Bell Buckle, Tennessee · Trail
Official site ↗Big's Backyard Ultra
The original backyard ultra and the world championship of the format, held on Lazarus Lake's farm in Bell Buckle, Tennessee: a 4.167-mile yard every hour until one runner remains.
Saturday, October 17, 2026
World Team Championship year: national teams of 15 race simultaneously at sites worldwide, with Big's hosting the US team.
Registration is closed.
About
Big's Backyard Ultra is where the backyard format was invented. Gary Cantrell, better known as Lazarus Lake, first sent runners around his farm in 2011, and the rules he wrote are now the standard for hundreds of backyard races worldwide: start a 4.167-mile loop at the top of every hour, day and night, until only one runner can complete a yard.
The race now anchors the format's championship cycle. Odd years host the Individual World Championships; even years, national teams of 15 race simultaneously at sites around the world in the World Team Championship, with Big's hosting the United States team. Trail yards by day, road yards by night.
Course
A 4.167-mile trail loop on the Cantrell farm by day, switching to an out-and-back road yard overnight. There is no course to finish; the race ends when only one runner completes a yard.
How to register
Entry is by qualification: winners of designated backyard qualifying races earn silver tickets, and remaining spots go to the deepest resumes in the format. There is no open registration.