NEEDHAM, Mass. – The buzz around the Claxton Field Quarry was intense. Would this be the year someone – or even multiple people – achieved or surpassed the 100-mile mark at the MetroWest Backyard Ultra?

The Needham Running Club played host to the fourth annual MetroWest Backyard Ultra on Sept. 27-28 at the Needham Town Forest in Needham, Mass. Runners took on a 4.17-mile loop course that they had to complete within the hour or face elimination. A new lap began on the hour, every hour, until just one runner remained. For the first time in event history, runners reached and surpassed the 100-mile mark.

The Needham Running Club played host to the fourth annual MetroWest Backyard Ultra on Sept. 27-28 at the Needham Town Forest in Needham, Mass. Runners took on a 4.17-mile loop course on the trails of the Town Forest and the Bay Colony Rail Trail until only one runner remained. The following are a small sample of photos taken by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen. A full gallery can be viewed on the MassUltra Flickr page.

NEEDHAM, Mass. – When Kiko Bracker and Bill Gallagher first organized the MetroWest Backyard Ultra in 2022, they hoped to create an opportunity for runners in the greater Boston area to try out a unique format of racing that was growing in popularity.

In just three short years, they’ve built something special.

The third annual MetroWest Backyard Ultra, organized by members of the Needham Running Club, took place Sept. 28-29 at the Needham Town Forest in Needham, Mass. The event began with 164 runners entered and 134 toeing the starting line, and it ended after 21 hours with just one runner remaining.

The third annual MetroWest Backyard Ultra took place Sept. 28-29 at the Needham Town Forest in Needham, Mass. A crowd of 164 runners entered this year’s event on a 4.17-mile trail course through the forest, and runners had one hour to complete the loop and return to the starting line before the next loop began. They repeated the process over and over, hour after hour, until only one runner remained. The following are a small sample of photos from the event taken by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen. A full gallery can be viewed on the MassUltra Facebook page.

When the Backyard Ultra craze began sweeping the country and the Boston metro area was left without its own event, the Needham Running Club stepped in to fill the void and launched the Needham Backyard Ultra in 2022. Twenty-six runners took part in that inaugural race that May with Daniel Leonard earning the victory after 12 hours and 50.04 miles of running. A year later, the event rebranded itself as the MetroWest Backyard Ultra, and moved to the fall. This time, Jason Kaplan was the victor after 17 hours and 70.89 miles.