What’s Up in Ultra This Weekend — October 19

The ultrarunning action isn’t slowing down as we enter into the third weekend of October, with over 75 events on the UltraRunning Magazine race calendar. In this week’s What’s Up in Ultra, we travel to Tennessee, Iowa, North Carolina and New Hampshire. Let’s see what’s cooking.

Big’s Backyard Ultra

We kick things off in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, (and across the globe) for Big’s Backyard Ultra, the 2024 Backyard Ultra World Team Championships. Beginning on October 19, 64 countries will simultaneously host last-person-standing events to see how far their top runners can go. Each team is comprised of 15 world-class distance runners who will run a 4.167-mile loop (also known as a “yard”) every hour on the hour until only one runner remains. Runners will run daylight hours on trails and take to a road loop after dark. For every yard a runner completes, one point is earned for their country’s overall team score. The country with the most yards completed by their 15 team members combined, will be awarded the title of Backyard World Champion. This year’s US team features backyard world record holder Harvey Lewis and top qualifiers Jon Noll, Piotr Chadovich and Jennifer Russo (see the entire field here). In addition to running for their country, participants will also be vying for the individual title of National Champion.

Mines of Spain 100

Next, we head to the Midwest and Dubuque, Iowa, for the Mines of Spain 100 (100-mile and 100k races). Starting and ending in Louis Murphy Park, the race takes runners on a 20-mile loop course through the Mines of Spain Recreation Area with trails featuring beautiful bluffs, prairies, forests and great views of the Mississippi River. Both races kick off at 8 a.m. on Friday, with 100-mile runners having 33 hours to navigate five loops and 14,000 feet of elevation gain, and 100k runners allotted 23 hours to complete three loops and 8,400 feet of vert. A portion of the race proceeds go directly to the park to help fund future projects as well as trail maintenance.

Uwharrie 100

Our next stop takes us to Troy, North Carolina, for the 11^th annual Uwharrie 100 (100-miler and 100k). Each “unrelenting” loop boasts roughly 4,000 feet of elevation gain run almost entirely on technical single-track trails through the Uwharrie Mountains. Runners in the 100-mile race have 36 hours to complete the course to earn their finisher buckles, with sub-24-hour runners also earning a hand-crafted leather belt. The 100k runners also have 36 hours to complete their race. Uwharrie 100 is known for having a supportive cast of volunteers and perhaps one of the best on-course race menus you’ll ever see, with offerings such as porte- braised flank steak, shrimp and grits, and slow smoked pork shoulder. Yum! Uwharrie Ultras also hosts the Uwharrie Gold Rush 50k which takes place in Mt. Gilead, North Carolina, on Saturday.

Wildcard: Ghost Train Trail Races

There was no shortage of fascinating races to choose from for this week’s Wildcard race (where we feature a race you may not be familiar with), but after seeing a photo of skeletons playing cards and drinking Fireball on the cover of their 2024 runner handbook, I had to dig deeper into the Ghost Train Trail Races in Brookline, New Hampshire. Started in 2009, the popular event features a 30-mile sunset race that begins at 5 p.m. on Saturday and runs through the night, as well as a 30-hour ultramarathon in which runners try and complete as many 15-mile out-and-backs as they can. The race takes place on the Granite Town Rail Trail, an old railroad bed that was used in the late 19th and early 20th century and was removed for scrap metal during World War II. While this is a flat and fast course, runners should be extra cautious when running through the night as ghosts, goblins and Fireball-fueled skeletons are known to haunt the course. All race proceeds benefit the Conservation Commissions of Brookline and Milford, N.H., with over $225,000 raised for trail improvements since 2009.

Other events this weekend include Wild Duluth Races (Duluth, MN), Laurel Highlands Ultra – Fall Classic (Ohiopyle, PA), Stone Steps (Cincinnati, OH), City to Sky 50K (Missoula, MT), Bimblers Bluff (Guilford, CT), California Fall Classic (Healdsburg, CA), Rogue Gorge (Union Creek, OR), No Man’s Land Trail Run (Lake Charles, LA), Patapsco Valley 50K (Baltimore, MD), Lake Hodges Trail Fest (San Diego, CA), Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd (Tahlequah, OK), SARR Rocky Horror Trail Run (San Antonio, TX), Rhode Island Trail Classic (Charlestown, RI), Walking Tall 50 (Pocahontas, TN) and Creemore Vertical Challenge (Creemore, ON).

Check out the full list of events here and good luck to everyone racing this weekend!