Sparks Backyard Ultra
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Sparks Backyard Ultra
Sparks Backyard Ultra is an endurance running event held at Sparks Marina, 300 Howard Drive, Sparks, Nevada. The main Backyard Ultra follows the Backyard Ultra format: runners complete a fixed distance called a yard each hour and continue until only one runner completes a yard that no one else can match. The event is an official Backyard Ultra Association qualifier and entrants are eligible to earn National Team and World Individual Championship spots at Big Dog's Backyard in Bell Buckle, TN.
Course details and offered formats:
- 4.167 miles per yard, comprised of about two laps of the marina
- Each marina lap is 1.95 miles
- Mini Backyard options: 3 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours
Aid and event provisions include water, ice, Heed, and typical aid-station food items; tents, chairs, and cots will be available. Participants may set up personal aid stations and may purchase food from on-site food trucks during normal meal times.
Key rules: competitors must complete each yard within one hour; runners may leave the course only for bathroom breaks; personal aid is allowed only after a yard is completed; artificial aids are not permitted; slower runners must yield to faster runners. The Last Person Standing is the runner who completes the final counted yard; if no runner completes one more yard than others, no winner is declared.
Awards are given by achievement and place. Runners who reach 100 miles receive a belt buckle and a 100-mile finisher flannel shirt. Finishers of at least five yards receive a finisher award. The overall winner and top finishers in each gender category receive awards. Mini Backyard finishers who complete their chosen time also receive awards. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
