Saskatchewan’s longest-running backyard ultra — the Prairie Nightmare Backyard Ultra — gets underway next month, with race directors hoping to attract a record number of participants (and perhaps a record-breaking time).
But what’s a backyard ultra? Race co-director Heidi Schmaltz speaks to the Brainsport Times about the unique race format and why you need to add the Prairie Nightmare Backyard Ultra to your bucket list.
What: Backyard ultras are a form of last-person-standing race that exploded in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants have to run 6.706 kilometres every hour on the hour until only one runner remains to complete a lap.
The Prairie Nightmare Backyard Ultra was founded in 2020 when friends in southern Saskatchewan set up on a farm and ran 6.706 kilometres up and down a grid road. Since then, the event has grown and moved to Echo Valley Provincial Park.
The ultra is a certified bronze qualifier event, which means the international Backyard Ultra body recognizes it is properly measured.
And for those who think running a race with no set finish time or distance is a bit daunting, the Prairie Nightmare Backyard Ultra offers a “Daydream” option for those who want to run one to six laps. Schmaltz calls it the “gateway drug” to backyard ultras. “Since we instituted that (in 2022), we’ve had quite a few runners come that otherwise wouldn’t have tried biting off new distances,” she says.
The Prairie Nightmare Backyard Ultra prides itself on a grassroots, inclusive feel and invites people to show up whether they want to tackle one lap or dozens. The largest field to date has been 51 runners.
When: The race kicks off Sat. Aug. 24 at 8 a.m. and runs until the last runner standing has completed the 6.706-kilometre loop. The course record, set last year by Preston Schaffer of Regina, is 21 hours.
Where: The Prairie Nightmare Backyard Ultra takes place in Echo Valley Provincial Park, about 70 kilometres northeast of Regina. Participants, crews and spectators can pitch a tent for free or pay $20 to park a trailer.
“Amenities are great,” Schmaltz says. “You’re within minutes of Fort Qu’Appelle, which has ample fast food restaurants and anything your runners may need and you also have beautiful camping and the lake. It’s just a nice destination place.”
Though Echo Valley Provincial Park can be hilly, the 6.706-kilometre loop is run on flat, hard-packed grass and dirt. “It’s very easy on the joints,” Schmaltz says. “There’s zero asphalt, zero concrete, zero pavement.”
Why: Schmaltz, who has competed in a number of different trail ultras of various distances, says nothing compares to the atmosphere of a backyard ultra.
“The unique thing that I love about the backyard is you draw so much energy from each other since you’re all starting each loop together. After each loop, you come into the aid area and you see your crew, you hug your friends. You receive that kindness and support so regularly, both on course with other runners and back in aid every hour, as opposed to a multi-day or long race where you might not see your crew for six, eight or 12 hours. That mutual support really seems to fuel people in a different way.”
Register: Online registration is available through Race Roster. Cost to enter either the last-man-standing or Prairie Daydream option is $40.
