The Backyard Ultra – a concept where runners must complete 6.706 kilometers every single hour before starting the next lap at the top of the following hour – is becoming increasingly popular, and with that, the world record is being broken time and again. This past weekend, Russia’s Dmitry Klimov broke that world record by clocking an incredible 123 hours, reaching a total distance of 824.8 kilometers.
With his 123 laps, Klimov went a staggering four laps further than Australia’s Phil Gore, who held the previous world record at 119 laps (798 kilometers). Two other runners also surpassed the old record this weekend: Dmitry Sheremet and Ivan Zaborsky both recorded 121 laps (811 kilometers). All of these runners were competing in the Biotropika 2026. Along with his victory and new world record, Klimov’s prizes included an apartment in St. Petersburg and roughly 7,000 euros.
The Backyard Ultra format is as simple as it is grueling: every hour, a participant must cover 6.706 kilometers. If successful, you start the next lap at the top of the next hour. Any remaining time between laps can be used for breaks, but cannot be used to get a head start on the next loop. Conceived by Lazarus Lake – the man also behind the famous and infamous Barkley Marathons – the Backyard Ultra is a true war of attrition that isn’t about speed, but about endurance and the ability to function without sleep while taking in enough nutrition.
