It’s been a while since the first three posts in this series (sorry!) and many of you have been asking us when it’s coming. Now that the 2026 BYU season is well underway it’s time to finally finish it. We’ve both got BYUs in the diary later in the year and I’m coaching several people tackling their first backyard, or looking to go that little bit further. Read on for some more of our top tips!
Logistics
Backyard Ultras are a unique format, and although there are many of the same things to consider as for a normal point-to-point or looped ultra, there are plenty of unique aspects too. Depending on the start time of the event and how far away it is you’ll need to plan how you’re going to get there. Travelling by car is perhaps the most flexible option, especially if you’re going to be bringing a lot of kit (gazebo/tent, food and gear for several days, reclining chair…), but going to a backyard by public transport is certainly possible – especially if you’ve got a local contact that can provide a few heavy items. Check if the race provides water and/or food – if so you don’t need to bring them. If you’re coming by public transport, unless there is a train or bus stop within walking distance of the site, organise someone to give you a lift, or investigate taxi options beforehand.
If the race starts in the morning, you most likely want to travel the night before. Camping on-site in a tent or van the night before might be allowed, but if you’re not a happy camper you might prefer to book a room for the night in a nearby hotel or B&B to get a good night’s sleep. Just make sure to wake yourself up in enough time to get to the venue in time for the start. If you’re not there in time you’re a DNS (Did Not Start) – no late starts are allowed in the backyard!
After the race, think about how you are going to get home – but importantly, be flexible! Unless you plan to stop after a specific number of yards, we strongly recommend you don’t book any accommodation for after the race – the prospect of a warm shower and bed in a hotel room are just another reason to quit. If you end up finishing in the middle of the night, getting a few hours sleep on site is a good plan, but definitely check out the options for post-race accommodation so you don’t have to search at the last minute when you’re sleep deprived after several days of running. Especially if you’re driving home, it’s best to get a decent sleep before getting behind the wheel – and that applies to crew, not just runners! If you’re taking public transport you might need to book in advance to keep costs down, or to make sure you have a seat. In that case, at least try to book a flexible ticket, or give yourself plenty of time after your expected/planned finish time – you don’t want to have to DNF because you need to catch the train!
⚠️ Tip 33: Plan your travel and accommodation for before and after the event, but don’t book anything for afterwards! ⚠️
If you’re bringing your own tent/gazebo to use as a base between yards, have a think about where you want to set it up. Obviously, you want to be as close as possible to the corral to minimise extra distance and time but right next to the corral might not be the best option. Especially if you plan to sleep, you might want to pick a spot that’s a short distance away from sources of noise such as the race HQ/timing tent, the toilets, or a commentator. Towards the back of the corral is usually a good location. Think about the weather – if it’s going to be hot, picking a space in the shade of some trees might be a good idea, or a sheltered spot if it’s cold/windy/rainy. Once you’ve picked your spot, make sure you get to the event early enough to bag it! Check what time you are allowed to arrive on site and build it in to your travel plans. Even if you don’t plan to stay the night before, pitching your gazebo and leaving it overnight is a good option, not only will you get a better location but it’s one less thing to do in the morning.
If you’re travelling light and don’t have your own base to set up, most races provide a large marquee or gazebo that is shared between all the runners. Make sure you get in early and bag a spot there! Most runners who plan to go a long way will be using their own gazebo, so while the communal space is usually busy to start with, it will quickly thin out as runners DNF and you can end up with quite a lot of space in the end.
⚠️ Tip 34: Choose a good spot to base yourself in, and if you need to bag a space for your gazebo, make sure you arrive early enough to claim it. ⚠️
Once you’ve chosen your base, you want it to be as organised as possible. The aim is that you (and your crew) know where all your gear and food are stored so you don’t need to waste precious interloopal time searching for things. If you are coming by car and have space to bring them, a set of plastic storage crates or even a shelving system is a great way to keep everything in its place. A table is also handy to spread things out and make them easily accessible, so if you have a small folding camping table – bring it! We recommend organising your kit into groups to make it easy to find what you need. Depending on how much storage you have, something like this could work:
- Top half – base layers, shirts, jackets
- Bottom half – underwear, shorts/leggings, socks
- Shoes
- Gloves, hats, vest/belt
- Snacks and sports nutrition
- Real food / meals
- Drinks
- First aid, torches/batteries/chargers
If you have a crew, it’s a good idea to involve them in the organisation of your kit, or even let them plan it themselves. In the end, it’s going to be them who has find things, not you! Even if you don’t have space for lots of separate boxes, try to keep your kit organised – a bunch of drawstring bags inside a suitcase is perfect if you’re travelling light.
⚠️ Tip 35: Agree with your crew on a system to keep your kit organised – if you have space, bringing a storage system of boxes, shelves or bags is best. ⚠️
Having a good system set up at the start of the race is only half the job – it needs to be kept organised too! An often overlooked item is to bring a few bin bags – one for actual rubbish (food wrappers etc.) and one for used kit if you are changing between laps. If you’re a solo runner, try to make sure you leave your base in a good state, it only takes a few seconds to put things back and avoids a kit explosion! If you have crew, ask them to tidy up while you are out on the yard.
⚠️ Tip 36: Bring bin bags, and make sure you keep your base organised. ⚠️
One final topic is water-proofing your base. Look at the weather forecast before the race and plan accordingly. If it’s windy, make sure you’ve got good tent pegs and guy ropes (especially if you have not got a crew to look after your gazebo during the laps). If it’s wet, consider bringing a ground-sheet to stop your base turning into a swamp. If it’s hot in the day and cold at night, a gazebo with removable sides is a good option. If it’s cold, make sure you bring a blanket, dry robe or even hot water bottles – they’ll keep you warm between yards and keep your crew warm while you’re running
⚠️ Tip 37: Consider the weather forecast and equip your base accordingly. ⚠️
Training
All the tips so far have focused on the race itself, but even the best race-day planning will come to nothing if you’re not physically ready. Training for a backyard ultra, unsurprisingly has a lot in common with regular ultra training – after all you’re going to be running a long way, and on your feet for a long time. A solid aerobic base and endurance conditioning built up over many training cycles will get you a long way, and fitness you have gained for other race formats will transfer to a large extent into the backyard. How much should you run in training? That’s very person-specific, but we have has success up to 200 miles (48 hours) with averaging about 50 miles per week in training, with higher volume leading up to the race. Some of the top backyarders do more – 80-100 miles per week – but by training smart, you can get the best results irrespective of volume. Every good training plan should be tailored specifically to the race itself, and in addition to training for specific terrain, elevation and weather conditions, there are elements of backyard running that you should build in to your training to ensure you’re well prepared for them come race day.
As mentioned in the post on pacing strategy, you will spend a lot of time during the race walking – so train for it. Make sure you build in at least one session a week with significant amounts of “walking with purpose”, and turn your longest runs into run/walk. Most runners don’t train their walking so will improve quickly – meaning you can walk for more of the yard, lower the impact on your body and go further as a result. With effort, most people can get down to under 15 minutes per mile, and maybe faster!
⚠️ Tip 38: Don’t neglect to train your walking – you’ll need it on race day. ⚠️
The fact that you have to stop and restart every hour can prove tricky for some – both from a physical perspective (stiffening up while sitting) and also from the mental effort required to get back on the start line again and again. Once you have decided on a pacing plan (or even as part of the process of deciding which pace is best suited to you), do backyard simulation runs where you go for 4.167 miles, then stop till the end of the hour, before starting again. Your body and your mind will get used to “restarting” and you’ll find it second nature on race day. If you have a suitable loop from your house that’s ideal, or drive somewhere better and use a car as a base. These runs are also an excellent time to fine tune your nutrition strategy and admin in the interloopal period.
⚠️ Tip 39: Build race simulation runs into your training. Familiarise your body and mind with the hourly routine. ⚠️
The final element to include in your training is night running. You might not be sure you can make it to the night, or even through it – but if your body is capable of doing the distance you don’t want to DNF because you’re not used to night running. If you are training on short winter days you might naturally end up doing a lot of running in the dark, but even in the summer it’s a good idea to do at least one of your race simulations as an overnight run. Your body and brain will get used to the different sensations of running in the dark, and you can test out your head torch – even just to find out how long your battery will last without having to charge or swap batteries. Take the opportunity to practice sleeping in between yards too – falling asleep quickly is a skill that you can learn, but only if you practice it. You might need to find a crew person willing to wake you up though!
⚠️ Top 40: Practice running through the night, including sleeping between yards. ⚠️
So there you have it – that’s the end of this series of posts! We hope you found a few useful tips and will apply them in your next Backyard Ultra. There’s definitely more for us to learn too, so please share your advice, strategies and thoughts with us – we’d love to hear them.
If you want some personalised support or coaching to help you along your backyard journey whether you are dipping your toe into the format or experienced and looking to push a bit further – get in touch and we can help. See you out there on the yard!