NEEDHAM, Mass. – At its core, the format of the backyard ultra is rooted in simplicity: a set distance, a set time, repeated over and over again.

For runners at the second annual MetroWest Backyard Ultra, that simplicity may have been summed up best by the official race timepiece. There was no fancy digital clock next to a blow-up arch. Instead, there was a classic plastic circular clock with hands on it to track the hours, minutes and seconds.

he Needham Running Club played host to the second annual MetroWest Backyard Ultra on Sept. 16-17 at the Needham Town Forest in Needham, Mass. A full gallery by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen can be viewed here. An additional photo gallery by Adam Hoffman can be viewed here.

The Needham Running Club played host to the second annual MetroWest Backyard Ultra – known in 2022 as the Needham Backyard Ultra – on Sept. 16-17 at the Needham Town Forest in Needham, Mass. Despite weather warnings due to a hurricane, race conditions were mild and comfortable as 30 runners took on a 4.17-mile loop course with a new loop starting on the hour, every hour, until one runner remained.

The backyard ultra format has taken ultrarunning by storm in recent years, and in 2022 the unique approach to racing made its way to the greater Boston Metro area when the Needham Running Club played host to the inaugural Needham Backyard Ultra.

NEEDHAM, Mass. – The inaugural Needham Backyard Ultra wasted no time having its first down-to-the wire, cutoff-eluding experience.

The first edition of the Needham Backyard Ultra took place Saturday, May 7, at Needham Town Forest. Twenty-six runners started the day, and the last runner standing completed 12 hours on the course. The following are a handful of photos from the race. A full photo gallery can be viewed on the MassUltra Facebook page.

The inaugural running of the Needham Backyard Ultra took place at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 7, 2022, at Needham Town Forest. Twenty-six runners took part in the race, which used a 4.17-mile course that runners raced hourly until one runner remained.