WHY WE ARE DOING THIS
India’s best stands at 52 yards: 52 hours on the bell. The world has gone further, and we go after it together.
Every yard India has run so far was run with what the runners had. BigFoot is building the start line a runner should have: a proper course, race support, live broadcast and professional timing, so the only thing left to think about is the next loop.
INDIA ALREADY RUNS LONG
In May 2026 India’s men won team gold at the Asia & Oceania 24 Hour Championships. A backyard asks a different question.
THE AIMTo bring India’s strongest endurance runners onto one start line, and to work out together what the backyard in India still needs.
THREE WAYS IN
Any one of these, with a result from 2025 or 2026. If you have done one, we would love to have you. We check every application against the published result.
- WAY ONE
WON IT, OR STOOD BESIDE THE WINNER
You won a backyard ultra, or you were the assist (the runner who came one yard behind the winner).
- WAY TWO
TWENTY-FOUR YARDS
You finished 24 yards (24 loops, which is 100 miles) in a backyard ultra.
- WAY THREE
A HUNDRED MILES, UNDER A DAY
You finished 100 miles in under 24 hours in an ultra: road, trail or stadium, any format.
Open to runners aged 18 and over on race day. A backyard race held in India as part of Big’s world team event counts like any other.
YOU ARE STILL IN THE STORY
Every runner who has stood in a BigFoot corral is part of what India does next. The next chapter may be yours.
RUN THE NUMBERS
Pick a yard and a loop time. See the clock, the rest and the rules.
YARD 24 ENDS
SAT 7:00 AM
30 January 2027 · 160.9 km · 100.0 miles
- PACE
- 7:09/KM
- REST EACH HOUR
- 12MIN
- ON YOUR FEET
- 19H
- NIGHTS
- 1
Dark is shaded: sunset about 6:30 pm, sunrise about 7:10 am. The white tick is flag-off at 7:00 am.
- MARKA hundred miles, on the bell, in 24 hours.
- RULEDark hours, gear checked from sunset: Headlamp; Reflective vest or tape, minimum 20 sq in; Hydration system, minimum 200 ml.
- RULEA crew change is allowed only once every 12 hours, and the new crew must be introduced to officials before they take over. By yard 24 that is up to 2 changes.
- RULEWhistles at 3, 2, and 1 minutes to the hour, then a ten-second count. Then the bell.
Venue, aid and meals, crew allowances here and the race-week schedule are confirmed by email to invited runners. The rules above are the series rules, word for word.
HOW IT WORKS
- STEP 1
APPLY HERE
Tell us who you are and which way in you came through. Applications are open until 31 December 2026.
- STEP 2
WE CHECK THE RESULT
Every application is checked against the published result. A result from the qualifying years that meets one of the three ways in earns an invite.
- STEP 3
YOUR INVITE ARRIVES
An email with a private link, valid for 7 days. The link opens the entry page, where the fee and the entry details are.
- STEP 4
COMPLETE YOUR ENTRY
Places are first come, first served, once you hold an invite. If a link lapses after 7 days, the place goes to the next runner.
THE CHAPTER AT A GLANCE
Everything that is settled, plainly.
- WHERE
- Pune.
- WHEN
- Friday 29 January 2027. Flag-off 7:00 am.
- THE RACE
- A backyard ultra in the standard format, to the rules of Big’s Backyard Ultra, where the format began: one 6.706 km loop every hour, until one is left standing.
- PLACES
- 50, by invitation only.
- WHO
- Runners aged 18 and over on race day who meet one of the three ways in, with a result from 2025 or 2026.
- APPLICATIONS
- Open until 31 December 2026.
- THE ENTRY
- The fee and the entry details are on the entry page that your invite opens. No discount codes apply.
- THE SEASON
- Part of BigFoot 2026-27, beside the chapters.
- PARTNERS
- Canyon Sandals, Salts and UnScripters, our season partners.
SEND YOUR APPLICATION
Two minutes, no payment. If your result meets one of the three ways in, your invite comes by email.
QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
The backyard, the bell, the DNF — the things every first-timer wants to know before they toe the line.
What is the Champions Chapter?
An invite-only backyard ultra for 50 runners, in Pune on Friday 29 January 2027. It is part of the BigFoot Backyard Ultra Series, run in the standard backyard format to the rules of Big’s Backyard Ultra, where the format began: one 6.706 km loop every hour, until one is left standing. It is built to take India’s backyard further, together.
Who can be invited?
Anyone aged 18 or over on race day with a result from 2025 or 2026 that meets one of three ways in: winning or being the assist (the runner one yard behind the winner) of a backyard ultra, finishing 24 yards in one, or finishing 100 miles in under 24 hours in any ultra, on road, trail or stadium.
Why invite only?
So the first field is made of runners with a recent result to build on. The chapters and volunteering are open to everyone, and every one of them is a way into what comes next.
How do I apply?
Use JOIN US on this page and fill in the application. It takes about two minutes and takes no payment. Applications are open until 31 December 2026.
What happens after I apply?
We check your application against the published result. If it meets the rules, you get an email with a private invite link, valid for 7 days. The link opens the entry page, where the fee and the entry details are.
Is there a discount code?
No. No code of any kind applies to this chapter.
I do not have a result from 2025 or 2026. Can I still apply?
This first edition is for results from 2025 or 2026. If yours is older, a BigFoot chapter near you is the place to start, and the next one may be yours.
Who sees my application?
Only the BigFoot team and the race director. Nothing you send is made public, and we do not publish the names of applicants or of the runners we invite.
What is India’s best in a backyard ultra?
India’s best is 52 yards: 52 loops, 52 hours, about 348 km on the bell, the longest last-one-standing run by any Indian. The world’s best is 124 yards. One yard is one 6.706 km loop.
Where and when is it?
Pune, Friday 29 January 2027. The bell rings at 7:00 am.
I cannot enter this one. How can I be part of it?
Welcome. Start with Backyard 4 at one of our city chapters, or offer to help as a volunteer. Every runner who has stood in a BigFoot corral is part of what India does next, and the next chapter may be yours.
Who decides disputes on race day?
The race director’s decision is final during the race. Queries are taken after the race, in writing, by email.
What is a backyard ultra?
A 6.706 km loop, run every hour on the hour, until one runner remains. No finish line, no fixed distance. The last runner standing is the only finisher — everyone else records a DNF.
Where does the 2026–27 season run?
Six cities, eight chapters: Pune, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai, plus two more in Pune: Last One Standing, the Women’s Backyard Ultra, and the invite-only Champions Chapter. Same loop distance, same rules, same clock in every chapter.
Is there a backyard ultra only for women?
Yes. Last One Standing, the Women’s Backyard Ultra, is a backyard only for women aged 21 and over: Saturday 9 January 2027, in Pune, 125 places. Same loop, same bell, same rules as every BigFoot backyard. It sits at the top of the RACE menu.
What happens if I DNF?
You take home the exact number of the loop where you stopped, and a DNF memento. In a backyard, that's not failure — it's the receipt of a real attempt.
Can I walk?
Yes. Walking is strategy, not weakness. Many strong backyard runners walk parts of every loop.