The Format
Last person standing wins. Everyone else is DNF. That's backyard ultra.
- The course is a loop, 4 miles 880 feet (6.7056km)
- One lap, every hour, on the hour
- Miss a full lap inside the hour and you're out
- The winner is the last person to complete a lap when nobody else can complete one more than them
- If two or more runners stop at the same time, with no one able to go one further, there is no winner
Starts
- Each yard starts precisely one hour after the last
- Warnings given at 3, 2 and 1 minute before the bell
- All competitors must start at the bell. No late starts.
Starting Corral
- Measured to fit the whole starting field
- Stays the same size all event, however many runners remain
- You must be inside the corral at the bell
On The Course
- Except for restroom breaks, you cannot leave the course until your yard is complete
- Toilets are at the top of the circuit, near the start/finish. You'll pass them once every yard.
- No non-competitors may accompany runners on the course, including eliminated runners
- No personal aid during a yard
- Each yard must be completed in under an hour to count
- No artificial aids, including trekking poles
- Slower runners must yield and allow passes
Results
- The winner is the last person to complete a yard
- Everyone else is technically DNF, and that's not a dirty word here. Every yard completed gets recorded and given back to you.
- If no one can complete one more yard than anyone else, there is no winner
Misc
- Keeping lap times is optional
- The race must be open ended. No fixed finish line, no cap on how far this can go.
Beartown-Specific
Astbury Mere is a public space and we won't be closing it for the event. That means:
- Volunteer wardens will be on course throughout, monitoring for fair play
- Non-runners or eliminated runners offering pacing, tactics or advice to an active competitor will be flagged
- Tactics and pacing can only be discussed between a runner and their crew, maximum two people, when the runner is off the course
- Crew can only assist their runner in the start/finish area, before or after a yard, never during
- No pacers. Once your yard starts, you're on your own until the bell.
- Stay on the marked route at all times. Cutting corners or leaving the designated line onto grass, verges or any area off the marked course is not allowed. It damages a public park we've been trusted with, and it's off-course: doing it means disqualification.
- Respect the park, its neighbours and the public. Astbury Mere stays open and has residents nearby. Give way to the public courteously, keep noise down through the night, and make sure your crew and supporters do the same. Being a nuisance to residents or park users can mean disqualification at the wardens' discretion.
- Media accreditation will be issued for filming on course, but time spent alongside any one athlete will be limited if it starts to look like pacing
- The wardens' and race directors' decisions are final