Sparks Backyard Ultra

Sparks Backyard Ultra at Sparks Marina, Sparks Nevada

Sparks Backyard Ultra is a Backyard Ultra Association qualifying race held at Sparks Marina, located at 300 Howard Drive, Sparks, Nevada 89434. The event offers an open ended Backyard Ultra plus shorter timed options for runners seeking a shorter experience.

Participants run a set loop of 4.167 miles each hour until only one runner completes a yard more than all others. The marina course is roughly two laps per yard, with each lap about 1.95 miles and an additional short loop around Veteran's Plaza and the Peninsula at the start of each yard to reach the exact distance. Signs guide runners around the course.

Mini Backyard races are offered in the following timed formats:

• 3 hours
• 6 hours
• 12 hours
• 24 hours

Aid support includes water, ice, an electrolyte drink (Heed), and common aid station foods. The venue will provide tents, chairs, and cots; runners may also set up their own personal aid stations. Food trucks will be available during normal meal times.

Key rules include that each yard must be completed within one hour, runners may not leave the course during a yard except for bathroom breaks, personal aid is permitted only after completing a yard, and artificial aids such as trekking poles are not allowed. The overall winner is the last person to complete a yard; if no participant can complete one more yard than the others, no winner is declared.

Awards include a belt buckle and a 100-mile finisher shirt for those who reach 100 miles, a finisher award for all entrants who complete at least five yards, awards for the overall last person standing and the runner-up, and top three awards by gender. Mini Backyard finishers receive awards for completing their chosen time. The event is organized by Sparks Ultras. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.