Australian ultrarunner Phil Gore has shattered the Backyard Ultra world record with a 119-lap performance at the Dead Cow Gully Backyard Ultra in Queensland, Australia, covering nearly 800 kilometers over five continuous days.
The race, notorious for its grueling one-loop-per-hour format, ended early last Thursday when New Zealand’s Sam Harvey was forced to withdraw after completing 118 laps. Gore completed the final lap alone to seal the win.
Why it matters
The Backyard Ultra is a test of both endurance and willpower. Runners must complete one 6.7056-kilometer loop every hour, on the hour. If they fail to start or finish within that time, they’re eliminated. Only the last runner to complete a lap is declared the winner.
Gore’s 119 laps surpassed the previous world record of 116, set by Poland’s Łukasz Wróbel just weeks earlier.
What happened
The 2025 edition of Dead Cow Gully began the Saturday morning with 263 runners on a remote cattle property near Nanango, Queensland. By Wednesday night, just two remained, Gore and Harvey, locked in a head-to-head battle that extended well past the previous record.
Harvey, reportedly suffering from an Achilles tendon issue, was unable to finish loop 119. Gore completed the lap solo, becoming the new record holder and only finisher of the event.
By the numbers
- Loops completed: 119
- Total distance: ~797.3 kilometers (495.4 miles)
- Duration: Nearly five days
- Previous record: 116 loops (Łukasz Wróbel, May 2025)
Beyond the podium
- Sam Harvey’s 118 laps set a new New Zealand national record.
- Jennifer Russo of the United States was the last woman standing, completing 76 loops.
- Australia’s Holly Ranson (61 loops) and New Zealand’s Jane McAlpine (53) also set national women’s records.
The event attracted international competitors from the United States, Belgium, Japan, and Spain.
The format
Created by Gary “Laz” Cantrell, the founder of the Barkley Marathons, the Backyard Ultra format is designed to eliminate all but one runner through relentless hourly loops. Each loop is timed, and rest between laps depends entirely on how quickly a runner finishes. The course at Dead Cow Gully features sharp temperature swings and challenging terrain, adding to the difficulty.
Race director Tim Walsh hosts the event on his family’s cattle property, where each runner receives a cattle tag to hang on a board. The last tag left standing belongs to the winner.
