Official Format Rules
Backyard Ultra
Backyard Ultra is not a race for a set distance, nor a race for a set time. The objective is for each runner to cover the maximum distance possible for their level of ability. There is only one winner, but every participant plays a role in the outcome, and many runners will achieve distances they never thought possible along the way.
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Starting Corral
— All runners must be inside the corral before the starting bell.
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Starting Each Yard
— Each yard, one loop of the course, begins exactly one hour after the previous yard started.
— Runners receive warnings at 3 minutes, 2 minutes, and 1 minute before the bell.
— All runners must start at the bell. Late starts are not permitted. If you are not in the corral when it sounds, your race is over.
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During a Yard
— Once a yard begins, runners may not leave the course except for restroom breaks.
— No non-competitors, including runners already eliminated, may accompany an active runner on the course.
— No personal aid of any kind is allowed while a yard is in progress: no food, water, pacing, or coaching.
— Each yard must be completed in under one hour. Any runner who does not finish the loop within the hour is eliminated.
— No artificial aids are permitted, including trekking poles.
— Faster runners have the right of way. Slower runners must yield.
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Timing
Keeping individual lap times is optional and left to each runner's discretion.
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Winner and Results
— The winner is the last runner remaining who successfully completes one more yard than every other competitor.
— All other runners, including second place, are officially recorded as DNF.
— Final results list every runner's total yards completed.
— If the field cannot produce a runner who completes one more yard than all others, no winner will be declared for that edition.
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| § | By registering for this event, all runners agree to abide by these rules. Any runner who does not start at the bell, leaves the course during an active yard except for a restroom break, receives outside aid, or fails to complete a yard within one hour will be marked as eliminated. |
