Event: Sydney’s Backyard Ultra
Event Information
Summary
Sydney’s Backyard Ultra is a last-one-standing ultramarathon where runners complete a 6.706 km loop every hour on the hour at St Ives Showground until only one runner remains
Course & Elevation
Sydney's Backyard Ultra is a last-one-standing ultramarathon at St Ives Showground, run by 180 Cadence and returning Saturday 19 September 2026 with the first yard at 8:00am. There is no set distance: runners complete a 6.706km loop ("yard") every hour, on the hour, and the race only ends when a single runner remains. With a 750-runner field, it bills itself as the world's biggest backyard ultra.
The format is brutally simple. Each yard demands only an 8:56/km average pace — comfortable for almost any runner — but the bell rings again every hour, through the day, the night, and for the front-runners, well beyond. The loop itself is roughly 98% fire trail and grass with 34m of climb per lap and full visibility for supporters; milestones stack up fast, from a first ultra at 7 yards (46.9km) to 100 miles at 24 yards. Between laps, runners manage food, feet and sleep from their own crewed base camp.
Training for a backyard ultra is unlike training for a fixed distance: the challenge is repeatability, not speed. A structured, event-specific block develops aerobic durability at easy paces, practises run–rest rhythms and hourly fuelling, and prepares body and mind for running deep into the night — exactly the skills that decide how many bells you answer.
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