Biggest Little Ultra

04/03/2026

Biggest Little Ultra and Backyard Ultra's Mount to Coast Shoe Giveaway March Winners! 👟🎉 (p.s. We're doing this giveaway again in April!)

Congrats to:
Jenny Weaver (Backyard Ultra)
Robert Padan (Backyard Ultra)
Terri Gray (Biggest Little Ultra)
Steve Kissell (Biggest Little Ultra)

Todd will contact you directly to arrange shoe shipment!

🔥 BONUS ANNOUNCEMENT 🔥 Mount to Coast is giving away FOUR MORE pairs of shoes!

NEW DEADLINE: April 30, 2026
Register for either race by April 30 = automatic entry!
Already registered? You're in!
Haven't registered? Sign up now for your chance!

Winners announced: Early May

Register: BiggestLittleUltra.com

04/02/2026

Meet Raquel, Special Event Supervisor for the City of Sparks! She shares the city's enthusiasm for hosting the Sparks Backyard Ultra and Biggest Little Ultra at the beautiful Sparks Marina.

From the history of this manmade lake to why it's the perfect ultramarathon venue, Raquel gives us the full story.

When the city hosting your race is THIS excited about welcoming runners and walkers, you know you've found something special.

Watch the full video ⬆️ then come see it for yourself in 2026!

📍 Sparks Marina, Sparks, Nevada
🏃 June 2026 & October 2026

Register: BiggestLittleUltra.com

03/23/2026

"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great."

Mile 70 of a hundred-miler. Hour 18 of a Backyard Ultra. Your legs are screaming. Your mind is bargaining. Everything hurts. And then you remember: this is exactly what you signed up for. Not the easy parts. Not the miles when you feel strong. The HARD parts. The moments when you want to quit. The hours when continuing feels impossible. That's where the growth happens. That's where you discover who you really are. That's what makes crossing the finish line, or completing one more loop, actually MEAN something.

The Sparks Marina course is flat, well-lit, and supported. We've removed every unnecessary obstacle. But the distance? The mental challenge? The test of will?
That's still hard. That's still yours to overcome.

And that's what makes it great.

Sparks Backyard Ultra, June 2026
Biggest Little Ultra, October 2026
BiggestLittleUltra.com

Welcome to the Newest Ultra Marathon Event in the Biggest Little City of Reno. This is a fixed time/fixed distance race held over two days for runners and walkers. We offer fixed time options of a 6-hour, 12-hour, 24-hour, and 48-hour race, as well as fixed distance options of a 100 mile and 50 mile...

03/19/2026

Elite Sports just joined the Sparks Backyard Ultra as a sponsor! 🙌

They're donating premium Duffel Bags as race prizes. Heavy-duty. Multi-compartment. Built to last. Perfect for race gear, crew supplies, travel, and more.

Why Elite Sports + Ultrarunning?
The connection is simple: toughness. Just like fighters who train for hours and demand gear that won't fail, ultrarunners need equipment built to last. Elite Sports creates products for athletes who refuse to compromise on quality.

Limited bags available. Winners announced race day.

Think you can outlast everyone else? Register now.

📍 June 20, 2026 | Sparks Marina, NV

🔗 BiggestLittleUltra.com/backyardultra
🔗 elitesports.com

03/12/2026

Congrats to Ken Kania who set a PR in the 50 mile race at the 2025 Biggest Little Ultra. His advice for 2026 runners? "This course is perfect for setting a PR."

Thank you Ken for sharing a video about your experience! ⬆️

THE SPARKS MARINA ADVANTAGE:
🏃 Flat course = consistent pacing
💡 Well-lit = no slowdown at night
🚻 Real bathrooms on course
🍽️ Comprehensive aid station
🏨 Hotel steps away
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Crew-friendly loop format

The 2025 Biggest Little Ultra established course records across every distance:
100 miles | 50 miles | 48 hours | 24 hours | 12 hours | 6 hours
All waiting to be broken in 2026.

What's your time goal? The course is built for speed. The only question is: how fast can YOU go?

📍 Sparks Backyard Ultra - June 2026
📍 Biggest Little Ultra - October 2026
Register: BiggestLittleUltra.com

Read the full article on why the Sparks Marina provides ideal conditions for a PR: biggestlittleultra.com/blog

03/07/2026

Swipe through these photos from our last race and tell us you don't believe in the power of family support. 💙📸 Tag yourself and loved ones below 👇

The 2025 Biggest Little Ultra was FILLED with moments like these:
✔ Families camping out or stopping by over the weekend to cheer you on.
✔ Pets waiting loyally for their favorite person.
✔ Kids running alongside Mom or Dad, even if just for one loop.
✔ Spouses tracking splits, managing nutrition, and encouraging when their athlete wanted to quit.
✔ Friends forming impromptu cheering sections at odd hours.

This is what makes the Sparks Marina loop special. Your people can actually be there. Not watching from a distance or catching you for 10 seconds at mile 25. But present for the entire journey.

Todd built these races around fitness and family. The 2025 participants showed us exactly what that looks like in action.

To every support crew member in these photos (and the hundreds we didn't capture), you're the unsung heroes. You're why people finish. You're why impossible becomes possible!

Thank you for being the heartbeat of our race. 🙏💙

Registration is now open for 2026. Ready to bring YOUR crew in 2026?
Sparks Backyard Ultra - June 2026
Biggest Little Ultra - October 2026
Register: BiggestLittleUltra.com

03/03/2026

BIG NEWS: Mount to Coast is now an official sponsor! And they're celebrating with a GIVEAWAY of four pairs of shoes to Biggest Little Ultra & Sparks Backyard Ultra participants! Mount to Coast

MEET OUR NEW SPONSOR:
Mount to Coast isn't just any shoe brand. They're THE ultrarunning footwear company trusted by world record holders and Badwater® 135 competitors. Their shoes are engineered specifically for long-distance running, from prototype to podium.

THE GIVEAWAY:
To celebrate this partnership, Mount to Coast is giving away to registrants at EACH of our races:
1 pair of men's ultrarunning shoes
1 pair of women's ultrarunning shoes
(a total of four pairs of Mount to Coast shoes!)

WHO'S ELIGIBLE:
ANY paid, registered participant in the Sparks Backyard Ultra (June 2026) OR Biggest Little Ultra (October 2026) who registers by March 31, 2026. (Already signed up? Don't worry, you will be included!)

HOW TO ENTER:
Register by March 31, 2026 for either 2026 race at BiggestLittleUltra.com/registration
You're automatically entered!
(Paid registrants only)

WHY MOUNT TO COAST:
✓ Meg Eckert shattered the women's 6-day world record wearing R1s
✓ Matthieu Bonne broke the 48-hour world record in R1s
✓ 23% of 2025's Badwater® 135 competitors chose Mount to Coast!
✓ Named "Best New Brand 2024" and won ISPO Award 2023
This is performance footwear built for ultrarunners who refuse to settle.

DEADLINE: March 31, 2026
Winners announced: April 2026

Don't wait—register now and get entered to win!

BiggestLittleUltra.com | MountToCoast.com

03/01/2026

The first time Linda met her future father-in-law Todd? He was getting an IV in a first aid tent after a triathlon. 😅💙 Daughter-in-law Linda (married to Todd's youngest son Zach) just shared her 84th birthday message, and it captures her impression of why these races are "so Todd."

THE FIRST MEETING: Todd had just finished a triathlon and needed medical assistance. The family wasn't fazed—they'd seen this before. But Linda, the new girlfriend, was a little worried. Todd's response? Immediately asking Linda all about her interests, her life. Making her feel welcome even while getting an IV. "He was so kind and thoughtful, and he's always been like that."

THE LEGACY CONTINUES: Now, decades later, Linda sees Todd creating the Biggest Little Ultra and Sparks Backyard Ultra with that same spirit - races with options for all levels to welcome people to the sport he loves so much. "No matter how fast or how far you are going." Inclusive. Welcoming. Thoughtful. Whether you're a nervous new girlfriend or a first-time ultra runner, Todd makes you feel like you belong.

Linda has run marathons and logged countless training miles and race pacing stretches with Todd over the years. And she's proud that he's spending retirement putting on professional ultradistance races as a healthy hobby.

From IV tents to race directing, Todd's still showing up, still welcoming people, still being classic Todd.
Happy 84th Birthday! 🎂

02/28/2026

When you're trying to give Grandpa a heartfelt birthday message but your baby keeps stealing the show. 👶😂 Granddaughter Jessica's 84th birthday message to Todd just hit us in all the feels, especially with her baby daughter (Todd's great-granddaughter) grinning on her lap throughout the video. 💙

Jessica's favorite childhood memory? Todd making each grandchild feel special with individual birthday dinners. Not group celebrations. One-on-one time where you got Grandpa's full attention.

But Jessica's gratitude goes deeper than birthday dinners: "You've tried to help each of us be more prepared for life—whether that's finances, how to be successful, all the way down to even fitness."

Happy Birthday, Todd. The baby smiles say it all. 🎂👶

02/27/2026

Granddaughter-in-law Rebecca's kind and thoughtful birthday message to Todd features photos from her experience in the 2025 Biggest Little Ultra, and she's coming back in 2026.

Rebecca just wished Todd a happy 84th birthday with a beautiful message about how welcoming he was when she joined the family through marrying his grandson Michael, and how his ultradistance running passion inspired her own journey.

From welcomed family member to inspired ultra runner: that's the Todd effect!

02/26/2026

"Telling friends growing up that my grandpa runs ultramarathons was always surreal and inspirational."

College junior Cameron just sent her grandpa Todd a lovely 84th birthday message, tracing her running journey back to him. Elementary school running club. Her first 5K (which she admits "isn't as impressive as your 100-milers, Grandpa"). High school cross country.

Cameron acknowledges that because of grandpa Todd she grew up in a family where fitness was a value. Where Grandpa ran ultramarathons. Where family trips meant traveling to marathons together. She was too young to run them then. But Cami just made a promise: "I will do one someday."

Happy 84th Birthday, Todd. You planted seeds for healthy living years ago that are still growing. 🎂🏃‍♀️