Greendale Performance Backyard Ultra

GPC Backyard Ultra Derbyshire

Welcome to the ultimate test of mental and physical endurance. Hosted by the team at Greendale Performance Centre (GPC), the GPC Backyard Ultra strips away the finish line and asks you one simple question: how many hours can you survive?

Whether you are stepping into the ultra-running world for the first time to break a distance PB or you are a hardened endurance athlete looking to be the Last One Standing, this BYU event provides the perfect arena. Combining the infamous Backyard Ultra format with the professional, athlete-focused ethos of the Greendale Performance Centre, this is a race designed to help you push past your perceived limits.

The Backyard Format

If you have never tackled a Backyard Ultra (BYU) before, the rules are as simple as they are punishing:

• The Loop: The course is exactly 4.167 miles (6.7 km) long.
• The Clock: You have exactly 60 minutes to complete the loop.
• The Bell: Every hour, on the hour, the starting bell rings. If you are not in the starting corral when it chimes, you are eliminated.
• The Winner: There is only one winner. The race continues until only one runner completes a final lap solo. Every other participant receives a "Did Not Finish" (DNF).

The true challenge is not speed, it is pacing and transition management. Run the loop in 45 minutes, and you have 15 minutes to rest, eat, and regroup. Run it in 58 minutes, and you barely have time to grab a drink before you are running again.

Camp & Crew

Each runner will be allocated a 3×3 space to set up camp / rest area and will be allowed two support crew throughout their race. Water + snacks will be provided are the race HQ however this is a self sufficient race from start to finish so you are expected to bring your own fuel for the duration of the event.

The GPC Backyard Ultra boasts a unique and characterful venue. Located on a strawberry farm, the event embraces a strong Grim Reaper theme, a brilliantly dark and fitting motif for a race that slowly claims its runners hour by hour! In a wonderfully brutal twist, those who tap out or time out must cut a length of engraved chain as a mark of your DNF, serving as a poignant psychological reminder that in the Backyard format, you are your own weakest link. For full details, including registration info, please visit the official race website.