Sarah Perry has set an incredible new Backyard Ultra Women’s World Record of 95 laps.
Competing at the 2025 Big's Backyard Ultra Individual World Championships in Tennessee, US, she exceeded the previous world record of 87 laps, set by American Megan Eckert last year.
In the process, Sarah also set a new UK national record, bettering Matt Blackburn’s previous record which also stood at 87 laps.
The INOV8 athlete was the last woman standing in the race, with Eckert racking up 92 laps as her nearest challenger.
Sarah eventually dropped from the race with an increasingly sore back injury shortly after completing lap number 95. She said afterwards that she’d been targeting 100 laps.
95 laps equate to 395 miles – almost the same as the distance between London and Edinburgh.
In total, Sarah was racing for 95 hours (almost four full days). During that period, she slept for very little time, grabbing only naps in a tent in between some of the laps.
Prior to the race the 34-year-old’s best Backyard Ultra result was 59 laps, achieved in 2024. At the time that was a new UK women’s record.
A total of 72 runners – each representing their country – started the race on Saturday. They then began completing a lap of 4.167 miles on the hour, every hour. Some laps were on trails; some were on roads.
As the days and hours passed, runners dropped out either through exhaustion, injury or being unable to make the start line on the strike of each hour.
When Sarah dropped there were a further 9 runners remaining. Eventually just one – the winner – will be left standing.
The men’s world record is currently 119 laps.
Sarah’s final stats make for eye-watering reading:
⚫ 95 laps (Women’s World Record)
⚫ 395.83 miles (637.032 km)
⚫ Average lap time: 51:13
⚫ Last lap time: 57:38
Sarah was crewed throughout by her partner Luke, whom she lives with in Cumbria, close to the Lake District fells were Sarah does much of her training. She works in adult education.
Speaking shortly after the race Sarah spoke on the race’s live YouTube feed, saying: “I've got mixed emotions. I'm quite disappointed that my back went when everything else was working so well. I had it in my legs and my head on reaching 100 laps, something I was really fixed on, but that's ultra running.
“It's going to take a while to process it all. I just need to catch up on sleep and then process what I've achieved.”
Race founder Lazarus Lake, who also created the infamous Barkley Marathons ultramarathon, was heard to say to Sarah: “95 is mind-boggling, a tremendous achievement.”
INOV8 founder Wayne Edy added: “We are incredibly proud of Sarah and her world record-breaking achievement.
“This is just reward for the many, many hours of commitment she has put into her training and the sport. Sarah is small in stature but big in grit and determination. She thoroughly deserves this success and all the acclaim.”
*Sarah used TRAILFLY MAX shoes for laps on the trail and ROADFLY MAX shoes for laps on the road. Both deliver extra cushioning for longer distances while retaining a natural feel with enhanced ground connection.
READ MORE
SARAH’S BACKYARD ULTRA KIT LIST
*All photos by Jacob Zocherman, taken at the 2025 Big's Backyard Ultra Individual World Championships
