The AWA Backyard Ultra
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The Awa Backyard Ultra : Whanganui, New Zealand
The Awa Backyard Ultra is a backyard ultra trail running event held beside the Whanganui River at That Place MTB Park, about 20 km north of Whanganui off SH4 at the end of Kaiwhaiki Road (address 1021 Kaiwhaiki Road). There is little to no cellphone coverage over the final 5 km into the venue and drivers are asked to observe a 50 km/h limit when passing Kaiwhaiki marae.
The format uses repeated laps called "yards." Each yard is a loop of approximately 6.7 km with about 200 m of elevation gain. A new yard starts on the hour, every hour, and runners must complete each yard within the hour to have it counted. If one runner completes one more yard than every other competitor, they are declared the winner; if no runner can do this, there is no winner.
Event rules include an age requirement of 18 years or older, no personal aid during a yard (one central aid location is provided at event base), no non-competitors on the course, and no pacing or support from non-competitors. Artificial aids such as trekking poles are not permitted.
The event is a Bronze Ticket race with limited entries (100 spots). The Bronze winner receives guaranteed entry into a Silver Ticket event. Entry fees vary by registration period. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
