The Backyard Ultra is not about speed. It’s about control, durability, and decision-making under fatigue. You run a 6.7 km loop every hour—until only one athlete remains. Two months out is where the real preparation happens: structure, fueling, and mindset. We—Marta and Astrid from Team BADDAZZ—are right in that phase, building toward June 13, 2026 in Dos Hermanos.
This Is Not a Race. It’s a System.
The Tragamillas Backyard Ultra in Dos Hermanos (Seville) looks simple on paper. One loop. 6.7 kilometers. One hour to complete it. Repeat. But the simplicity is deceptive. Every hour, on the hour, a new loop starts. Finish early, and you earn rest. Finish late, and you’re out. Miss the start of the next loop, and you’re out. Stop voluntarily, and you’re out.
There is no fixed distance. No finish line. Only one finisher.
This format forces a shift in mindset. You are not racing others. You are managing yourself—your pace, your nutrition, your thoughts, your decisions.
What Makes Backyard Ultras So Challenging
The difficulty is not in a single loop. Almost any trained athlete can run 6.7 km comfortably. The challenge is in accumulation. After 10 hours, the effort becomes unfamiliar. After 20, it becomes uncomfortable. Beyond that, it becomes something else entirely—less physical, more psychological.
Key stressors include:
- Sleep deprivation – especially beyond 12–15 hours
- Nutritional precision – underfuel, and you fade; overfuel, and your stomach shuts down
- Repetition fatigue – same loop, same rhythm, again and again
- Decision fatigue – every hour requires another “yes”
You don’t win a Backyard by pushing harder. You last longer by managing better.
The Records That Define the Format
The current benchmark in Backyard Ultra is difficult to comprehend. The world record stands at 108 yards—that’s over 720 kilometers—set by Belgian athlete Merijn Geerts during a satellite championship format. Other elite performances consistently exceed 80–90 hours. That’s not what we’re aiming for! Astrid is happy with 6 hours, while Marta would like to complete 100 km. But still: at that level, the race becomes less about running and more about system execution: pacing discipline, flawless nutrition, and mental resilience.
The lesson is clear: the ceiling is not defined by speed. It is defined by how well you can sustain yourself.
Astrid’s Race Strategy (Usual Pace: ~ 6:10, Beginner)
Goal: Run each 6.7 km loop in ~50 minutes (≈ 7:25 min/km) to allow ~10 minutes of rest.
Hours 1–2: Start Easy
- Pace: 7:20–7:30 min/km
- Effort: Very relaxed, conversational
- No walking yet unless needed
- Focus: Hold back deliberately
Hours 3–4: Build Rhythm
- Pace: 7:15–7:25 min/km
- Add short walking breaks (30–60 sec every 2 km or on inclines)
- Start fueling (200–300 kcal per loop)
- Focus: Consistency over speed
Hours 5–6: Stay Controlled
- Pace: 7:15–7:30 min/km
- Use structured run/walk (e.g. 9 min run / 1 min walk)
- Do not speed up, even if you feel strong
- Focus: Maintain routine
Break Strategy (Each Loop)
- Max. 10 minutes rest
- Drink immediately after finishing
- Eat small, easy snacks every lap
- Sit briefly, but stay ready to go
Key Principles
- Start slower than you think necessary
- Stick to your pace, not your feelings
- Fuel early and regularly
- Think lap by lap, not hours ahead
Two Months Out: What Training Should Look Like
At eight weeks out, training starts to feel different. You’re no longer building fitness in a general sense. You’re shaping it into something usable. Something repeatable. Something that will hold together when the race stops being comfortable. For us, this phase is less about doing more—and more about doing the right things consistently.
1. Long Runs Become Controlled, Not Heroic
We’re not chasing big, impressive long runs anymore. Instead, the question we ask is simple: Could we keep going if we had to? That changes how we run.
One long run per week is enough, typically in the range of 2.5 to 3.5 hours. The pace stays deliberately conservative—well below marathon effort. If heart rate drifts too high, we slow down. If the terrain forces it, we accept it. The goal is not to prove fitness. The goal is to finish feeling composed, stable, and physically intact. Running at a pace of over 7 (ideally 8!) is a real challenge. That means putting your ego aside and accepting that this isn’t a typical long run. Astrid likes to bring her 12-year-old dog, Snoop, along for this—he’s happy to trot along at a pace of over 7. She herself has to fight hard—not to run faster, but to accept that this is exactly what is needed right now.
If you finish your long run depleted, you trained the wrong system.
2. Back-to-Back Sessions Build the Real Capacity
This is where Backyard-specific strength actually develops. Because the race doesn’t ask, “What can you do once?” It asks, “Can you do it again?”
A typical structure for us looks like this:
- Saturday: 2.5–3 hours easy, controlled
- Sunday: 2–2.5 hours, slightly shorter but on tired legs
Sunday is not about pushing through fatigue aggressively. It’s about learning how fatigue feels—and how to move well within it.
We pay attention to:
- Running economy when tired
- Foot strike and posture
- Early signs of muscular breakdown
The win is finishing both days with consistency—not surviving them.
3. Hourly Simulation Runs: Where It Gets Real
This is the closest we can get to race conditions—and it changes everything.
Every two to three weeks, we block out half a day and run in loops:
- 6.5–7 km every hour
- Starting on the hour, just like race day
- Total duration: 4 to 6 hours (occasionally extending to 8)
But the running itself is only part of it.
The real focus is what happens in between:
- How quickly can we transition from running to recovery mode?
- What do we eat when we’re not hungry yet?
- How do we reset mentally for the next start?
We test everything here—shoes, socks, fueling, pacing, even small routines. Because on race day, nothing should feel new. A quick tip: over this kind of distance and duration, even the smallest detail on your body can become an obstacle. Vaseline helps prevent chafing and injuries. Stay smooth—literally!
The more decisions you remove in advance, the longer you last.
How This Fits Into the Week
A typical week in this phase might look like this:
- 1 long run (2.5–3.5h, controlled)
- 1 back-to-back block (Sat/Sun)
- 1 quality session (short intervals or tempo, 45–60 min total)
- 2–3 easy runs (45–75 min, low intensity)
- Optional: strength training 1–2x/week (maintenance, not overload)
And then, every couple of weeks, we replace one of the weekend blocks with a simulation. It’s not a flashy structure. But it’s specific. And that’s exactly the point.
We’re not preparing to run far once. We’re preparing to keep going.
4. Keep Intensity, But Use It Sparingly
Short threshold or interval work once per week helps maintain efficiency, but it’s no longer the priority.
The race rewards control, not peak speed.
Nutrition Starts Now, Not Race Week
Backyard Ultras expose every weakness in your fueling strategy.
Two months out, your focus should be:
- Gut training – practicing intake during long and simulation runs
- Consistency – regular meals, stable energy availability
- Carbohydrate availability – not extreme, but sufficient to support volume
This is not the time for restrictive diets or aggressive body composition goals.
You are building a system that can absorb and use energy for hours on end.
The Final Days Before the Race
The last 3–4 days are about reducing variability.
- Lower fiber intake slightly to reduce GI stress
- Increase carbohydrate intake moderately
- Stick to familiar foods only
- Hydrate consistently, not excessively
On the day before the race:
- Simple, digestible meals
- No experimentation
- Early dinner, early rest
You are not trying to optimize. You are trying to eliminate risk.
Fueling During the Backyard: Where Races Are Lost
Nutrition during a Backyard Ultra is not about a perfect plan. It’s about adaptability. Each hour gives you a small window to reset. That window becomes your entire race strategy.
Core Principles
- Eat early – don’t wait for hunger
- Alternate textures – liquids, solids, semi-solids
- Prioritize carbohydrates – primary energy source
- Include small amounts of protein and fat – especially later in the race
Practical Options
- Rice, potatoes, simple sandwiches
- Bananas, fruit puree
- Energy drinks, gels (if tolerated)
- Broth or salty foods in later stages
As the hours pass, appetite drops. Taste fatigue increases. Digestion slows.
The athletes who last are the ones who keep eating anyway—strategically, not forcefully.
Our Approach: Marta & Astrid, Team BADDAZZ
This race is not just another event for us. It’s personal—and for very different reasons. Marta comes into this as a high-level athlete with a clear ambition: she wants to reach 100 kilometers. That means precision. Discipline. Holding back when it feels easy, so she can still be there when it gets hard. For her, this race is about executing at a level that reflects the work she’s already done.
Astrid stands at a completely different starting point. Her goal isn’t a distance benchmark. She’ll be happy if she holds on for six hours. But that doesn’t make the challenge smaller. If anything, it makes it more honest. Because stepping into something unknown—without certainty, without expectations—is its own form of courage. For Astrid, this is about experiencing the format for the first time. Learning how her body and mind respond. Staying open, staying present, and seeing what’s possible beyond what she currently believes.
Two different goals. One shared approach: we are not preparing to “push limits” in a dramatic sense. We are preparing to hold structure when things get difficult.
Because whether it’s six hours or 100 kilometers—at some point, it becomes the same question:
Can you stay composed, and make the next right decision?
Our focus over the next weeks is clear:
- Dial in pacing we can repeat for hours
- Test fueling until it becomes automatic
- Build confidence through controlled simulation
On June 13 in Dos Hermanos, the question will not be how fast we are.
The question will be: how long can we keep making the right decisions?
Final Thought
The Backyard Ultra strips running down to its core. No distractions. No shortcuts. No hiding. Just you, the next loop, and the decision to continue. That’s exactly why we’re showing up.
One more loop. Be BADDAZZ.
