She’s taken the ultra running world by storm in 2025 with a succession of record-breaking performances. But who is Sarah Perry - the new Backyard Ultra women's world record holder?
About Sarah
Sarah Perry is a British ultra runner based in Cockermouth, Cumbria, on the northern tip of the Lake District fells. INOV8 have sponsored Sarah since March 2023. She holds multiple ultra running records and Fastest Known Times (FKTs).
Her quiet and unassuming nature belies a steely determination that has seen her take on unsupported solo efforts on Great Britain’s long-distance trails.
This resilience has served her well in Backyard Ultra races - most notably at the recent 2025 Big’s Backyard Ultra World Championships where she outlasted all female (and most male) competitors to set a new women's world record.
Sarah balances her training with a part-time job as a maths teacher in adult education. She can usually be found training on the fells and trails of the northern Lake District, alongside her partner Luke and their dog Murphy.
Specialising in Backyard Ultras
As her ultra running career has developed, there’s one format that Sarah has kept returning to - the Backyard Ultra.
Devised by the legendary Lazarus 'Laz' Lake (the same mind that brought us the iconic Barkley Marathons race), the format is fiendishly simple. Each athlete must complete a 4.167 mile lap (known as a 'yard') within an hour. They then repeat this every hour until failure. The race has no set end point - it only finishes when a single competitor remains, often days later.
Sarah’s love affair with Backyard Ultras began in 2021 at the 20-hour Backyard Ultra Cymru, Wales. She finished first, winning the race outright. From there she was hooked.
A race format that plays to Sarah’s strengths, it’s not about who’s fastest - it’s about who can survive the longest. In the 2024 World Team Championships (staged in Suffolk, England), Sarah booked her place to on the Great Britain team for the following year's Individual World Championships by winning the event outright and setting a new UK women’s record of 59 yards.
Roll on 2025 and we all excitedly watched as Sarah lined up on the start line of Big’s Backyard Ultra - the Individual World Championships. In the form of her life, Sarah surpassed her own UK women’s record, as she pushed on into the unknown.
Next she exceeded the overall UK record of 87 yards, held previously by Matt Blackburn. At that stage in the race just two women remained standing - Sarah and American Megan Eckert. Both surpassed the women's world record set by Megan in 2024 of 87 yards.
Sarah was not done there… On and on into the race, Sarah eventually outlasted Megan, who retired after 92 yards. That left Sarah as the last woman standing.
She pushed on for a further three yards to set a new women's world record of 95 yards - a total distance of 395.83 miles. Her average lap time for the whole event was 51:13, meaning she averaged around nine minutes of rest between each yard. During those nine minutes she ate, drank, sometimes changed kit, and occasionally slept (power-napped).
When Sarah eventually retired there were nine male runners remaining. Nursing a back injury that was increasingly taking its toll, she finished just five yards short of the magical 100 milestone. Australian Phil Gore kept going the furthest, taking the win with 114 yards.
True to character, Sarah’s first reaction was one of disappointment. But as the dust settled, she was able to reflect on a job well done - and her new world record of 95 yards.
Sarah Perry’s Running Feats
Backyard Ultras
October 2025 - Big’s Backyard Ultra Individual World Championship, Tennessee - 95 yards - 1st female (10th overall). Female world record, UK record. TRAILFLY™ MAX | ROADFLY™ MAX
October 2024 - Backyard Ultra World Team Championship - UK, Suffolk - 59 yards - 1st overall. British female record. TRAILFLY™ | TRAILTALON™
March 2024 - Rasselbock Backyard Ultra, Sherwood Forest - 41 yards - 1st female (2nd overall). British female record. TRAILFLY™
Fastest Known Times
April 2024 - South West Coast Path, self supported female record. TRAILFLY™
October 2021 - Wainwright’s Coast To Coast, supported female record.
Other Notable Results
January 2025 - Winter Spine Race - 268 miles- 4th female, (23rd overall). TRAILTALON™
September 2024 - 13 Valleys Ultra - 180K - 1st female, (5th overall). TRAILFLY™
What's Next?
With injury limiting her exceptional performance at Big’s Backyard Ultra, it’s hard not to see Sarah wanting to return to this format. With 100 yards dangling tantalisingly close, will we see her extend her record even further? Knowing Sarah though, there will be some more FKT attempts in the pipeline too.
More About Sarah
SARAH’S KIT PICKS
*All photos by Jacob Zocherman, taken at the 2025 Big's Backyard Ultra Individual World Championships
