2027 Sisu Backyard Ultra
The Sisu Backyard Ultra at Lake Rebecca is back for 2027 — bringing together running, grit, community, and a true Finnish touch, complete with a sauna and a post-run swim option.
Inspired by the Finnish word sisu — meaning determination, toughness, resilience, and the willingness to keep going when things get hard — this race is built to challenge runners of every experience level.
But Sisu is about more than just seeing how many miles you can run.
It is about the experience.
From the moment you arrive, the goal is to create an atmosphere that feels exciting, welcoming, organized, and completely different from a typical race. Our volunteers bring incredible energy throughout the event, helping runners, supporting crews, keeping things moving, and creating the kind of environment that makes you want to keep coming back to the starting line.
The corral is the heart of the event.
Runners have access to a shared runner tent located just steps from the starting line, giving you a convenient place to rest, change clothes, organize gear, and get ready for the next yard without having to travel far between loops.
There will also be food and refreshments available near the corral, making it easy for runners and crews to grab something to eat, refuel, and stay close to the action.
And the action does not stop when runners leave the corral.
The Sisu Backyard Ultra is livestreamed throughout the event, allowing family, friends, and supporters to follow the race even if they cannot be there in person. Viewers can watch the hourly starts, runners returning to the finish, and footage from out on the course as the race unfolds.
As the field gets smaller and the hours get later, the livestream gives people at home a chance to follow the stories, the big moments, and the battle to keep going right along with everyone at Lake Rebecca.
Add in the sauna, the option for a swim, the crews gathered around the corral, the volunteers, the food, the late-night miles, and runners coming back together at the top of every hour, and Sisu becomes much more than a race.
It becomes an experience.
The format itself is simple. The challenge is not.
Runners complete a 4.167-mile loop every hour, on the hour. Finish your loop with time to spare and that time is yours. Rest. Refuel. Change gear. Grab some food. Sit down. Hit the sauna. Take a swim. Get ready to do it all over again.
When the next hour begins, everyone still in the race lines up and starts together.
If you do not complete the loop within the hour, or you are unable to start the next loop on time, your race is over. Everyone else keeps going.
That is what makes the backyard ultra different: there is no predetermined finish line.
Your goal might be one loop. A half marathon. A marathon. Your first 50K. Fifty miles. One hundred miles. Or simply one more yard than you thought you had in you.
At Sisu, success looks different for every runner.
The Lake Rebecca course features a mix of gravel, asphalt, and trail, creating a fast, scenic, and varied loop that runners will experience again and again as the hours — and eventually the miles — begin to add up.
Whether you are attempting your first backyard ultra, chasing a new distance, returning to go farther than you did last year, or simply looking for a race unlike anything else, Sisu is designed to be challenging, welcoming, memorable, and fun.
Come for the race.
Stay for the atmosphere.
Come run one yard.
Come chase your first ultra.
Come find out how far you can go.
Bring your crew. Bring your friends. Bring your stubbornness.
This is SISU.
Event's current local time: 6:44 PM CT
