The Barn Creek Backyard Ultra starts Friday, November 6, in Jamestown, and the format is beautifully simple: run 4.167 miles every hour until you can't. There's no finish line to chase. Your race comes down to steady pacing and good decisions, repeated hour after hour.
Whether you're chasing a 100-mile buckle or your first 50K, these tips will help you go one more loop.
Know the course and the clock
Barn Creek is an out-and-back course on gravel, road, and trail, with less than 300 feet of elevation gain. It starts at r3 motoworx, runs through the woods, and crosses Barn Creek on a bridge. The first loop starts at 7:00am, then every hour on the hour, with warnings at 3, 2, and 1 minutes.
Coming from Knoxville? Jamestown is on Central time, so 7:00am at the race is 8:00am in Knoxville. Don't let the time zone catch you out.
Here's what the mileage looks like:
- 7 loops: 29.2 miles, past marathon distance, by 2:00pm
- 8 loops: 33.3 miles, past 50K, by 3:00pm
- 12 loops: 50 miles by 7:00pm
- 15 loops: 62.5 miles, past 100K, by 10:00pm
- 24 loops: 100 miles and a belt buckle by 7:00am Saturday
Pace for rest, not for speed
Finishing a loop in exactly one hour takes a 14:24 per mile pace, but that leaves no time to eat, fix a problem, or sit down. A 12:00 per mile pace brings you in at about 50 minutes, with 10 minutes to spare. Use that as a starting point and adjust it to suit you.
- Keep the first loops boring. You don't win anything for finishing a loop first, and the extra speed costs you later.
- Walk early, before you need to. Planned walk breaks, especially on any climbs, save your legs.
- Check your pace at the turnaround. Because the course is out and back, the halfway point tells you right away whether you're on track.
- Don't try to bank time. Every loop restarts on the hour, so running faster only buys you a longer break that hour.
Build a between-loop routine
Ten minutes disappears fast, especially when you're tired. Decide what you'll do before race day and keep it the same each hour:
- Eat and refill your drink first.
- Use the bathroom.
- Deal with hot spots, chafing, or clothing changes.
- Sit down for whatever time is left.
- Stand up early enough to be in the corral for the start.
Lay out your tent so everything is easy to reach. Runners can set up along the start corral, and vehicles won't be allowed in that area after setup, so bring everything in early. If you'll have a crew, tell them your plan ahead of time and give them a simple list.
Fuel early and often
The main aid station sits next to the start corral with warm food, water, and drinks, but it's smart to bring the fuel you know works for you. Start eating on the first loops, before you feel hungry, and aim for a little every hour rather than a big meal.
Bring a mix of sweet and salty options, because your appetite will change. Real food can be a welcome break from gels as the hours add up. For drinks, use something you've already tested, like Skratch Hydration singles, and drink to thirst. Race day isn't the time to try anything new, and that includes caffeine. If you use it, consider saving it for when you need it overnight.
You can't take personal aid during a loop, so carry anything you'll want while you're out there.
Take care of your feet
Small problems get big after 12 hours on your feet. If you feel a hot spot, fix it at the next break rather than waiting. Pack lubricant, blister supplies, spare shoes, and multiple pairs of socks. Toe socks like the Injinji Ultra Run Crew or a merino pair like the Feetures Merino 10 are good options if you've already tested them. A fresh pair can feel great at the start of the night.
Plan for the dark, the fog, and the cold
The sun sets around 4:45pm that weekend, so have your light ready for the 5:00pm loop and carry a backup. The woods will get dark before the open sections do. A light like the Amphipod Versa-Light Max can also clip on as a second light.
Be ready for fog. Last year, the early morning hours got foggy. In fog, a headlamp can bounce light straight back into your eyes and leave you staring into a white wall. A waist light sits lower and farther from your eyes, which helps cut that glare and makes rocks, roots, and ruts easier to see. That's why many runners like UltrAspire waist lights such as the Lumen 600 5.0. Pair yours with a light like the Lumen 300 Sidekick as a second light, and turn the brightness down if the fog starts reflecting back at you. Make sure everything is fully charged, and bring what you need to recharge or swap batteries.
You'll warm up while you run and cool off fast when you stop. Keep dry layers, a warm hat, gloves, and a blanket within reach, and change out of wet clothes before you get chilled. Put your warm layers on as soon as you sit down, and leave yourself time to take them off before the start.
Protect your sleep this week
Go to bed early in the days leading up to the race, especially Wednesday and Thursday. Once the race starts, you'll only get short breaks. If you do try a nap overnight, set an alarm and have someone wake you, and keep it short enough that you still make the start.
Know the rules
- Each loop must be finished within the hour, including your last one.
- You can't leave the course during a loop, except for the restroom.
- No personal aid during a loop, and no non-competitors on the course.
- No trekking poles or other artificial aids.
- Slower runners must allow others to pass.
Run the loop you're in
The hardest thing about a backyard ultra is thinking about how long it could go. Don't try to solve the whole night at once. When things get hard, eat something, change one thing, and commit to one more loop. Plenty of runners feel terrible at one hour and fine at the next.
But some things matter more than another loop. Stop and get help at the aid station if you feel confused, faint, or very unwell, have chest pain, or can't stay awake on your feet.
From Barn Creek to Big's
Barn Creek is a Bronze Ticket race on the road to Big's Backyard Ultra, the world championship series for this format. The winner earns a Bronze coin and a place in a Silver Ticket race, and Silver Ticket winners earn a spot on their national team.
The sport's limits are still moving. At the Big's Backyard Ultra World Team Championship last month, Merijn Geerts and Ivo Steyaert of Belgium each completed 124 yards, or about 516.7 miles, at the Belgian race in Retie. It's the farthest anyone has run in a backyard ultra. They stopped together, so that race had no outright winner, but their distance has been widely reported as the new world record.
To put that in perspective, matching it at Barn Creek would mean running from 7:00am Friday until 11:00am the following Wednesday. Our course record is 31 yards, or 129.2 miles. Every one of those journeys starts the same way, with one loop.
The course is built for distance PRs. At the first running, 83% of participants reached at least 50K, and 28% ran 100 miles or more. See the full race details and rules on our Barn Creek Backyard page, and stop by the shop this week if you need anything for race day. See you in the corral!