Falsterbo Backyard Ultra Winter - Backyard Ultra (6,706 m loop)

A backyard ultra is a last-person-standing race. Everyone runs the same loop, in this case 6,706 metres, and every loop starts on the hour. If you are back in time, you go out again. If you are not, you are out. The race ends when only one runner is still completing loops.

Nobody knows in advance, and that is the point of the format. You run one 6,706 metre loop per hour for as long as you can keep starting on time. Some runners finish after a handful of loops, while the winner may cover well over 100 kilometres.

You are eliminated from the race. In backyard ultra rules you simply do not start the next loop, and the remaining runners carry on. There is normally no DNF against your name as such, just the number of loops you completed.

Most backyard ultras allow a crew to help you between loops with food, clothing and encouragement, but the exact rules are set by the organiser. Check the event information on the registration page for what is permitted at Falsterbo.

February is mid-winter in southern Sweden. Expect temperatures around or below freezing, a strong wind off the sea, and a real chance of rain, sleet or snow. The loop is exposed and coastal, so wind chill is a bigger factor than the thermometer suggests.