Iceland Backyard Ultra

Published by Elisabet Margeirsdottir

Enjoy our great Backyard in Iceland!

The Iceland Backyard UItra is held on a beautiful trail course located in the Heidmork nature reserve. You will run on a smooth undulating trail with amazing sceneries along the way.

Registration will open in May 2025.

An aid station and inside facilities for runners will be at the starting line by Elliðavatnsbaer. There will be a fun atmosphere throughout the whole race.

Employees and volunteers from Arctic Running/Náttúruhlaup will be at the location, assisting runners and keeping the party going! We will serve participants delicious food and refreshments every couple of hours.

  • Location:  Ellidavatnsbaer, Heidmork (close to Reykjavik)
  • Time:       Starts at 9:00 AM, Saturday 20th of September 2025
  • The trail:   6,706 km loop in Heiðmörk, starts and ends at Ellidavatnsbaer
  • Distance:   As many loops as you can handle! Or until you are the last person left. The winner of 2023 edition finished 38 loops!
  • Time limit:  Participants have to finish each 6,706 km loop within an hour.
  • Final Results: All participants in the Iceland Backyard Ultra will receive a certificate with their number of loops.

Organizers: Náttúruhlaup and Arctic Running
Náttúruhlaup (Nature Running) is the local branch of Arctic Running. While Arctic Running offers Running Tours in Iceland for visitors, Náttúruhlaup is a running community for local runners. Arctic Running/Náttúruhlaup held the Iceland Backyard Ultra for the first time in September 2020. It sold out quickly and was a huge success. We look forward to see you in 2025!