Thetford Back Yard Ultra Festival
Thetford Back Yard Ultra Festival is a Backyard Ultra held at High Lodge in Thetford Forest, Suffolk. Competitors run repeated loops of a fixed length, completing one loop each hour until only one participant completes an extra loop.
The event offers three entry options:
- Full Backyard Ultra event with a winner and prizes
- 12 hour timed entry at a reduced cost
- 6 hour timed entry at a reduced cost with a lower age limit
The standard loop is 4 miles 880 feet (approximately 6.7056 km). The 6 hour and 12 hour options use the same course setup and start procedure but runners on those options cannot continue past their time limit and will be recorded as DNF by the timing system. The 6 hour option lowers the minimum age to 12 years; a parent or guardian must be onsite and provide an emergency contact number.
The route is wide and mostly flat through forest, with firm underfoot surfaces, good drainage, mostly gravel or grass footpaths and a single small hill. The course will be fully signed. Chip timing is used for the event; a cash prize and a free entry to a summer event are offered to the winner of the full Backyard Ultra. Discounts are available for elite runners.
Onsite facilities include two camping areas for runners and crews, portable toilets, one aid station at the start/finish, a supervised cooking area, limited charging for runners, and a photographer. Parking is available for a flat fee for the event period and site gate entry has restricted hours. Participants must follow Backyard Ultra rules regarding starts, loop completion and support. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
Main Event Info
Timings
Arrive from 8am on race day to set up. Please do not arrive earlier as you will not be allowed to set up any earlier than 8am. We will not be ready for you until 8am.
- 11:30 Race Brief
- 12:00 Race Start
Deadlines
Please see our Policies page for info on refunds/transfers or deferals.
- Closing date for entries is 2 weeks (14 days) before race day.
- Deadline for changing details such as club is 2 weeks (14 days) before race day.
You must create an account to see all edit/transfer options
Parking
We have arranged a flat parking fee for runners and crews of £12 for the whole event from Saturday to Wednesday. You must purchase this from the Merchandise section (for those with no race entry) of the website or with your race entry as an additional order item. If you can not register before Wednesday the 3rd then you will need to provide your details to the customer service desk on arrival and it will cost you £15.
Parking timing restrictions - The site entrance gate closes in the evening from 9pm till 8am, you will be able to leave outside those hours but there is no entry to the site during that 9pm-8am window.
CP's
There is only one aid station at the start/finish area. From the race start to 8pm Sunday it will have hot and cold water for crews and some basic sweet and savoury snack for runners including things like pot noodles/pasta pots.
We will have a small cooking area set up so crews can heat food in a supervised location. No stoves to be used in the camping area except in this supervised area, this is strict.
Facilities
We have Portable toilets on site onsite near the edge of both camping areas and these will be kept stocked and clean.
Route
Its a wide and flat route through stunning forest areas and firm underfoot with good drainage, only one small "Hill" on the route and suited to very fast laps. Mostly gravel or grass footpaths. It will be fully signed. It's the same as our SBYU event.
Camping
Runners and crews camp for free but please keep tent/gazebo sizes to the smallest size possible as we have limited space.
