Lap The Valley Backyard Ultra 2026

From the Discovery Centre, Lap The Valley Backyard Ultra takes place in the Boyne Valley, with Bruin Park cattle country on one side and the Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail available after dark. It is a classic backyard ultra: experienced runners start lap after lap, attempting to be the "Last One Standing" as the field gradually reduces. The daylight lap follows dirt trails through Bruin Park, featuring enough climb to be challenging but not mountainous, set among "rolling hills and pastoral landscapes." At night, the course shifts to a flatter out-and-back on the rail trail, where self-sufficiency is key and there is less to obscure the runners. The format's peculiar honesty lies in runners "battling themselves and the clock rather than each other," until a single person completes a final lap alone.