EVENT INFO AT A GLANCE
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Event: 2023 Red Dirt Backyard Ultra 24 hours
Date: 10 -11 June 2023
Time: 10am Saturday 10 June – 10am Sunday 11 June
Location: Bayview Road Caravan Park, Karratha
Course: Trail with a mixture of gravel, hard sand, and red dirt. Although it is flat (no elevation) the mixed terrain and sometimes uneven surfaces become interesting after you’ve done a few loops!
Entry options: Solo, Team of Two or Team of Four
Cost: $60 per person
The Red Dirt Backyard Ultra is Karratha’s unique take on a backyard ultra, held at Balmoral Road Caravan Park on Saturday 10 June to Sunday 11 June 2023.
A backyard ultra is a form of ultramarathon set around a 6.71km loop (or yard as it is known in the Backyard Ultra world), where participants run a loop on the hour, every hour for an unlimited amount of time. They stop for food and rest only in the spare time before starting the next loop and continue until there is only one participant left – known as the Last One Standing (LOS). Everyone else is deemed a DNF or Did Not Finish.
Our Red Dirt Backyard Ultra differs from an official backyard ultra in that the event is capped at 24 hours and in addition to solo entrants, there is an option for teams of two and four people to compete together. For those in teams, each runner must run at least one yard during the event (6.71km) and complete it - failing to do so within the hour will result in a DNF for all team members.
While a traditional backyard ultra is uncapped, 24 hours is still a mean feat – any solo or team that completes 24 loops in 24 hours will have reached 100 miles or 161km! The backyard ultra is not about being the Last One Standing though, it is about challenging yourself, your limitations, and your expectations – surprising yourself with what you can do in a supportive and fun environment. It is a great opportunity to team up with family, friends, work colleagues, gym buddies or others in your community and have a go. If you have ever wondered about a backyard ultra, this is the year to try it in your Pilbara backyard!
The cost for the RDBU is $60 per person to enter, whether you are a solo participant or in a team. For your registration you will receive your race bib, a Pilbara Trailblazers 500ml soft flask and a small selection of hydration and nutrition at the event village aid station (e.g. water, coke, electrolytes, bananas, watermelon, potato chips, lollies etc.). If you are a Pilbara Trailblazers member you will receive 10% off your entry fee. You can join Pilbara Trailblazers here.
There are event shirts for pre-order in our shop. The shirt order will be submitted no later than 28 April so if you want a shirt please order ASAP.
Important documents: Before signing up to the RDBU please ensure that you read the Red Dirt Backyard Ultra (24hr) 2023 Manual and Rules and Red Dirt Backyard Ultra Safety Briefing for Competitors and Volunteers.
Hints and Tips:
Get out on the course! There will be opportunities to join with Pilbara Trailblazers to train on the RDBU loop, setting off on the hour for one or multiple loops to practice the event conditions.
As a part of the Karratha Trail Adventures program, we will be talking to Phil Gore – Australian Men’s Champion of the Backyard Ultra who will be sharing his top tips for participating in a backyard ultra. Phil also has short documentary videos that you can watch on YouTube (just search his name) and he talks about all things Backyard Ultra, including the snackle box!
Karratha Trail Adventures is free to join and will be run over a 12 week period with guest speakers such as Phil Gore, Lucy Bartholomew, Wayne McMurtrie and loads more. To sign up for Karratha Trail Adventures, fill out the online form here.
Volunteers we need you! Not keen on running but don’t want to miss out on the epic adventure that is the RDBU? Lucky for you, we need volunteers. There are loads of different roles that need filling from set up and pack down, to manning the aid station, first aiders, tail runners/walkers/riders, and selling food and drinks. All volunteers get a $50 voucher to NW Brewing Co. and that warm fuzzy feeling you get from being a good egg. Volunteers will also receive 10% off entries to the Karratha Trail Adventures event, which is additional to the 10% that you get for being a Pilbara Trailblazers member.
More about backyard ultras here... In our inaugural RDBU in 2022, we had 39 solo participants, with the event winner, Levi Winman, and his assist Ben Lyon, completing an amazing 80km over the 12 hours. The concept of the Backyard Ultra is the brainchild of Lazarus Lake (Laz) of Big Dogs Backyard in the USA. Laz came up with the idea to see how far runners can push themselves, but in a more approachable format. Anything can be achieved in the backyard! The backyard ultra is an exciting event format and WA is home to the biggest Backyard Ultra in the world – Herdy’s Frontyard Ultra, brought to you by Ultra Series WA and run at Herdsman Lake in Perth. Ultra Series WA also facilitate Birdy’s Backyard Ultra at Lake Towerinning in SW WA, another spectacular event hosted on a spectacular private property in the cold winter months. The Australian male record holder for the Backyard Ultra is Phil Gore with 76 yards (509.96km) and the Australian female record holder is Jessica Smith with 39 yards (261.69km). Both of these fabulous humans are WA runners and both of them are very supportive of Pilbara Trailblazers. You never know, you might even see one or both come along to support our event this year! The world record for the Backyard Ultra currently stands at 101 hours – a massive 677.71km, 4 days and 5 hours which was set by two Belgium runners in 2022 – Laz amazingly allowed them both to win and didn’t force a DNF – but how could you not, with such a spectacular effort.