In a grueling endurance test that pushes athletes to their physical and mental limits, the Broken Brain Backyard Race returns to Loudy-Simpson Park on Saturday. The race is unique in that participants must run 4.167 miles every hour, on the hour, until only one runner remains.

The event is directed by Craig local Mark Buchanan, who took over organizing duties this year from former organizers Melissa and Ken Rogers. The event, which Buchanan calls “more than a race,” is a showcase of Moffat County’s remote beauty and also serves as a fundraiser for those living with neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

“That’s my motivation for doing it,” Buchanan said. “It’s kind of bragging about what you’ve got here, and wanting to share it, while also supporting a good cause.”

The Broken Brain Backyard Race follows the rules created by Lazarus Lake, the famed race director behind the Barkley Marathons. Runners must complete a 4.167-mile course each hour. Those who fail to return to the starting corral before the next hour’s bell are disqualified. The last person remaining on course is the winner.

The Broken Brain Backyard Ultra begins at 8 a.m. sharp on June 7 at Loudy-Simpson Park. For those seeking something more casual, the citizen’s race begins at 8:15 a.m. and welcomes runners, walkers and families to complete the same course at their own pace. No dogs or bikes are allowed in the race. Ultra entries are capped at 75 runners, while the citizen’s race has no limit.

“It’s a true endurance race,” Buchanan said. “The last man or woman standing is the winner. Everyone else records a ‘did not finish.'”

The route, which begins between the softball fields at Loudy-Simpson, loops through the Kiwanis Trail and follows the river before reversing back to the starting point. Faster runners have time to rest between laps. Slower runners may find themselves barely beating the clock to start again.

While official registration is currently under 20 runners, Buchanan expects numbers to grow in the final days. A second, more casual event is the one-lap citizen’s race. It will take place 15 minutes after the main race begins, allowing community members to take part in a single lap on the same course.

“Last year we had a surprising amount of people,” Buchanan said. “We always get a lot of people who come out and just start the race, run 20 or 30 miles, make it a good workout without trying to win. I think we’ll still get some of those this year.”

In 2024, the winning runner, Braden Roggow, completed 17 laps, or nearly 71 miles, with the race concluding at 2 a.m.

Buchanan, a longtime runner and member of the Moffat County Trails group, was brought in by the former organizers to help with the race. After the couple moved, he agreed to take over. It’s his first time serving as race director.

“There’s a lot of work involved,” Buchanan said. “I’m not surprised, but that is the reality of it.”

He recently sent flyers to more than 30 Front Range running stores in an effort to boost participation and awareness.

“Last year we had five or six people from the Front Range show up,” he said. “We’re hoping maybe selling our remote trails would help with that.”

For Buchanan and others in Moffat County’s growing trail-running community, the landscape itself is both the challenge and the reward. While nearby destinations like Steamboat Springs offer heavily developed trail systems, Moffat County’s open space offers a wilder, less-crowded experience.

“I love going to Steamboat. I love Emerald Mountain,” Buchanan said. “But I also really like going somewhere where I’m almost assured that I’m the only one within five to 10 miles.”

That solitude, he said, is part of what makes Moffat County a special and evolving location for endurance events.

“It’s remote trail running,” Buchanan said. “I think a lot of us appreciate what it is.”

Though he doesn’t think all development should be blocked, he believes Moffat County’s trails should evolve slowly and with intention.

“There’s been a lot of talk about the Yampa Valley Trail, about building trailheads and overnight shelters,” he said. “I think that would be awesome. But at the moment, it is what it is, and a lot of us like that.”

Buchanan hopes the Broken Brain race strikes a balance between exposure and stewardship, attracting trail runners who value nature rather than crowds.

“Some people may come here for the race, stay in a hotel, eat in a restaurant, and say, ‘Hey, can you float down this river?’ And of course the answer is, oh yeah, that’s what we do all summer long,” Buchanan said. “That can’t be a bad thing for Moffat County.”

He added, “When you’re talking about an ultra race, you’re bringing a different kind of crazy. You’re bringing people who care about the terrain and the race. They want to be out here.”

Now in its second year, the Broken Brain Backyard Race is still finding its footing. But Buchanan hopes it becomes an annual tradition.

“I’ve been in Craig for 11 years, and I feel like we’ve started races and they just don’t stick,” he said. “I really want to see that happen with this one. I’d like to see it grow, but time will tell.”

For more information, or to register for the race, visit UltraRunning.com/Calendar/Event/Broken-Brain-Backyard