Organized by KOTM – Intrepid Spirit
The Philippines’ Jingle Balls Backyard Ultra (JBBU) was the first backyard ultra to be held in the Philippines. The first edition was held in December 2019 with the second and third editions being held in December 2023 and December 2024 respectively.
JBBU is run in the mountain town of Baguio (or the “City of Pines” as it’s commonly known), on the Philippines’ Luzon island. The former US military camp of Camp John Hay (CJH) is the venue. Baguio is particularly popular with local and international tourists due to the cooler weather conditions year round.
Our goal at Intrepid Spirit is to provide a safe, friendly encouraging opportunity for people to connect with trail running and enjoy the outdoors and our trails and mountains and take on a challenge that otherwise might have seemed unreachable. The Backyard Ultra sole survivor format is certainly different to many types of running events. Not only will you have to manage your loop/lap times but you will need to fight the desire to want to stop and eventually, also the sleep demons.
Stay informed with the latest updates and announcements to ensure you never miss a moment of the event!
The race format of a Backyard Ultra is quite simple. You run a 6.7 km loop/lap within the hour, every hour, until there is only one race competitor left. Competitor’s drop out of the race for three main reasons:
So, for example, if you complete a loop/lap in 45 minutes, you have 15 minutes before the next loop/lap starts. What you do with your time is completely up to you, but you MUST be in the Starting Corral before the next loop/lap starts. There are three, two and one minute warning bells so all participants are aware of the impending start time. In essence, there is a new race every hour. It doesn’t matter how fast or slow you run the loop/lap, as long as you make it back to the finish line before the 1 hour cut off. In a traditional Ultra Marathon, you can hit a low point in the race, but regather yourself for 30 minutes at the nearest aid station. Unfortunately you don’t have that same luxury in a Backyard Ultra. You can’t afford to have a ‘bad’ loop/lap.
Backyard Ultra is not a race against others – there is no person “in the lead” at any time. But rather, you are competing against yourself – to see how far you can go, one ‘yard’ (4.16667 miles (6.7 km) per loop/lap) an hour. It is a simple concept that requires endurance, mental fortitude, planning, the ability to adapt when plans don’t work, and the ability to enjoy your run ‘in the moment’.
Thank you for being a part of the Intrepid Spirit family with this event.
Jingle Balls Backyard Ultra is affiliated with the Backyard Ultra organization.
For the new comers let us offer a couple of bits of advice on how to get the most from yourself in this format:
But most of all, we wish you a safe and amazing experience at Jingle Balls Backyard Ultra.
If you finish earlier than planned, please do hang around and encourage other competitors. Perhaps you’ll learn a thing or two from those still going. It’s a great place to chill out after your run so enjoy the atmosphere.
Our event insurance policy does not extend to personal injury. It is mandatory that each competitor have at least personal accident insurance cover in time for the event.
We have a shared sheltered tent area. But you also can bring your own tent if you prefer. Tents can be set up in the field adjacent to the shared shelter. Our crew will guide you exactly where. Be prepared for rain or sun.
We have a shared, sheltered area next to the start line for competitor’s. You cannot “spread out” in this space due to the limits on size, but as other competitor’s stop, you can add more space to your area here. Support crew are able to help competitors out, but please be mindful of space and try to limit crew to just one per competitor early on in the event. As competitors stop more crew can assist. Competitors are always welcome to go to their tents in between loops/laps.
Portable comfort rooms will be lined up to be accessed during the transition period before or after each loop/lap. Competitors may only leave the course directly to use the comfort room – as the comfort rooms are directly adjacent to the course, competitors will not technically be off the course. However do not get stuck in a toilet as you must be in the Starting Corral and begin your loop/lap with the ringing of the bell. Support crew and volunteers are asked to not use the portable comfort rooms between fifteen minutes to the hour and directly after the start of a loop/lap in order to allow competitors to have access.
The race will provide quality aid station nutrition, but it’s always a good idea to bring your own to supplement what is available. We will have hot brewed coffee going 24 x 7. Hot cup noodles will be available for the evening and night. Pizza will be provided for the evening – starting around 6 pm. Typical aid station items will be provided also – fresh fruit, chips, pan de sal, boiled egg, sticky rice, soda, buko, etc. A list will be sent out to competitors a week or two prior to the race with specific items.
Competitors will be electronically timed. We will do our best to update social media, pending a good internet connection, so friends and family can follow along. We will log everyone’s distance, although only the sole survivor will be considered a finisher as everyone else will be technically ranked as Did Not Finish (DNF).
Competitors may only have one crew member in the shared shelter while more than half of the runners are in the event. This is due to space considerations in the competitor’s area. As space increases between competitors and opens up, competitors may have more crew members assisting in the shelter. Competitors and their crew are asked to try to have no more than two cars per competitor. Crew may not assist their competitors while on their loop/lap.
Baguio Ayala Land Technohub (Beside Hill Station Bistro)
Scout Hill (Picnic Area)
Scout Hill (Biking Area)
We welcome any participant that would like to try the event and we encourage serious competition to go as far as you can.
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Sports Event Organization & Management with Timing Solution and Registration Services