Coffs Backyard Ultra
Saturday 7 June 2025
Event Overview
Are you interested in an inclusive, social and community-centred running event where everyone is encouraging you to a new personal best?
Coffs Backyard Ultra welcomes all runners from those in their first event to seasoned ultrarunners.
The format is simple. Complete a 6.706km ‘lap’ every hour on the hour. The event ends when one person remains – the last left standing.
$1,000 cash prizes for both the last female and male left standing sponsored by The Battery Boys.
The Coffs Backyard Ultra ‘lap’ is held on the stunning Coffs Creek Walkway in the heart of Coffs Harbour.
Lap surface: Shaded flat gravel paths (~80%) and boardwalks (~20%). Total Ascent & Descent per lap: 20 metres.
Coffs Backyard Ultra is a donation-based event. You can donate when registering or at the event.
Event Location: Exhibition Pavilion at Coffs Harbour Showground, NSW (Google Maps).
For the 2025 event, Coffs Backyard Ultra is an ‘official’ backyard ultra and will follow the backyard ultra rules strictly as it is a Bronze Ticket Event. This means you can’t skip a lap or start after 8:00am.
Event Schedule
Friday 6th June 2025 – optional
4:00pm onwards – optional free camping/caravanning (power available), bib collection and gear/marquee set up at Coffs Harbour Showground
Saturday 7th June 2025
6:30am to 7:50am – bib collection and gear/marquee set up
8:00am – first lap starts
4:00pm – course changes from modified to standard course
Between 5:00pm-6:00am – mandatory that participants carry a torch and a phone during night laps
Event Finish – ???
In the corral
You must be in the corral at the start of the each 6.706km ‘lap’.
The beginning of each lap is proceeded by a 3, 2 and 1 minute whistle.
A 10 second countdown in the corral occurs before the start of each lap.
At the end of each lap, volunteer/s will tick off your lap on a tally boards.
The corral is half in a large undercover awning of the Exhibition Pavilion and half on the bitumen driveway.
The corral will have a large LED race clock and finish arch.
At the event
The 2025 Coffs Backyard Ultra Event Guide will be emailed out to registered runners and put on our website at least 2 weeks prior to the event.
2024 Coffs Backyard Ultra Event Guide (for reference purposes only)
Each lap starts outside the Exhibition Pavilion at Coffs Harbour Showground.
The Exhibition Pavilion includes a very large undercover space, many toilets, hot showers, kitchen with microwave and hot water urn, charging stations, phone reception throughout the course, and a ‘sleeping only’ room.
Tents, caravans, camper trailers and campervans (power available) are allowed for free on Friday night and during the event.
Marquees are allowed outside or there is undercover space in the Exhibition Pavilion, both next to the corral.
Reflections Holiday Park directly adjoins Coffs Harbour Showground and has cabins, camping and powered sites.
The Bailey Centre is opposite Coffs Harbour Showground with 24/7 fuel, general store supplies, a pharmacy and many food options. Larger shopping centres are located 1km away.
An aid station will be located next to the corral with water, chips, coca-cola, ginger beer (non-alcoholic), lollies, fruit, noodles and soup (at night).
There will also be a cupless, unmanned water point located under Hogbin Drive bridge for runners to use during the lap.
Coffee will be there Saturday morning with food trucks for Saturday lunch.
Prizes
$1,000 cash prize and perpetual trophy to both the last male and the last female left standing sponsored by The Battery Boys.
As the event is a Bronze Ticket Event, the last one standing overall will receive an automatic entry into a Silver Ticket Event.
A ‘Did Not Finish’ (DNF) engraved wooden spoon event prize to all runners (optional).
Special prize for 15 laps (100.5km) or 24 laps (100 miles) milestones.
The website Honour Roll will list runners who complete 4 laps (26.8km), 8 laps (53.6km), 15 laps (100.5km) or 24 laps (100 miles).
Our Green Commitment
The International Trail Running Association (ITRA) Green Charter seeks to encourage the trail running community to join forces, working together to reduce the environmental impact of our sport. It lists practical steps event organisers can take to be more eco-responsible.
We are proud to support and align to the ITRA Green Charter. Steps we are taking to reduce our environmental footprint are found here: Coffs Trail Runners x ITRA Green Charter
Coffs Backyard Ultra takes place on the Coffs Creek Track adjacent to the Coffs Creek within the Solitary Islands Marine Park.
Coffs Creek is a diverse and beautiful estuarine system of coastal swamp forests, rocky shores, mangroves, mudflats and salt marshes leading to incredible beaches and island vistas.
It is a dynamic brackish environment inhabited by a variety of fauna including fish, crustaceans, shorebirds and waders.
The Buluunggal walk section of Coffs Creek walk has a number of colourful interpretive signs describing how the Gumbaynggir people use the creek. Buluunggal is the Gumbaynggirr name for the creek, meaning mullet.
We ask that runners during the event or training:
- Do not disturb wildlife
- Stay on existing tracks to avoid soil erosion
- Do not litter or an automatic disqualification will occur
- Be eco-responsible where possible
'Trail Sisters' Approved
Trail Sisters support, enhance, and equalize women’s experience in trail racing. By implementing these standards race events commit to a welcoming experience for women participants. This will help to increase women’s participation in trail (and ultra) events as well as provide awareness of the needs, expectations, and support, female runners’ desire.
Coffs Trail Runners is proud to align to the Trail Sisters Approved Standards in all our races in the following ways:
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the rules?
All traditional backyard ultra rules apply. For 2025, you cannot skip a lap or start after 8:00am.
With 500 runners, how are you going to reduce congestion on the course?
In 2024, ~60% of runners DNF’d after 8 laps. For 2025, we will have a modified course for the first 8 laps so it is a wide path for 1.4km until the Coffs Creek Walkway. For lap 9 and onwards, we will use the standard course.
Can i camp or set up a caravan, camper trailer or campervan? Can i set up a 3m x 3m marquee or similar to use?
Yes. All are allowed for free next to the starting corral to be used Friday night and during the event. You don’t need to register.
Other
- Headphones are allowed but it is preferred they also allow you to hear your surroundings. No speaker systems that play music out loud during laps.
- Race bibs must be displayed on your front for when you finish each lap.
- Children <10yrs must run with an adult.
- No prams allowed due to volume of runners and narrowness of Coffs Creek Walkway.
- No previous event qualification requirements.
- This is donation-based event to be inclusive to runners who doing a small number of laps. We do not provide refunds.
Honour Roll (2025)
The Honour Roll lists those runners who have completed 4 laps, 8 laps, 15 laps or 24 laps at the Coffs Backyard Ultra.
4 laps (26.8km)
To be determined in 2025
8 laps (53.6km)
To be determined in 2025
15 laps (100.5km)
To be determined in 2025
24 laps (160km)
To be determined in 2025
Honour Roll (2024)
4 laps (26.8km)
Non-continuous laps: Briana Rooney (4 laps), Chi Crowe (4 laps) Cheryl Lane (4 laps), Jennifer Williams (4 laps), Elizabeth Lynch (4 laps), Russell Crane (5 laps), Conrad Martin (5 laps), Dean Caton (6 laps), Harry Musgrave (6 laps), Lilli Smyth (7 laps), Fiona Kealy (7 laps)
4 laps: John Mawhinney, Stacy Wong, Ed Brazier, Deborah Ellison, Simon Price, Jennifer Porra, Jan Rooney, Nick Barton, Scott Cawley, Julie Knight, Danielle McMahon, David Finch, Greg Davis, Erin Bennett, Chris Barnes, Matthew Evans Jason Cottell, David Gill, Josie Prime, Tara Barchalk, Ryan Knott, Melanie Silvester, Erin Potter, Josh Carroll, Brendan Ratcliffe, Sarah-Jane Williscroft, David Black, Damien Wood, Kate Bevitt, Monique Kusse, Joel Digney, Helen Nevell
5 laps: Annabelle Swainston, Alex Paton, Ava Pearl, Tamara McSkimming, Glenn Knightly Chloe Geyer, Matt Ogilvie, Janelle Giffin, Maria Rosewood, Martin Seymour, Andrew Wong, Shane Flannery, Julie Catalano, Kathryn Gibney, David Hughes
6 laps: Kerry Westwood, Janie Mahoney, Rob Gale, Corinne Stevenson, Clarissa Hull, Alex Le Mesurier, Hayden Ward, Rebekah Atkinson, Peter Feain, Lauren Hodge, Angela Paton, Trish Dawson, Angela Luxford, Nathan Green, Jake Sykes, Susan Kirk
7 laps: Maurice Gregory, Sonia Weiss, Nathan Howe, Malcolm Conway, Matt Newhouse, Sarah Morgan
8 laps (53.6km)
Non-continuous laps: Matt Bell (10 laps)
8 laps: Jessica Loader, Tara Tooth, Jenny Austin, Mardi Sumner, Katrina Hayes, Shahrynn Edmunds, Simonne Clark, Holly Vanderveer, Keelan Birch, Chris Hamilton, Karl Phillips, Matt Doyle, Matthew Dobbs, Samuel Schmarr, Jim Sanderon, Chris Giffin, Christopher Burns, Steve Thompson, James Forrester, David O’Sullivan, Nathan Roper, Jeremiah Rowlands, Anthony Donohoe, Louis Birks, Kurt Bienefelt, James Marshall, Jessica Loader
9 laps: Elize Strydom, Kate Alliston, Zoe de Roza, David Hessey, Clancy Skinner, Matthew McAleer, Rhys Clarke, Ben Appleby, Seth Diffey, Paul Woodhouse
10 laps: Karla Barlow, Sheree Cottell, Kate Thornton, Chris George, Nicholas Russ, Stuart Hucker, Christopher Berry, James Alexander, Brett Crowe, Warren Ansell, Harry McAllister, Dylan Wilkins, Brendon Dean
11 laps: Ash Mondolo, Melissa Rowe, Jonathan Jones, Bryson Azzopardi, Colin MacLaurin, Henry Sheehan
12 laps: Kylie McGrath, Rachel Cleary, Nicholas Taylor, Dean Irving, Victor Lunt, Mike O’Connell, Ash Goulding, Sam McAllister, Mark Garner, Jack Ryan
13 laps: Vice Hazdovac, Sinclair Park, Steve Chilcott, Christopher Binks, Pim Bergers, Graham Glover
15 laps (100.5km)
15 laps: Andrew Ferguson, Andrew McDonald, James Davis, Aaron Cassar, Dylan Di Sciascio, Gerald Taylor, Jack Baird
16 laps: Thomas Doyle, Luke Rombi
17 laps: James Dowzard
18 laps: Jenny Friend (Female Assist), Brian Knowles
19 laps: Clare Palmer (Last Female Standing), Christopher Hageman
24 laps (160km)
25 laps: Jason Gorham (Male Assist)
26 laps: Jonathan Ash (Last Male Standing)
Supporters
The Battery Boys Coffs Harbour are a major sponsor of the Coffs Backyard Ultra providing $1,000 cash for both the last male and female left standing.
The Battery Boys Coffs Harbour boasts one of the largest ranges of stocked batteries with a nationwide supply network for special battery requests.
X-press Print & Signs Coffs Harbour are a locally based business for over 25 years and provide the DNF prize engraving, signage and the tally boards.
X-press Print & Signs Coffs Harbour provide quality products and supreme customer service, with a range of branding graphic services to suit all needs.
Volunteer
Coffs Backyard Ultra is organised entirely by volunteers! The event does not occur without help from Coffs Trail Runners Committee or on the day volunteers.
Volunteering is a fun and rewarding way to be part of the event.
All the roles are simple and some can be done before or even after your run.