About this Race Series
RUN A BACKYARD ULTRA /// TX SERIES
On the hour. Every hour.
On the hour. Every hour.
The Last Frontier Circuit · The Last Texan Standing · Inaugural Season
No finishing clocks. No fixed distances. No head starts. Finish a 4.167-mile loop every hour, on the hour, until only one soloist remains standing, across the most distinct landscapes in the Lone Star State.
🔔 Hour 01 - 4.167 mi 🔔 Hour 12 - 50 mi 🔔 Hour 24 - 100 mi 🔔 Last One Standing
The Format
One loop. One hour.
Repeat until you can't.
Repeat until you can't.
The backyard ultra is the purest test in endurance running. The course never changes. The clock never stops. The race continues until a single runner completes one loop more than everyone else.
4.167
Miles per loop
One “yard.” Exactly 100 miles every 24 hours, if you survive that long.
:00
On the hour, every hour
The bell rings. You're in the corral or you're out. Whatever time remains is yours to eat, rest, and recover.
1
Soloist remains
There is no finish line, only a last one standing. Everyone else records a DNF, and total yards toward the series crown.
🗺️ The Circuit Lineup
Three landscapes.
One frontier.
One frontier.
Registration for individual venues opens sequentially. Follow along for each race page launch.
01 Spring · Season Opener
📍 Spicewood, Texas
Our spring season opener. Rugged, technical Hill Country terrain designed to test early-season limits.
Race Page & Registration → ⛰️ 1.5x Points Per Loop02 Late May
📍 Turkey Bend Recreation Area
Texas Hill Country at the edge of summer. An unforgiving late-May sun that challenges the state's most serious endurance runners.
Race Page & Registration →03 Autumn
📍 Lake Bastrop
Set deep in the iconic lost pines and sandy loam. The perfect autumn crucible to build your series yardage.
Race Page & Registration →⚡ More venues to be announced. The frontier keeps growing.
🏆 Series Scoring · 🤠 How the Points System Works
The Last Texan Standing
The rules of a backyard ultra are simple: you run 4.167 miles on the hour, every hour, until only one person is left standing. But since The Last Frontier Circuit is a season-long series across three distinct events (Rodeo, Austin's Backyard, and Big Bastrop), we've built a master leaderboard to crown the ultimate series champion: The Last Texan Standing.
Here is exactly how your miles turn into points and how to get your name on the final leaderboard.
🏁 1. The Two-Race Minimum Rule
To show up on the official Master Circuit Standings at the end of the season, you have to support the community and toe the line. You must record completed yards (loops) at a minimum of two of our three circuit events to qualify for the series championship.
Singly-run events will bank points, but your name won't unlock on the master leaderboard until you hit that second starting corral.
📊 2. The Math: 1 Loop = 1 Point (Most of the Time)
Backyard ultras don't care about your finishing position or your pace, so your score is based entirely on your distance. At Big Bastrop and Austin's Backyard, every single loop you successfully finish before the 60-minute whistle earns you exactly 1 point.
Example: if you tap out after completing 12 hours (the 50-mile mark), you walk away with 12 points.
⛰️ 3. The Rodeo Multiplier
1.5x Points
Not all trails are created equal. Because of the terrain, elevation profile, and sheer physical toll of the Rodeo Backyard Ultra, we are weighting this event heavily: every single completed loop at Rodeo is worth 1.5 points.
Grind out a 50-miler (12 loops) at Rodeo and you aren't just banking 12 points. You're walking away with 18.
| Distance | Bastrop / Austin | Rodeo |
|---|---|---|
| 4 loops (16.6 mi) | 4 pts | 6 pts |
| 12 loops (50 mi) | 12 pts | 18 pts |
| 24 loops (100 mi) | 24 pts | 36 pts |
🏆 4. Bonus Points for the Final Survivors
To reward the deep-mileage battles that happen when the field thins out, we throw extra weight to the final two athletes left in the corral:
+5 Last Person Standing (The Winner)
Bonus points tacked onto your total loop score.
+3 The Assist
For the runner who completes the second-to-last loop.
Note: these bonuses are flat additions to your final score and are not affected by the Rodeo multiplier.
💡 The Strategy
If you want to win the circuit, you can't just cruise through one event. You need to log massive yards, and you absolutely want to take advantage of the point-heavy playground at Rodeo to launch yourself up the standings before the final summer showdown at Austin!
Show up. Line up.
Be the last one standing in Texas.
Be the last one standing in Texas.
👉 Follow the journey on Instagram @runabackyardultra and visit fitfoundation.org/run-a-backyard-ultra for race page launches, training resources, and active leaderboard standings.
⚡ Sign Up Here Stay ConnectedHome of The Last Frontier Circuit
Brought to you by the team behind Run A Backyard Ultra · Texas Backyard Ultra Series
Contact Information
If you have any questions about this race series or its scoring, please use the following email address:
Included Events
Autumn Harvest 50K • 20-Miler • 10-Miler • 5-Miler • Full • Half • 10K • 5K • Big Bastrop Backyard Ultra
Big Bastrop Backyard Ultra (Last Runner Standing)
Saturday October 10, 2026
Bastrop, TX US
Rodeo Trail Run of Austin • Backyard Ultra (Last Cowboy/Cowgirl Standing) • 8 Hour • Marathon • Half Marathon
Rodeo Backyard Ultra
Saturday March 13, 2027
Spicewood, TX US
Austin's Backyard Ultra • Marathon • Full • Half & Memorial Day Remembrance Run 4 Miler • 8 Miler
Austin's Backyard Ultra
Saturday May 29, 2027
Marble Falls, TX US
