Cornwall Backyard Ultra

Cornwall's Backyard Ultra - Last One Standing

This is not about being the fastest. This is about being the most stubborn.

Welcome to Cornwall's Backyard Ultra, an event brought to you by the passionate team at Grit Culture. Forget the pressure of split times and cut-offs. Here, the rules are simple, the challenge is clear, and your only true competitor is the voice in your head telling you to stop.

This is a race designed for everyone, from the first-timer brave enough to start to the gritty veteran tough enough to finish.

How Does A Backyard Ultra Work?

Glad you asked, the format is a global phenomenon for a reason: it's the ultimate leveller.

• The bell rings, and you set off on a 4.167 mile loop.
• You have exactly one hour to complete it.
• The bell rings and you go again. and again, and again.
• This continues, hour after hour.

Finish a loop in 50 minutes? You get 10 minutes to rest, refuel, and regroup. Finish in 58 minutes? You've got two minutes. The challenge isn't just running; it's the recovery.

The race only ends when a single runner completes one final loop, alone. That person is the winner. Everyone else is a DNF (Did Not Finish), and that's a badge of honour in itself.

Course

The course is a beautiful, runnable loop that starts and finishes near St. Eval. It's a genuine mix of terrain designed to keep you on your toes.

You'll wind your way through quiet Cornish country lanes before being thrown out onto the coast path for a stunning half-mile stretch by Bedruthan Steps. It's an "undulating" route, no mountains, but enough lumps and bumps to make their presence known as the hours tick by.

Grit Culture is clear: this is not a "run and go home" event. It’s a running festival, a weekend-long gathering for a community of like-minded people.

Your entry includes on-site camping, so you are encouraged to bring your tent, set up your base camp and settle in. The real magic of a backyard ultra happens in the pit, in those precious minutes between loops, sharing a knowing look with the runner next to you.

Fore more details and to sign-up for Cornwall's Backyard Ultra, please visit the official race website.