Portland Pig Backyard Ultra

Event overview

The Portland Pig BackYard Ultra is a backyard ultramarathon held at Grove Farm Estate on Portland, Dorset. The format requires competitors to complete consecutive laps of 4.167 miles (6,706 meters), starting on the hour and repeating each hour until one runner remains. This edition is a Silver Ticket event, with the winner earning a qualification spot on the national team for the Individual World Championship (Big's). Entry is shown between £100 and £102. Age restrictions follow UK Athletics rules; entrants must be 20 or over on the day, with a note that 18- and 19-year-olds are limited to a maximum of 45k.

Course, logistics and rules

The route is fully marked and uses mixed surfaces: grass, gravel, track, tarmac and pavement. The course passes a number of local features, including two prisons, Olympic Rings, a cricket club, two stone quarries with carvings, an Olympic sailing venue with coastal views, a wallaby farm, alpacas, Portland sheep and historic high-angle batteries from 1892. The event is chip timed and provides medic cover.

Camping on site is included for the entrant plus two crew; motorhomes are allowed but caravans are not. Camping pitches are non hook-up. Toilets and hot and cold water are provided. Runners must be self-sufficient for food. Rules include no outside assistance, no running or walking poles, and no wood-burning open fire pits. Finishers and non-finishers receive event mementos; the winner also receives a hand-carved Portland stone memento. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.