The 2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championships start at 11pm AEDT on Saturday 17 October (12:00 UTC), with teams of 15 from more than 70 countries racing at the same time on their own home courses. Australia’s team runs at Kembla Grange, near Wollongong, without world record holder Phil Gore, who is injured. Belgium are the defending champions. You can watch on the Backyard Ultra Live YouTube channel and follow every loop on live results.
- Start: Saturday 17 October 2026, 11pm AEDT (12:00 UTC); expected to run four days or more
- Team Australia: Kembla Joggers Cross Country Park, Integral Energy Park, Kembla Grange, NSW
- Format: a 6.706 km loop every hour, on the hour, until one runner is left at each site
- Scoring: every loop by a country’s 15 runners counts; most loops wins
- Watch: Backyard Ultra Live on YouTube; Australian live results
- Last time (2024): Belgium 1,147 loops, Australia 971, USA 969
Live updates
Updates will be added here each morning from Sunday 18 October, Australian time, with Team Australia’s runners still going, the national totals and the stories from the other courses.
Start time in Australia and around the world
Every course starts at the same moment, 12:00 UTC on Saturday 17 October.
| Where | Start time |
|---|---|
| Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart | 11pm Saturday (AEDT) |
| Adelaide | 10:30pm Saturday (ACDT) |
| Brisbane | 10pm Saturday (AEST) |
| Darwin | 9:30pm Saturday (ACST) |
| Perth | 8pm Saturday (AWST) |
| New Zealand | 1am Sunday (NZDT) |
| London | 1pm Saturday (BST) |
| New York | 8am Saturday (EDT) |
| Los Angeles | 5am Saturday (PDT) |
How the World Team Championships work
It’s a backyard ultra, run in more than 70 countries at once. Every runner starts a 6.706 km loop, a “yard”, at the top of each hour and has to finish it inside the hour. Miss the cut-off, or miss the next start, and you’re out. Each site keeps going until one runner is left, which usually takes days. Our guide explains how a backyard ultra works.
The difference is the scoring. Every loop completed by a country’s 15 runners goes into the national total, and the country with the most loops is world team champion. A runner who drops out after 30 hours still adds 30 to the team. Strength in depth matters as much as one star.
How to watch
- Live stream: the Backyard Ultra Live YouTube channel, which the Australian organisers link for the championships.
- Live results: My Race Results for the Australian course, updated every loop. Big’s Backyard Ultra posts the global picture on its news page.
- Updates from Kembla Grange: Red’s Backyard Ultra, which hosts Team Australia, is posting on Instagram and Facebook throughout.
- In person: spectators are welcome at Integral Energy Park, Kembla Grange. The organisers suggest bringing a chair.
| When | At Kembla Grange |
|---|---|
| Friday 4pm | Meet the team |
| Saturday 8pm | Food and coffee open |
| Saturday 9:30pm | Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony |
| Saturday 11pm | Start |
| Sunday onwards | Food and coffee from 6am, dinner from 5pm |
Schedule from Red’s Backyard Ultra.
Team Australia
Australia finished second at the last team championships in 2024, 176 loops behind Belgium and two ahead of the US. This year’s 15, with their personal bests in loops:
| Runner | Best (loops) |
|---|---|
| Jonathan Ash | 100 |
| Dan Camac | 93 |
| James Blanton | 82 |
| Tim Kacprzak | 82 |
| Scott Cameron | 75 |
| Jack Hanley | 74 |
| Barry Keem | 73 |
| Mathieu Dube | 73 |
| Ben Nicholls | 72 |
| Brandon-Lee Grech | 72 |
| Brady Nankervis | 68 |
| Jayden McCormack | 68 |
| Sam Christie | 68 |
| Jason Rantall | 67 |
| Colin Moulden | 59 |
Team list from Red’s Backyard Ultra.
Jonathan Ash leads the team with a best of 100 loops, a mark only about 20 runners in the world have reached, according to the organisers. Jason Rantall, from Trafalgar, was first reserve and is in because Phil Gore, the world record holder and individual world champion, needed leg surgery after his Project 168 run.
What to watch for
- Belgium defending. Belgium won in 2024 with 1,147 loops, when Merijn Geerts, Ivo Steyaert and Frank Gielen all reached 110. Steyaert was the last man to go with Gore at Big’s in 2025, stopping in the 113th hour.
- USA at Big’s. Team USA races at Laz Lake’s farm in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, where the format began. Harvey Lewis and Jon Noll, both with bests of 111, lead them, according to Multiday Running.
- The women’s record holder. Britain’s Sarah Perry, who ran a women’s world record of 95 loops at Big’s in 2025, leads the UK team.
- Germany’s record holder. Hendrik Boury, who set the German record of 100 at Big’s, heads Germany’s team.
- Can Australia hold second or better without Gore? The 2024 gap to the US was just two loops.
Could a world record fall?
The world record is Gore’s 119 loops. A new one would need 120, and the most anyone has run at a team championships is 110, by Belgium’s three in 2024. Here’s the full backyard ultra world record history, including why a 123 in Russia doesn’t count.
Results
Final national totals and each course’s last runner will go here when the racing ends.
World Team Championships FAQ
What time do the Backyard Ultra World Team Championships start in Australia?
11pm AEDT on Saturday 17 October 2026 (10pm in Brisbane, 8pm in Perth). Every course in the world starts at 12:00 UTC.
Where is Team Australia racing?
At Kembla Joggers Cross Country Park, Integral Energy Park, Kembla Grange, near Wollongong in NSW, hosted by Red’s Backyard Ultra.
Is Phil Gore in the Australian team?
No. He is recovering from leg surgery after Project 168. Jason Rantall has taken his place.
How long will it last?
There’s no set finish. Each course runs until one runner is left, and the organisers expect at least four days.
How do teams win?
Every loop completed by a country’s 15 runners counts. The country with the highest total is world team champion.
Who won last time?
Belgium, in 2024, with 1,147 loops. Australia was second with 971 and the USA third with 969.
The championships are on our October events calendar.
