WHY THIS CHORE
SHOW UP READY.
The backyard ultra format at its most accessible — open entry via standard registration, a real 100-mile buckle within reach for anyone who lasts the first day, and genuine camaraderie around a shared dining-hall crew area.
WHAT TO EXPECT
VERIFIED EVENT DETAILS · DAILY CHORE EDITORIAL COMMENTARY
A Genuinely Open Backyard Ultra
Backyard ultras — the "last person standing" format invented by Gary Cantrell — usually require winning a qualifying race or securing an invitation to reach the sport''s biggest stages. Big Tex Backyard Ultra is refreshingly different: real open registration via standard entry, no application or invitation required.
The Format
Every runner starts a 4.17-mile (6.7km) loop at the top of each hour and must return to the corral before the next one begins. Fall short, even by a second, and you''re out — the race only ends when exactly one runner remains, and that runner must then complete one more solo loop alone to be declared the winner.
A Real Goal Short of Winning
Complete 24 loops — exactly 100 miles — and you earn a genuine finisher buckle, regardless of whether you''re still in the race at that point. It''s a rare backyard ultra structure that gives everyone a meaningful target, not just the eventual winner.
Daily Chore Take
Now in its fourth year, Big Tex counts as a Bronze Ticket race on the official "Road to Big's" qualifying pathway — meaning a strong result here can open doors toward the sport''s biggest stages, while the event itself remains genuinely enterable by anyone ready for the format.
WHO IT'S FOR
KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SIGNING UP FOR.
- DIFFICULTY
- Advanced
DAILY CHORE TAKE
OUR TAKE, OUT OF 10.
THESE ARE OUR OWN EDITORIAL ASSESSMENTS, NOT OFFICIAL RATINGS.
