Chartreuse Backyard Ultra - Saint-Laurent-du-Pont 2026

Chartreuse Backyard Ultra is a last-runner-standing race held in Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, within the Isère region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. All participants complete the same 6.7 km loop, with one hour to finish before starting the next loop at the top of the following hour. There is no predetermined finish distance; the race concludes only when a single runner remains capable of starting and finishing another lap. Entry is limited to 200 participants, maintaining a smaller scale than many large city ultras, yet the format allows for distances far exceeding typical long-distance races. The course emphasizes the cumulative effects of fatigue, pacing, nutrition, and sleep deprivation over repeated loops, rather than a single dramatic route. Some participants aim for the overall victory, while others utilize the format to achieve personal milestones such as a half marathon, marathon, 100 km, 100 miles within 24 hours, or even 200 miles in 48 hours. A previous edition concluded after 41 hours and 275 km, with Maxime Gauduin as the sole official finisher and all other competitors marked as DNF. This event holds significance in backyard ultra history as the Chartreuse Backyard Ultra was instrumental in introducing this American last-man-standing format to France.