Following a backyard ultra live, loops, lap times and leaderboard

A backyard ultra is run on a 4.167 mile loop, or 6.706 km, with a start every hour until only one runner is left. The race can last more than a day, and spectators, families and crews want to follow it without standing at the line for every start. That is what live tracking is for. The rules of the format are covered in the article backyard ultra rules and formats.

What backyard timing measures

In a regular race, you measure a time. In a backyard, you measure presence. Each runner has to finish the loop before the next bell and be in the start corral. Timing therefore records every crossing of the line, counts each runner's loops, called yards, and logs the exact time of every return.

Since every crossing is timestamped, the time of each lap comes for free. A runner who comes back in 52 minutes has eight minutes before the next start to drink, eat or get treated. That is what crews watch, loop after loop.

What spectators see

The live leaderboard shows the runners still in the race, their yard count and the time of their last crossing. It can be shown on a screen at the race village and opens in any phone browser, with no app to install. A runner who does not start the next loop leaves the active runners, and their last yard stays on display.

Lap times

For each runner, the sequence of crossings gives the time of every loop. Spectators see who keeps a steady pace and who comes back closer and closer to the bell, which says a lot about how the night is going.

What the race director sees

The race director sees the same crossings as they come in, and at any moment who is already back from the current loop and who is not. A runner who does not cross within the hour is automatically removed from the leaderboard, with the exact timestamp of their last crossing. The team no longer has to check bibs by hand at 3 a.m. and can sleep in shifts.

Why back up the line

In a regular race, a missed read can be fixed afterwards. In a backyard, an unread loop can wrongly eliminate a runner. A second system placed as a backup on the line reads every crossing twice. With Chrono Corner, it costs €384 on top of the €478 weekend fee and €1.28 per registered runner.

Getting live tracking ready

Three things matter before the first start. The loop must come back through the line where the antenna sits, otherwise each location needs its own system. Bibs must stay visible on the front, over the jacket at night, with the chip on the back. The leaderboard link should be shared before the race, so families already have it for the first yard. The full setup is described on the backyard ultra timing page.