Saturday —Last Person Standing Challenge

Austin's Backyard Ultra is a premier, rugged challenge. It’s not just a race against the clock; it’s a race against the Texas Hill Country terrain. Not your average flat backyard. This is an officially sanctioned Backyard Ultra. One 4.2-mile loop. One hour to complete it. A new loop starts at the top of every hour. Miss the cutoff, you're out. Last runner remaining wins.

One unified course that all runners follow, through full sun, through dusk, through the long midnight hours, into Sunday's dawn if you make it that far.

The course is anchored by a central start/finish corral located near the park's main camping clusters. This is home base, where crews refuel runners and runners reset between yards. Where the race is won and lost not in the running, but in those few minutes between hours.

Earn every yard. Climb every hour. Austin's Backyard Ultra is a bucket-list event for runners who want to test their true power, not just their flat pacing.

The trail itself is a 4.2-mile out-and-back along the Turkey Bend peninsula with a tight finishing lollipop. Wildflower meadows, lakeside views, and Hill Country woodland in alternating sections. Reflective markers guide runners through the nighttime hours. The course rewards a steady, efficient pace and a calm mind. One more hour at a time.

A backyard ultra is won at the rest chair, not the starting line. Click here to subscribe to our free weekly newsletter, training plans, pacing strategy, and the mental playbook for the bell. Every Wednesday, straight to your inbox.

Sunday — Memorial Day Remembrance Run

The Memorial Day Remembrance Run is a chance to cover ground with purpose. Run in honor of someone. Run, ruck, or walk in their memory. Run because you can, and they cannot. Run the same unified course as the Backyard Ultra athletes. Same trail. Same wildflower-lined Hill Country views. Half the chaos, all of the experience.

Four distances. One course. No clock pressure.

Marathon (26.2 miles): Seven loops total — six 4.2-mile main loops plus one 1-mile finishing loop.

Half Marathon (13.1 miles): Four loops total — three 4.2-mile main loops plus one 1-mile finishing loop.

The 4 Mile March

The 8 Mile March

You'll share the trail with Bronze Ticket hopefuls. Some of them will still be on course when you finish. That's part of the magic of race weekend at Turkey Bend. While the trail may still hold a backyard ultra runner or two, somewhere past hour twenty, still answering the bell, a new group lines up at dawn.

A brief moment of silence and reflection will occur at the start line to honor the purpose of the day.

If you share the trail with a backyard ultra runner, give them room. Cheer for them. They've been out here a long time.

The Rules for the Last Runner Standing

• The course is a 4.2-mile unified loop
• A new loop starts at the top of each hour
• Participants must complete each loop within the hour to continue
• Runners are eliminated if they fail to complete a loop in time or choose not to start the next loop
• The last person to complete a loop is declared the overall winner

Half Marathon

13.1 miles

Marathon

26.2 miles

50K

31.4 miles

50 Miles

50.4 miles

100K

62.8 miles

100 Miles

100.8 miles

Finisher Woodallion

Complete at least one loop

Half Marathon Medal

Complete 13.1 miles

Marathon Medal

Complete 26.2 miles

Ultra Medal

Complete 8+ loops (31+ miles)

Last Person Standing

Overall winner award

Event Entry

Access to this unique endurance challenge in the Texas Hill Country

Custom Event Shirt

Commemorative shirt to remember your achievement

Finisher's Medal

Earn a medal by completing at least one loop

Aid Station Support

Fully stocked aid stations to keep you going hour after hour