Devil's Race Track Backyard Ultra

Unlike traditional continuous ultramarathons, a Backyard Ultra follows a unique ‘last-runner-standing’ format: competitors run a 6.7km loop every hour, on the hour, until only one remains. This interval-based structure means athletes regularly stop to rest and eat, making standard fueling guidelines difficult to apply directly. Instead, fueling and hydration strategies must be more flexible and account for periods of rest, lower exertion, and the psychological demands of stop-start racing.

Overall, Brad averaged just under the traditional 75g/h recommended carbohydrate intake for a race of this duration and intensity, but in the context of a Backyard Ultra, this target must be viewed differently. Notably, his average ‘moving-time’ intake came to 53g/h, compared to his ‘rest-time’ intake which totalled 97g/h, thus highlighting that Brad utilised the short breaks between laps to get as much fuel in as possible.

By analysing his intake every 4 hours, Brad started off strong, averaging ~109g/h for the first 4 hours and then ~76g/h during hours 4 to 8 of the race, before his intake fell to just ~51g/h through hours 9-12. Unsurprisingly, Brad’s slowest and subjectively hardest lap out of the 20 he completed came during this period of his lowest carb intake during lap 12, highlighting the importance of a consistent high carb intake for supporting endurance performance. However, he picked up both his carb intake and pace from this point onwards until hours 19 and 20 where he decided to stop. Impressively, the majority of Brad’s carb intake came from PF Gels, as well as two energy bars. Brad may want to include some more ‘real foods’ into his strategy in the future to mix up the variety of his carbohydrate sources and encourage him to sustain a higher intake for longer.

For the first 6 hours, Brad used PH 1000 Drink Mix to support his fluid and sodium needs. However, with cooler morning temperatures and a relatively low sweat rate, he likely drank a bit too much early on - evidenced by three toilet breaks in the first 4 hours. After a quick strategy review with our in-house Dietitian, Lexi, Brad adjusted his approach and, from lap 7 onwards, switched to using Electrolyte Capsules alongside plain water. This method is popular among ultra runners as it allows them to decouple their electrolyte and fluid intake, offering greater flexibility and reducing the risk of flavour fatigue over long durations. From this point forward, Brad felt much more in control and remained well-hydrated through to the end of the race.

Brad’s cumulative caffeine intake slightly exceeded the general recommendations for performance enhancement, but this isn’t unexpected for an ultra of this length. The current recommendations are primarily based on shorter events (<12h), and don’t fully consider the metabolic demands of races lasting well beyond that. This highlights the need for more nuanced research into caffeine protocols during ultra events, especially those that extend overnight and into the next day. Given caffeine’s half-life of 4–5 hours, a single dose early on likely won’t provide performance benefits later in the race. Brad approached this wisely - at hour 5 he started with a small cola intake to begin drip-feeding caffeine into his system, followed by a larger dose via PF 30 Caffeine Gels during laps 13 and 14. These laps also coincided with his fastest effort. As a regular consumer of caffeinated energy products, Brad tolerated this strategy well.