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Our race has been scheduled for Sept 27, 2025
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🏃♀️ Race Announcement 🏃♂️🏃♀️
Join us for the thrilling 4th Annual MetroWest Backyard Ultra
📍 Location: 1380 Central Ave, Needham, MA
🗓️ Date: Saturday, September 27, 2025
Race Start: 8:00 am Sharp
💰 Registration Fee: $30, Day of Registration will be cash or Venmo. No refunds.
Registration through Eventbrite.
🔄 Race Format: Backyard Ultra - Fun 4.167 mile loop
Get ready for an unforgettable day of running, camaraderie, and challenge as you take on our exciting 4.167-mile loop in the unique Backyard format. The race will test your endurance and determination as you tackle loop after loop until only one runner remains standing!
We are encouraging all runners who have never done a Backyard Ultra to run 1 or 2 or even 3 loops just to dip your toe into this format. As they says...."Just Do it" !
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We encourage everyone to do bib pick up the night before. We have not nailed down a store yet, but once we do, we will update this site.
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Gather your friends, family, and fellow runners for a day of excitement, competition, and community. We can't wait to see you at the 4th Annual MetroWest Backyard Ultra on Saturday, September 27, 2025!
Let's make this race one to remember! 🏆🏁
#MetroWestBackyardUltra #RunTheLoop #EnduranceChallenge #RunningCommunity #NeedhamRunningClub
Race info:
Just like last year, we will be starting at 8:00 am and the format is the same.... every top of the hour we line up and run a 4.167-mile loop within the Needham town forest and part of the Needham Rail Trail. There will be one winner and everyone else wonderfully will receive a DNF. The winner - and only true finisher - is the last person running by themself.
We will NOT be crossing any roads and this is a self-sufficient race. The route and start location are a little different than last year. We will be starting from Claxton Field quarry location. The route map is further down this page and the start/finish location is the Claxton Field quarry area, located across the street from the Needham Recycling Center on Central Ave. The route is 50% fire roads, 30% rail trail, 15% grass, <5% single track and 165 feet of total ascent/descent.
Race route is shown below, keep scrolling down on this page. A new GXP file is here.
Parking: Please park at the Claxton Field or Horsford Pond or The Newman school parking lot. Look for the people with orange vests and flags.
This location will include the following items:
A canopy to fill out the day of registration and sign the waiver form. Everyone will need to sign both forms.
We will have course maps and a Venmo QR code for processing the race fee, if you are signing up on Saturday.
And where you can spread out and set up your gear, camp, chair, canopy, tent, yurt, cave, blanket, hammock, yoga mat, tarp, small towel, hovel or car headquarters.
There are 30 parking spots in this race area, so when they fill up, we will direct people to the Newman School to park there. You can drop off your gear at the race area and then head over to the Newman School. Then it is a short walk back.
Logistics: Bring whatever you need to run your loops. We will provide water, race logistics, music and a great cheering section.
Race fee: Only $30. Cash or Venmo. No refunds, no credit cards. Venmo account is William-Gallagher-40.
You can still sign up on race day but come early. Race day fee is $40.
Race Start: 8:00 am Sharp
We are expecting around 170 people to attend and try their hand at this incredible race format. All the runners had a great time last year and we would like to replicate it for Sept 27th. Veteran Ultra runners and newbies are all welcomed.
Please reach out to Bill Gallagher if you would like to be a title sponsor or even a regular sponsor for this amazing Ultra. Bill.Gall3@Gmail.com
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2024 Race Results and review.
Ultra Race Results can be found HERE
MassUltra article and pictures on Facebook found HERE
Other pictures of the Ultra can be found here (some of these pics are a little dark but we wanted to include all of them because you may be in one of them and some look pretty cool)
#MetroWestBackyardUltra #RunTheLoop #EnduranceChallenge #RunningCommunity #NeedhamRunningClub
The 3rd Metrowest Backyard Ultra is a wrap!
Thank you everyone who came and made the day both memorable and enjoyable.
On race day we welcomed 134 total starters – more than three times more runners than last year’s race thanks to a broader advertising campaign and the developing popularity of this race format. Our race this year was challenged by a mandatory course and home base change just a month before race day. The previous start around the soccer field and our home base quarry were behind a chain link fence due to a poorly timed waste remediation project by the Town, so we scrambled to accommodate. The new course was a bit rockier and narrower in some places, but maybe also a bit prettier. Although parking was a challenge due to the new location, everyone made it to the starting line on time to start when the hands of the official Hello Kitty clock hit 8:00:00am.
The weather turned out to be nearly perfect. It was never hot, and the sun mostly shined. When 3pm rolled around we felt the first cool breeze of the coming evening. The recent 6 weeks of drought though convinced many of the trees to give up for the fall, so we had more leaves covering the trail than was expected for this time of the year. A few surprise visitors were seen in the woods by some including BigFoot, a banana-man, and a sword carrying warrior. By 2pm ½ the original 134 runners had called it a day, and at 8pm only 10 runners remained. After 17 laps, three of the five remaining runners (Frank Gafford, Kit Pang, and Dan McCabe) decided that they had run far enough, leaving only last year’s winner – Jason Kaplan, and Cory Grant to hammer it out into the wee hours of Sunday morning. Jason would finish each lap like clockwork just as the call of ‘Three minute warning!’ rang out. By contrast, Cory had usually around 10 minutes to rest after each lap in the comfort of his supportive family in the back of the parking lot. At 4am, Jason and Cory both stepped to the line to start the 21st lap, but Jason remained standing and clapped for his challenger as Cory ran into the darkness alone to finish his final and winning lap – completing a total of 87.5 miles for the day. It was an amazing end to an amazing day. Congratulations to Cory, and thank you to Jason, and to all the runners who participated in the 3rd Metrowest Backyard Ultra.
When I broke down the course later on Sunday, I met several local walkers who were eager for updates of how the race had turned out. They were amazed by what had gone on the day before, with not a shred of trash left behind and only a path of flattened leaves and some footprints to show where our course had been.
Even though our race is only 2 days past as I write this, it is hard to not think about next year. If you have the time, please send us an email so we can learn from this years’ experience. We would love to hear 1) What you loved about the race, 2) What you hope will change in 2025, and 3) What was the most memorable moment for you. These 3 bits of feedback will help us to make a better race for you in coming years.
Thank you again to everyone who ran or volunteered to make this race a success. We also want to THANK all our great volunteers and our title sponsor Public Lands store in Framingham.
Take care,
Kiko and Bill
Some feedback from the 2024 Ultra:
Mike M. - What I loved - super friendly environment. This kind of race really lends itself to camaraderie. I think the size was just right, enough people that it felt like an EVENT, but not too many for logistical nightmares. Good local feel with obviously a lot of Boston area folks.
Most memorable part was having my wife, son and a friend show up after lap 6 and give me the motivation I needed to get to the Ultra distance. I have 1 marathon under my belt, but my long run this year has been 11 miles, so it really felt great to push for a few more miles.
Karla S. - I am still remembering bits from the race & excited about traveling farther on foot than I had previously in one day, which wouldn’t have happened without the support of this group effort. I loved the simplicity of completing the distance for the hour and getting checked off; it was easy to get into the routine. I loved that the terrain was relatively easy for trail running (nothing too steep & and the uphills weren’t too long). Everyone was nice!
2023 Mass Ultra article - great article
2022 Mass Ultra article - cool article
MetroWest Backyard Ultra 2025 Course
Here is the GPX file for the Ultra. Please download for your use.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1THeE0Vu4kHYJRu9KA7Sfx3iFZgFS_Q-9/view?usp=sharing
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