Sparks Backyard Ultra is a qualifying event! Since the race is an official member of the Backyard Ultra Association, all Sparks Backyard Ultra entrants are eligible to earn a spot on the National Team for the Satellite Team Championships and the World Individual Championships at Big Dog's Backyard in Bell Buckle, TN.
We are also offering mini-Backyard races of 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours. The same rules apply except these races end at your chosen time. There is no winner. You either finish your time or DNF if you don't run until the end of your chosen race time. These mini races are designed to introduce newcomers to the sport of ultra running in general and backyard ultras specifically. If you are up for 24 hours or more, you should enter the open ended Backyard Ultra race.
Participants run a 4.167 mile course every hour until only one person is standing. At the Sparks Marina, this segment is a little over 2 laps. If you finish the 4.167 mile distance (called a "yard") within the hour, you can run the next yard. If you do not finish the yard within the hour, you are out of the race. The 4.167 mile length is by design. Each lap of a Backyard Ultra evenly divides a 100 mile distance into 24 one-hour segments. Since each loop around the Sparks Marina is 1.95 miles, the course will have an additional short loop at the beginning of each yard to ensure the 4.167 mile distance is accurate. This will be a short loop around the Veteran's Plaza and Peninsula. We will have signs to guide runners, however after the first yard you will know the course and be able to follow without hesitation.
