Sparks Backyard Ultra
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Event overview
The Sparks Backyard Ultra takes place on June 20, 2026 at Sparks Marina in Sparks, Nevada (300 Howard Drive, 89434). The event follows the Backyard Ultra format and is an official member of the Backyard Ultra Association. As a qualifying event, entrants are eligible for national team selection for the Satellite Team Championships and for the World Individual Championships at Big Dog's Backyard in Bell Buckle, TN. The event offers an open-ended Backyard Ultra plus timed mini-Backyard races of 3 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours.
Course, rules and services
Participants run a repeating segment called a "yard" of 4.167 miles each hour. The marina course consists of just over two laps per yard; each full lap is 1.95 miles, with a short additional loop around Veteran's Plaza and the Peninsula added at the start of each yard to reach the exact distance. A yard must be completed within one hour to count. Competitors may not leave the course during a yard except for bathroom breaks, and no personal aid is allowed while a yard is in progress; personal aid is permitted between yards. Artificial aids, including trekking poles, are not allowed. The last person to complete a yard is the winner; if no one can complete one more yard than others, there is no winner. On-course support includes water, ice, Heed, standard aid station food, tents, chairs, and cots; food trucks will be on site during normal meal times. Awards include a belt buckle and 100-mile finisher flannel shirt for those who reach 100 miles and finishers awards for completing at least five yards. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
