Chartreuse Backyard Ultra

Chartreuse Backyard Ultra is a last-person-standing running race in Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, Isère department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Each runner has one hour to complete a 6.7-kilometer loop, and then everyone still in the race starts the same loop again at the top of the next hour. The format continues until only one runner remains, meaning every other starter is eventually marked DNF. The course uses a natural setting in the Chartreuse area. The real difficulty comes from the clock and the repetition rather than a single long route. The race brought the Backyard Ultra idea from the United States to France, becoming the country’s first event in that format. Entries are capped at 200. Runners can approach the day in different ways: some chase the overall win, while others aim for a first half marathon, marathon, 100 kilometers, or 100 miles within 24 hours. One edition lasted 41 hours and 275 kilometers, with Maxime Gauduin as the only official finisher.