What is a backyard ultra?
The backyard ultra involves competitors running 6.71km on the hour every hour until the last person is standing. Competitors that don’t complete a lap within 1 hour or are not in the starting corral for the start of the next lap are recorded as DNF (Did Not Finish). The winner is the last person to complete a lap when all others have given up.
The event takes place on the Arrow River Bridges Trail, following the river and Bush Creek through the bush and back again - a course that's fast and runnable when you're fresh, and an entirely different proposition by the time the sun goes down and comes back up again. The event village sits at Butler Green in the heart of historic Arrowtown, meaning support crews have cafes, a bakery, and the full charm of one of New Zealand's most beautiful small towns to keep them entertained across what can become a very long day - and night.
It's a sold-out event year after year, and the atmosphere is a big part of why. Unlike most races, there's no lone finish line moment - there's one every single hour, with the crowd cheering every runner in, and then cheering them back out again. The loudest reception of the day usually goes to whoever sprints in with seconds to spare and turns straight around for just one more lap.
Arrowtown Backyard Ultra is proud supporter of Queenstown Trails, with a percentage of every entry fee donated back to the trails, funding maintenance, planning and trail development.
How far do you think you could run?
Marathon? 100km? 100miles?
Are you interested to see how far you can go?
Test your limits, enter the Arrowtown Backyard Ultra now!