The Backyard World Runs for Its Country: How the Team World Championship Works

On 17 October, 74 national teams and 1,110 runners will take the same start from different parts of the world. Spain will be among them.

Backyard Ultra does not only have an Individual World Championship. Every two years, the sport takes on a completely different dimension with the Backyard Ultra Team World Championship.

On Saturday, 17 October 2026, 74 countries will compete simultaneously from their respective national venues. Each team will consist of 15 runners, bringing together a total of 1,110 athletes in the same global competition.

ONE START. 74 COUNTRIES.

One of the most distinctive features of the Team World Championship is that it is not held in a single location.

Each national team competes in its own country, but all of them start at exactly the same moment.

In Spain, the competition will take place in Cartagena, starting at 14:00 mainland Spain time — 13:00 in the Canary Islands.

From that moment on, the Backyard format begins:

6.706 kilometres.
One hour.
A new start.
Then another.
And another…

Until each runner reaches their limit.

HERE, EVERY LAP COUNTS

In a traditional Backyard Ultra, the individual goal is to keep going until only one runner remains capable of completing another lap.

In the Team World Championship, there is an additional dimension:

every lap completed by any of the 15 team members contributes to the national total.

No result is discarded. From the first runner to the fifteenth, every athlete contributes.

The world team classification is determined by adding together all the laps completed by the members of each national team.

That is why, in this championship:

Every runner matters.
Every hour matters.
Every lap counts.

SPAIN AMONG THE 74 NATIONAL TEAMS

The Spanish national team will be made up of 15 runners who have earned their places through the international qualification system, including Silver Ticket winners and athletes with some of the strongest valid performances during the qualification period.

On 17 October, they will wear Spain’s colours in a competition where individual endurance becomes a collective effort.

Because when the bell rings, you are no longer running only for yourself.

You are running for your country. 🇪🇸

AND THE ROAD TO 2028 HAS ALREADY BEGUN

While the 2026 World Championship is just around the corner, the next international qualification cycle is already underway.

And this is where Gran Canaria becomes part of the journey.

The PROVITAL Backyard Ultra – Gran Canaria 2027, taking place on 15 May 2027, forms part of that international pathway as a Bronze Ticket race.

For anyone dreaming of one day representing their country, the journey may begin long before reaching a World Championship.

It can begin at a Backyard.

It can begin with a bell.

It can begin with 6.706 kilometres.

It can begin with a first lap.

🔔 PROVITAL BACKYARD ULTRA – GRAN CANARIA 2027

15 MAY 2027

Can you imagine representing Spain one day while doing what you love most? 🇪🇸

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