iStockphoto / Alexander Jung
Sydney’s Backyard Ultra for 2026 is officially in the books after 41-year-old Tim Kacprzak outlasted the field. Similar to the BPN G1M Backyard Ultra in Austin, Texas recently, Sydney’s Backyard Ultra is set up so runners must complete one ‘yard’ each hour and the last runner standing is the winner.
The final two runners in the field were Tim Kacprzak and Jack Hanley, both Australian, and they battled it out from ‘yards’ 66 through 75 before Tim emerged the victor.
Tim Kacprzak Wins Sydney’s Backyard Ultra After Running 312.5 Miles
Each yard is 4.17 miles (6.71 km). Runners have one full hour to complete each yard before the next one starts on the hour. If they do not cross the finish line before the next yard/lap begins they are out.
This creates a lot of lanes of opportunity for the runners themselves. With each loop being 4.17 miles in 60 minutes, that’s a 14min39sec pace each runner must match or beat in order to make the cutoff time each hour.
Reasonably speaking, any competitor in an event such as this is capable of running much faster than 14:39/mi. So do they run 8 minute miles and get back with 25 minutes to rest? Or does resting set you back for the next loop? Is it better to eat at the aid station or on the go? That is obviously a matter of personal preference but certainly worth consideration.
Meanwhile, one of the final two runners was ripping darts and getting rowdy after having run 275 miles into Sydney’s Backyard Ultra, almost as if the spirit of the Outback had possessed Jack Hanley (who finished 2nd):
In the end, it was Tim Kacprzak who won it all. He is the only runner to complete 75 yards. That is a total of 502.92 kilometers ran, or 312.5 miles.
For context, the drive from NYC to Boston is only 350 kilometers or 217 miles. It is 99 miles from Philly to NYC. He could have run from Manhattan to Philly and back 2.5 times with how far he ran during Sydney’s Backyard Ultra.
Out of the 75 yards ran, Tim Kacprzak’ fastest was 39 minutes and 56 seconds. His slowest was 54 minutes and 3 seconds. So he always gave himself at least a few minutes to resettle himself before the start of the next lap. He spent a grand total of 57 hours, 58 minutes, and 40 seconds running. Absolutely insane. In the end, he was crowned the last man standing at Sydney’s Backyard Ultra.
After the race, Tim was asked how he was feeling. His first response was “I’m pretty glad it’s over.” He went on to say “I really enjoyed the course, I really enjoyed running with that many people, 700 odd people off that start line. It was incredible, the atmosphere, I felt like I was at a rave.” Shout out to fellow 41-year-old Tim for also being old enough to remember what raves were like.
How Did His Result Compare To BPN’s G1M Backyard Ultra In Austin?
The other notable backyard ultramarathon race to take place recently was put on BPN Supplements outside of Austin, Texas. The winner was Mark Dowdle, an absolute animal.
Mark bested the field after running 73 laps for a total of 306 miles (493.5km) over the span of 3 days. So Tim Kacprzak’s showing at Sydney’s Backyard Ultra topped that mark by about 6.5 miles. All in all, they were pretty close but Tim gets the edge here.
The whole race was live streamed on the 180 Cadence YouTube channel if you would like to go back and check out some of the footage. And for full results, you can visit the 180cadence website which tracked all 645 participants.