Austin’s Backyard Ultra • Marathon • Full • Half & Memorial Day Remembrance Run 4 Miler • 8 Miler

Texas Hill Country Wild
Our event takes place at Turkey Bend LCRA Recreation Area near Lago Vista and Marble Falls, Texas. The course traces a peninsula along the Colorado River, winding through open meadows, wildflower fields, and shaded Hill Country woodland. Expansive views. Rolling terrain. Wildflower invasions in spring. A landscape that earns every mile you put into it.

Join us for Austin’s Backyard Marathon & Memorial Day Remembrance Run, a race weekend built around endurance, community, and remembrance. Whether you’re chasing the Bronze Ticket, your first marathon, or running to honor someone, you’ll find your distance and your reason at Turkey Bend.

The Backyard Ultra Format
Saturday —Last Person Standing Challenge
Austin’s Backyard Ultra is a premier, rugged challenge. It’s not just a race against the clock; it’s a race against the Texas Hill Country terrain. Not your average flat backyard. This is an officially sanctioned Backyard Ultra and part of the Texas Backyard Ultra Series. One 4.2-mile loop. One hour to complete it. A new loop starts at the top of every hour. Miss the cutoff, you’re out. Last runner remaining wins.

One unified course that all runners follow, through full sun, through dusk, through the long midnight hours, into Sunday’s dawn if you make it that far.

The course is anchored by a central start/finish corral located near the park’s main camping clusters. This is home base, where crews refuel runners and runners reset between yards. Where the race is won and lost not in the running, but in those few minutes between hours.

Earn every yard. Climb every hour. Austin’s Backyard Ultra is a bucket-list event for runners who want to test their true power, not just their flat pacing.

The trail itself is a 4.2-mile out-and-back along the Turkey Bend peninsula with a tight finishing lollipop. Wildflower meadows, lakeside views, and Hill Country woodland in alternating sections. Reflective markers guide runners through the nighttime hours. The course rewards a steady, efficient pace and a calm mind. One more hour at a time.

The Texas Backyard Series Pass Options
Want the ultimate circuit experience? Choose a Bundle during checkout to unlock exclusive contender privileges:

Mailed Legacy Bib: Your permanent number for the entire season, shipped straight to your door. Zero race-day lines (Must be registered at least 3 weeks before the first race day for guaranteed delivery).
Priority Crew Pit Setup: Premium space allocation closest to the starting corral at all venues.
Injury Deferral Insurance: Clean, hassle-free single-race transfers if your training block gets sidelined.
A backyard ultra is won at the rest chair, not the starting line. Click here to subscribe to our free weekly newsletter, training plans, pacing strategy, and the mental playbook for the bell. Every Wednesday, straight to your inbox.