Giddy Horse Backyard 24hr, 12hr, 8hr Races (Solo & Team)
Plus Canicross, Night Races, Obstacle Course Race & Trail Races
25th & 26th October 2025
Why run the Giddy Horse
The Giddy Horse is a weekend running extravaganza with running races for absolutely everyone around the beautiful Piercefield Park, based from Chepstow Racecourse with top notch facilities. The routes are based on a 4.167 mile loop with a mix of woodland, parkland and tarmac trails. The loop is largely flat with a little rise and fall in the middle of the circuit. Choose from solo and relay races, canicross and night races, trail and obstacles course races across the weekend.
The real magic at the Giddy Horse is that thanks to the race falling on the clock change weekend, it offer a unique opportunity to time travel and set records* with a 25 hour 24hr race, and the ability to run 25 yards in a the time capped 24hr backyard race! Head or chest torches are required (runners to supply) for the 12hr and 24hr races to illuminate the reflective signs along the route which is also marked with glowsticks to guide the way. *Records are delorian assisted and are therefore just for fun
We will be showing classic time travel films in our chill out zone throughout the event!
Backyard Races - 25th & 26th Oct
We have 24hr (104 mile!), 12hr (50 mile), 8hr (33 miles) Backyard Race for solo runners. There is also a team option for the 24hr race with team size of pairs (2), small team (3-5), medium team (6-8), large team (9-12). All races start on Saturday 25th October, with start times from noon. The 24hr, 12hr, 8hr start times will be confirmed based on final number of participants, they may be together or slightly off set by 10mins.
Canicross - 25th Oct
The canicross race has a 4 mile and 8 mile (2 lap) option. The canicross race is a time trail start with runners setting off individually to give runners maximum space out on the course. The races start from 15:30 on Saturday 25th October.
Night Race - 25th Oct
Runners can choose between a 4 mile and 8 mile (2 lap) race with the course marked with reflective signs and glow sticks. Runners need to provide their own headtorch or chest torch to take part.
Steeplechase Obstacle Course Race - 26th Oct
Take on climbs, crawls, mud and water in this super fun obstacle course race which is perfect for experienced OCR runners and for other runners who would like to dip their toe in the obstacle course racing world. There are 4 mile and 8 mile options. Races start from 10:00
Trail Races - 26th Oct
We have a 4 mile (1 lap), 8 miles (2 laps) and Half Marathon (3 slightly extended laps) around the beautiful park with views of the Severn Bridge and views of the cliffs along the Wye Valley.
What is a Backyard Race, what is the difference between the Solo and Relay Race options?
All Giddy Horse Backyard Solo Race (8hr, 12hr, 24hr) are held on a 4.167mile course and are fun and inclusive way to complete your first Ultra Marathon. If you run the 8hr Backyard then you will run a 33.3 mile Ultra. If you run the 12hr Backyard then you will run a 50 mile Ultra. If you run the 24hr Time Travel Backyard, you will run 104 miles!! Every hour, all runners start a new loop. Pacing is key as runners can not start the next loop early to bank time, runners can only start a loop every hour. If you don't complete your lap in an hour then you withdraw from the race.
The Giddy Horse 24hr Relay option is a great way to soak up the event atmosphere and enjoy longer rests between your laps. The event Relay event is held on the 4.167 mile loop, but runners are not held to the starting a new lap every hour rule. Relay runners can run continuously, or take longer breaks between laps, it is entirely at the discretion of the team. Relay runners can sync in with the hourly start times and act as pacers for the Solo runners, but you will not be out of the race should you not complete your lap in an hour. The final lap must be completed within the 12hour time limit for it to count to the team's total distance.
In summary, both races run on the same 4.167 mile loop. Solo Backyard runners must start on the hour and be completed in an hour in order to start the next lap. Relay runners have total discretion on the timing of their laps.
The original Backyard Ultra concept of this event was created by Lazarus Lake, the man behind the Barkley Marathons, and takes the form of an open ended Ultra - the race continues until only 1 person is left and completes 1 more loop than any other runner. The World Record currently stands at 108 laps with the race lasting 4.5 days!
Whilst the Giddy Horse Backyard events are faithful to the core features of the Ultra event in terms of distance, format and timing, only races that taken the open ended form may use the name 'Backyard Ultra' which is why our time limited events are named Giddy Horse Time Travel 24hr Backyard, Giddy Horse Time Travel 24hr Relay, Giddy Horse 12hr Backyard and Giddy Hose 8hr Backyard. You can find out more about Backyard Ultra events here, well worth a read!
Essentials
When: Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th October. Please see the Provisional Schedule for start times.
Location: Chepstow Racecourse, Chepstow, Monmouthshire, NP16 6BE. What3Words /// rail.canines.merely
Distances: We have the 8hr Backyard (33.3mile ultra) and the 12hr Backyard (50mile ultra) for solo runners. We have the 12hr continuous relay format for pairs, small teams (3-4 runner), medium teams (5-6 runners) and large teams (7-8 runners)
Backyard Solo and Teams Registration: Register here for the 8hr Backyard (£60), for the 12hr Backyard (£75) and for the 24hr Backyard (£125). Also for Relay Pairs (£100/person), for Small Teams (3-5 runners - £80/person) for Medium Teams (6 - 8 runners - £70/person) and for Large Teams (9 - 12 runners - £60/person). The minimum age for the Backyard races is 20. The minimum age for the Relay is determined by the number of laps; min age of 16 or 17 year olds can run a max of 4 laps. 18 year olds can run more than 4 laps.
Canciross and Night Registration: Register here for the 4 Mile races are £24 (min age 12) and the 8 mile races are £29 (min age 14)
Trail and Steeplechase Registration: Register here for the 4mile trail (£24 min age 12), 8mile trail (£29, min age 16) and half marathon trail races (£42, min age 17). The 4 mile steeplechase OCR is £35 (min age 12 or 10 & 11yr olds if accompanied by an adult). The 8 mile steeplechase OCR is £40 (min age 14)
Camping: Camping is included for all 24hr solo and team runners.
Drinks Stations: There is 1 drinks station at the lap point where you can grab some snacks and refreshments once you have concluded each lap. Snacks will include haribo, tribe bars (GF, vegan) and other tasty treats. Caterers will be available to keep you going with more substantial food across Saturday and Sunday.
Catering: There will be catering during the core event hours tbc, 16:00 - 21:00, 09:00 - 13:00. Fresh coffee, tea and hot chocolate will be available throughout the night for the 24hrs races
Backyard Medals: All solo Backyard finisher's medals are super size, 15cm x 15cm. Runners who achieve the 24hr (104 mile) Backyard will be awarded a supersize medal with a gold ribbon, 12hr (50 mile) Backyard will be awarded a supersize medal with a Silver ribbon, those who achieve the 8hr (33.3 mile) Backyard will be awarded a supersize medal with a Bronze ribbon. Those who fall short this year and do not achieve the distance of the event they registered for will be awarded a medal with an #UnfinishedBusiness ribbon
Relay Medals: All relay races will collect a medals take home a large 10cm x 10cm medal. Teams who achieve at 125 miles will take home a gold ribbon on their medal, 100 miles will take home a silver ribbon medal and 60 miles will take home a bronze ribbon medal.
Canicross, Night, Trail and Obstacles Medals: All runners of the stand alone events take home a large 10cm x 10cm medal with the Giddy Horse ribbon.
Terrain: The route is 20% tarmac, 7% on stone track and the rest is on open parkland and trail.
Transport & Parking: Parking is £2/car and it is on site at Chepstow Racecourse. The Chepstow Steeplechase is 25mins from Bristol, 40mins from Bath, 40mins from Cardiff, 2hrs 15mins from London. The nearest train station is Chepstow, which is 2 miles from the start line.
Why run with us
We take pride in providing very well marked routes complete with distance markers so you can relax and enjoy your run, we also publish route maps and make GPX files available so you know what to expect when you are out on the route. Our wonderful marshal team will be out on the course to cheer you on at regular intervals, provide a presence at key points and serve you drinks and food at our amazing feast stations. There is water on the course at all of our races, electrolyte at our warmer and longer races and coke in the later stages of our marathon and ultra events.
At our frequent 5km feed stations on our half marathon or longer events, and at all our finish lines you will find chocolate, sweets, fresh fruits, crisps, haribo, as well as GF and vegan snacks. Our medical team and supporting partners will look after you and bring you you home if you are injured. At the finish line you will be awarded one of our super colourful interlocking medals, along with a feast of treats including a can of energy drink from our official energy drink partner, Acti+, as well as tribe bars and an amazing buffet of other snacks. The race results are posted the evening of the event with race photos available to purchase on the same day as the race with Blowfish Photography.
Other Info
Facilities: There are on site toilets, coffee vans and caterers during the afternoon and evening on Saturday and during the morning on the Sunday. There is a bag drop and there is a changing tent.
Photos: Professional photos will be available to purchase within 48hrs of the event from our photographer's website here.
Buggy or Canicross runners: The routes are not suitable for buggy runners or canicross runners.
Spectators: Spectators, including dogs, are very welcome. The best place to spectate is near the finish area or you are welcome to be out on the course. If you are on the course please make sure you don't block the view of the lap split boards by Golden Gate Lodge.
FAQs: Please see our FAQ Page if you have any more questions and you can contact us from there is you would still like assistance.
Individual bookings are made as normal. When booking a pair or team, the first person to register follows the prompts to set up the team. Upon registering, a link is sent to this person to share with other group members, who then have 7 days to complete and pay for their own places in the team. Prices for on the day signs ups are £5 extra per person.
Solo Backyard Races
Team Races
Prizes
All our finishers receive a top of the range custom medal as well as a buffet of fresh fruit and other tasty treats.
Backyard Solo Awards
In keeping with the Backyard Ultra way of doing things, there are no overall winners for the Solo races - you either achieved the distance or.....you did not. All solo finisher's medals are super size, 15cm x 15cm. Runners who achieve the 24hr (104 mile) Backyard will be awarded a supersize medal with a gold ribbon, 12hr (50 mile) Backyard will be awarded a supersize medal with a Silver ribbon, those who achieve the 8hr (33.3 mile) Backyard will be awarded a supersize medal with a Bronze ribbon. Those who fall short this year and do not achieve the distance of the event they registered for will be awarded a medal with an #UnfinishedBusiness ribbon
Relay Race Awards
All relay races will collect a medals take home a large 10cm x 10cm medal. Teams who achieve at 125 miles will take home a gold ribbon on their medal, 100 miles will take home a silver ribbon medal and 60 miles will take home a bronze ribbon medal. Less than 60 miles will take home a medal with the Giddy Horse ribbon.
There will be a prize for the pair, small team, medium team and large team that achieve the furthest distance. Note only complete laps finished in the 24hrs count towards your total.