The Broken Anvil Backyard Ultra is dedicated to individual achievement through mind-numbing fun in the form of repetitive 4.167-mile loops that will take you through West Point, Iowa’s own Pollmiller Lake Park. September in Iowa can be a lot of things—and consistent isn’t one of them. Could be 60 degrees, …
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The Broken Anvil Backyard Ultra is dedicated to individual achievement through mind-numbing fun in the form of repetitive 4.167-mile loops that will take you through West Point, Iowa’s own Pollmiller Lake Park.
September in Iowa can be a lot of things—and consistent isn’t one of them. Could be 60 degrees, could be 100, could be raining, windy, muddy, sleeting, possibly apocalyptic—you name it. This race has been designed to test a person’s physical and mental capacity to its fullest. If you are looking to run your first Ultra distance or wanting to run a couple loops . . . and then sit back and enjoy the pain and suffering of the other BA competitors, this race is for you.
Participants will be surrounded by the love and support of other runners, volunteers, and the community helping you push your limits. This is a family-friendly environment, so bring a worthy crew and enjoy some tough people doing some tough things.
The Course
The 4.167-mile trail loop runs through a custom-created path through the South Park/Pollmiller Lake Campgrounds system.
The course consists of a paved bike path, paved road, crushed gravel, and some trail. The course is 80% paved path/road, 10% crushed gravel, and 10% trail/grass path.
With only 175 feet of elevation gain and loss per loop, this course will allow you to suffer a little more.
Backyard Ultra
Backyard ultra is a form of ultramarathon race where competitors must consecutively run the distance of 6706 meters (4.167 miles) in less than one hour. When each lap is completed, the remaining time within the hour is typically used to recover for the next hour’s race.
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Great first ultra, now I'm hooked!
As someone whose never done an ultra before, I was so happily surprised by how encouraging and helpful everyone from the organizer to the fellow runners were at Broken Anvil! … MORE
As someone whose never done an ultra before, I was so happily surprised by how encouraging and helpful everyone from the organizer to the fellow runners were at Broken Anvil! The format of 4.17 miles/hr was pretty easy to navigate by walking the uphills and last mile and allowed for enough time to hit the bathroom by the start line, grab a snack, etc for the last 10 min or so of the hour. The morning dew on the grass stayed for a few hours, though, so I would definitely recommend at least one change of shoes and socks for once the grass dries. Plenty of opportunities to use the bathroom, and pretty mild hills. Great course, great vibes, will definitely be returning.
Small Town Ultra felt World Class
Race Director Nic was super helpful before, during, after the race. Very low key but well organized vibe. Only 55 of us set out on the looped course which was … MORE
Race Director Nic was super helpful before, during, after the race. Very low key but well organized vibe. Only 55 of us set out on the looped course which was primarily cement. Some very mild hills yielded 151 feet of climb per lap on my Strava. It can be warm in Iowa in September, and it was 83 degrees for a bit, but wind and clouds saved us. The easy course enabled all of us to add an extra yard, and another, and another. Crazy great race!