What is a back yard ultra?

The backyard ultra is a form of ultramarathon race where competitors must consecutively run the distance of 4.167 miles (6.706 Kilometers) in less than one hour. The race is set to this distance so all runners who reach the 24 hour mark will at the same time surpass 100 miles. The winner and only finisher is the last runner who completes one more lap than the second most laps. The runner who completes the second most laps is referred to as the "assist", the sense that their effort is ultimately what determines how long the race will go. There is no predefined end length or time in a backyard ultra.

Winner & Awards

The Winner will be crowned as 'THE LION KING' or 'QUEEN' and receive a one of a kind belt buckle, a BRONZE coin from Laz and a swag bag from our sponsors. The Top Male, Top Female and the Assist will be inducted into the Hall of Fame aka ‘The Royal Family.’ All other runners will receive a ribbon showing the amount of laps and miles they successfully completed.

Does this race support a cause?

Hello everyone, my name is Brian and I’m the race director for this amazing race. I lost my father and grandfather (my father’s father) to suicide as well as several military friends following an Iraq deployment in 2007-2008. 50% of the profits from this race will be split to support the 988 Suicide & Crisis Prevention hotline (30%) and Lions Club park (20%) who is gracious enough to let us host this race.

Course Rules

Course Rules:


1. Course
4.167 mile loop trail (Day)
4.167 mile loop night
Metric equivalent of 6.7056 kilometers
2. Starting Corral
Corral is directly next to the start line
Participants must be in the starting corral at the bell
3. Starts
Each loop starts precisely 1 hour after the last
Warning will be given 3, 2, and 1 minutes prior to start
All competitors must start at the bell (no late starts)
4. Loops
Except for restrooms, competitor may not leave the course until each loop is completed
No non-competitors on the course (including eliminated runners)
No personal aid during a loop (common aid stations are allowed)
Each loop must be completed within an hour to be counted… including the final lap.
No artificial aids (including trekking poles)
Slower runners must freely allow passes.
5. Timing
A running timer will run the duration of the race & is large enough for everyone to see

6. Winner/Results

The winner is the last person to complete a loop
There will be a crowning ceremony for the winner
The winner will receive a custom lion king belt buckle & a $250 cash prize
All runners will receive a ribbon with their distance successfully completed
If no runner can complete one more loop than anyone else, there is no winner & no king will be crowned.

7. Cap

Race is open ended with no predetermined end date or time

Big’s Backyard Affiliate

We are proud to be an affiliate of Big’s Backyard Ultra. The winner of this race will receive a bronze coin that guarantees their spot in a silver ticket event.

Why is it called Lion King Back Yard Ultra?

This race has nothing to do with Disney or any of its movies. The race is named after the beautiful private park that allows this race to happen. Lions Club Park.

Why Lions Club Park?

The park is built perfectly to host a backyard ultra. From the pavilions, through flat bike trails and around the pond is exactly 4.167 miles. Participants will run these beautiful trails through mature forest and large cedar trees during the day. A wide paved trail that follows a flowing creek extends from Lions Club on to Rolla's acorn trail. Participant will run the paved portion at night. The coral will be directly in front of several large pavilions that provide cover and prevent the need to bring canopies. Each runner will have their own dedicated 10X10 space beneath the pavilions for themselves & crew. Crew camping at the park will be authorized during race hours, but not after. If runners wish to bring their own canopy they may do so and will have ample room on the grass near the pavilions. The pavilions have serval water spickets that will be open and accessible for all runners. There will be a charging station beneath pavilion one with a few 110 plugs and enough USB outlets to support all runners in the event they need to charge devices between loops such as Apple Watches, Garmins, Go-Pros' etc. Several porta-potties will be right next to the starting coral, as well as two porta-potties at the 2 mile mark of both the trail and paved courses.

Course Description

Each lap starts and ends at the starting corral, located between the lake and the pavilions. The course is a 4.167 mile dirt trail lap during daylight hours and 4.167 mile paved lap at night. Runners have exactly one hour to complete each lap. Laps will begin at 7am and again every hour on the hour. The race will be on the dirt trail for the first 11 laps (45.837 miles) of the race.

The 24 hour breakdown of laps/mileage will look like this:

7am - 8am Dirt (Lap 1 = 4.167 miles)
8am - 9qm Dirt (Lap 2 = 8.334 miles)
9am - 10am Dirt (Lap 3 = 12.501 miles)
10am - 11am Dirt (Lap 4 = 16.668 miles)
11am-12pm Dirt (Lap 5 = 20.835 miles)
12pm-1pm Dirt (Lap 6 = 25.002 miles)
1pm-2pm Dirt (Lap 7 = 29.169 miles)
2pm-3pm Dirt (Lap 8 = 33.336 miles)
3pm-4pm Dirt (Lap 9 = 37.503 miles)
4pm-5pm Dirt (Lap 10 = 41.67 miles)
5pm-6pm Dirt (Lap 11 = 45.937 miles)

6pm-7pm Paved (Lap 12 = 50.004 miles)
7pm-8pm Paved (Lap 13 = 54.171 miles)
8pm-9pm Paved (Lap 14 = 58.338 miles)
9pm-10pm Paved (Lap 15 = 62.505 miles)
10pm-11pm Paved (Lap 16 = 66.672 miles)
11pm-12am Paved (Lap 17 = 70.839 miles)
12am-1am Paved (Lap 18 = 75.006 miles)
1am-2am Paved (Lap 19 = 79.173 miles)
2am-3am Paved (Lap 20 = 83.34 miles)
3am-4am Paved (Lap 21 = 87.507 miles)
4am-5am Paved (Lap 22 = 91.674 miles)
5am-6am Paved (Lap 23 = 95.841 miles)

6am-7am Paved (Lap 24 = 100.008 miles)
(REPEAT)


Dirt Trail (DAY)
Mile 1
Starts in the corral and follows the road for 250 meters before going on to the dirt trail. Mature maple, oak, dogwood, ash, and elm trees will be bursting with fall colors while keeping you well shaded from the sun. You'll hop over a couple very small clear running creeks (about 1-2ft wide). The colorful trees makeup the majority of mile one but you'll end the first mile just as you enter the first cedar grove.

Mile 2
You'll be completely encompassed by large eastern red cedar trees. The thick canopy blocks out most direct sunlight to creating a secluded and peaceful environment (you'll probably want stop and take pictures) you'll wind through the cedars for the majority of mile 2 before exiting the trees out on to a large open field which is all slightly downhill and a great place to make up time.

Mile 3
You'll finish the last part of the filed and enter the 2nd larger cedar grove, even bigger and better than the previous mile. This cedar grove makes up nearly all of mile 3.

Mile 4
You're now out of the cedars and back into mature deciduous trees with a colorful canopy before finishing the last 1/2 mile on pavement as your run around the lake toward the starting coral.

The final .167 mile is a paved straight away into the starting corral.

Paved trail (Night)

Out and back flat course that follows a flowing creek. This paved course runs through the rural countryside on the outskirts of Rolla featuring plenty of whitetail deer, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks and colorful majestic views.

You can view the full course on YouTube here:

https://youtu.be/cCtqCt5jbeE

Aid Stations

The starting coral and halfway point will have water, tail wind, salt tablets, restrooms and staff to provide aid.

Where can I stay?

Rolla is home to many hotels, motels, Air B&B's as well as an RV park of HWY 72. After the race begins support crew are permitted to set up a tent at a designated area on the park near the pavilions. Once the race is over all tents must be taken down, an exception will be made if the race ends at night in which case tents may stay up until sunrise. Check out visitrolla.com for more information on what to do in the area.

On Site Packet Pickup

Friday, October 17th 2025 from 5pm-7pm
Saturday, October 18th 2025 from 6am-6:30am

Refunds

You may receive a 50% refund until August 1st 2025, after that no refunds will be given. No refunds for donations.

Dogs

If you have a quiet, friendly, potty trained dog you want to bring go for it! The dog must be leashed and will not be allowed on the course.

Race Photos

Race day photos will be taken throughout the course. Photos will be available free of charge on our Facebook page here:

https://www.facebook.com/people/Lion-King-Backyard-Ultra/61556921528351/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Event's current local time: 10:26 PM CT