteously so that we can fit as many people in as possible. Expect a short walk to the start/finish.

CAR POOLING HIGHLY ENCOURAGED.

Support personnel driving seperately are encouraged to arrive later on Saturday - additional parking will open once runners finish their run.

Slow down inside the park. Stop for runners at the trail crossing. 

Stopping at the park entrance office is not required. Please ensure you have your guest park passes purchased ahead of time to receive wristbands for your guests at packet pickup (participants and volunteers are not required to purchase a pass). Passes available on the RunSignup store. 

A last person standing race, run one loop at a time.

You run a fixed loop, always the same distance, setting off on a fresh loop on the hour, every hour, for as long as you can keep doing it. Each loop is a yard. Whatever time is left in the hour after you finish is your only rest before the next one begins.

There is exactly one winner: the last runner to complete a yard that nobody else completes. Everyone else, however far they got, is officially a did not finish. The format was created by Gary Cantrell (Lazarus Lake) and named after his own event, Big Dog's Backyard Ultra.

• The loop is 100/24 miles (4.16666... miles, 6.7056 km), which is exactly 100 miles divided by 24.
• A new yard starts on the hour, one hour after the previous yard started, not after it finished.
• 24 yards is 100 miles (100.008 to be exact), which is why the distance is set where it is.
• Warnings are called at 3, 2 and 1 minute before each bell.
• Most grassroots events settle between 20 and 30 yards. The best marks in the world are well past 100.

• Yard: one loop, and the unit the sport is scored in.
• Corral: the marked pen area at the start and finish where you must be at the bell.
• Bell: the on-the-hour signal that a new yard has begun.
• Last one standing: the winner, the only finisher.
• Assist: the runner or runners who complete exactly one yard fewer than the winner. There can be more than one.
• DNF: the official result of everyone except the winner, whatever the distance. Nothing personal, it is simply how the format works.
• Refuse to Continue (RTC): Completed the previous Yard, but chooses not to start the next.
• Over Time on Loop (OVER): Finishes the Yard in over the one hour time limit.
• Did Not Complete (DNC):  Does not finish the complete Yard, returns early.
• Missed Start (MISS): Completed the previous Yard but does not make it back into the Corral in time to start the next Yard.

It is the defining feature of the format, not a judgement on your running. There is one winner, the last person to outlast everyone. A DNF here can be an extraordinary distance and a national-level result. The honest way to hold it: chase distance and the assist, celebrate the yards you put together, and remember that only one person finishes, by design.

No non-competitors may accompany active entrants on the course on foot or on any form of conveyance (including eliminated runners).

The rule is about accompanying: no non-competitor may travel along the loop with you while a yard is being run. No friends, family, crew or pacers alongside you on the loop, no eliminated runners travelling with you, and no one joining you for the run-in to the corral. People may be present on a public route; what they may not do is move along with you. Company on the course is help whether it is meant that way or not: it sets a pace, breaks the wind, and keeps a tired runner moving.

Members of the public. On public land the public cannot be stopped from being there. If a stranger starts running with you, you are not disqualified for something outside your control, but you must tell that person you cannot run together and report it to a marshal at once. Anyone connected to you or the event accompanying you is a disqualification.

Each yard must be completed in less than an hour to be counted (including the final lap).

You cover the loop under your own power. Trekking and walking poles are named specifically. Normal kit (shoes, clothing, hydration vest, head torch, watch) is not an aid. Passive braces and medical supports are allowed if not powered. Wheelchair athletes may take part under the same rules. A vision-impaired athlete may run with a guide who follows every rule and cannot be swapped unless every guide started from yard 1. Headphones, music and phones are left to your event: allowed by default, but an individual event may ban them, so check your event information.

Medication and substances. Backyard follows the WADA guidelines on prohibited substances.

This is weather dependant. Under hot conditions we will add a refill point. At this time there is NO on-course station planned and there is no accepting aid while you are on the course (see official backyard rules). TROT will have the main start/finish aid station.

Yes but please ensure you can hear your surroundings. We recommend open ear style or one ear. No bluetooth speakers.

Yes, just ensure they have your QR code from the race week email.

Dogs are not allowed to accompany a participant on the course or be at any of our event areas (start/finish, aid stations, check-in, etc.). We love dogs just like most of you, but it is a confusing environment and energy for them. We have seen the best of dogs act abnormally. Not everyone is comfortable with dogs.

At most of our events, the trails remain open to the public, which includes spectators, and they must follow the park/venue guidelines for pets on and around the course.

Service Animal Policy:

Individuals with service animals have the right to full and equal access to public places and transportation, provided the animal is under the handler's control. We may ask if the animal is required for a disability, and what work or task it is trained to perform.

Reasons for exclusion for a service animal: a service animal may be excluded if it is: 

• Out of control and the handler doesn't take effective action.
• Not housebroken.
• Poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others.

Note: A fear of animals or allergies is not a valid reason to deny access to a service animal

Handler responsibilities for the service animal:

• The handler is responsible for the care and supervision of the service animal at all times.
• The animal must be under control, usually with a harness, leash, or other tether.
• The handler is liable for any damage the animal causes. 

Please review the parking information tab for maps and information:

https://runsignup.com/Race/BigTexBackyardUltra/Page/Parking

Friday:

Can proceed directly to the packet pickup area (star) - 10-minute parking only - drop/pickup. Personal setup starts at Noon-onwards.

Saturday:

The main start/finish is for volunteer parking only after 7 PM Friday - no driving through this area. Please proceed directly to the designated street parking area, guided by volunteers. Parking on the right side of the park road only. Do not park in camping/RV areas. Do not park on grass or block trail or facility access points. Park courteously so that we can fit as many people in as possible. Expect a short walk to the start/finish.

CAR POOLING HIGHLY ENCOURAGED.

Support personnel driving seperately are encouraged to arrive later on Saturday - additional parking will open once runners finish their run.

Slow down inside the park. Stop for runners at the trail crossing. 

Stopping at the park entrance office is not required. Please ensure you have your guest park passes purchased ahead of time to receive wristbands for your guests at packet pickup (participants and volunteers are not required to purchase a pass). Passes available on the RunSignup store. 

A large grass area surrounding the Group Dining Hall at the start/finish venue will be available for participants to create personal support areas. The main event aid station, portable restrooms, and foodtrucks will also be located in this area.

You may return to your vehicle or campsite between loops (if you have time!).

Showers are located in the washroom facility near the RV camping area. Just a couple minutes walk from the start/finish.