Snake Hill Backyard Ultra

Hi runners! 👋

It's been a little quiet on our page, but we're finally ready to start sharing the photos from our 1st Inaugural Snake Hill Backyard Ultra! 🎉 We captured so many amazing moments that we'll be posting them in batches over the next little while, so keep an eye on our page—you might just spot yourself!

When sharing your photos, we kindly ask that you please don't crop out the logos. They recognize the incredible sponsors and volunteers who helped make this event possible.

If you post your photos, we'd love it if you could tag us and Image by Maila so we can see and share your memories. We'd also be incredibly grateful if you could like and follow our page, by Maila, and all of our amazing sponsors.

Your support goes a long way. It helps us continue organizing events like this, while also showing our sponsors how much the running community appreciates their generosity. Together, we can keep growing trail running in our community.

Thank you for being part of our very first Backyard Ultra—we can't wait to relive these memories with you! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️💚

🎉 THANK YOU, SNAKE HILL RUNNERS! 🎉

We're still smiling (and maybe still drying out 😅) after the very first Snake Hill Backyard Ultra!

What an incredible day it was. Thanks to all of you, our inaugural event welcomed 81 registrants, including 43 runners from Mountain View County, and nearly 70 runners who lined up at the start despite the less-than-perfect weather.

🏆 Huge congratulations to our Last Runners Standing, Karl and Kendra, who conquered an impressive 10 loops!

⚡ Fastest laps of the day:
• James – 35:44 (Men's Fastest Lap)
• Melissa – 40:50 (Women's Fastest Lap)

👟 And a special shoutout to our trail fashion superstars, Bronwyn and Owen, who took home the title of Most Stylish Runner!

Most importantly, because of your support, we raised approximately $1,500 for trail maintenance and marking efforts by the Sundre Bike n Ski Club. Every lap, every cheer, every muddy shoe helped make that happen. ❤️

Whether you joined us as part of your training, challenged yourself to try something new, or simply came out to have fun running in circles with friends, we hope you had an amazing experience.

Now we'd love to hear from you!

📝 Please take a few minutes to complete our post-race survey. Your feedback will help us make the next Snake Hill Backyard Ultra even better.

The survey will remain open until July 15, 2026 at 11:59 PM.

Be honest. Be candid. Be brutally truthful if you need to. We love feedback almost as much as we love trail running! 😄

📋 Survey Link: https://forms.gle/svdwt8Qwmm54JxhY6

Thank you again for being part of Snake Hill Backyard Ultra history. We couldn't have done it without you!

This year's Snake Hill Backyard Ultra was a fundraiser for the Sundre Bike N Ski Club, a local not-for-profit organization that works on municipal trail development and improvement. The funds raised were used one week after the race to support volunteers to build this bridge in Sundre's Red Deer river valley that will allow trail users to get over an often wet section of trail and allow for xc ski tracksetting equipment to maintain xc ski trail throughout the river valley! Thanks to everyone's support of the event, the volunteers that put the work in, and to for the post-work cervesas!!

We made it in the local news! Great job everybody! Thanks again to each and everyone who made this event possible! We are truly grateful!

🔎 https://www.thealbertan.com/sundre-news/inaugural-snake-hill-backyard-ultra-a-rainy-affair-in-sundre-12357403 - Google Search

🤠✨ MEET OUR FIRST-EVER SNAKE HILL STYLE STARS! ✨🤠

Some people came to Snake Hill to run.

Some came to challenge themselves.

And then there were these two legends who showed up thinking, "You know what this trail needs? A little more fashion." 😂

Congratulations to our inaugural Snake Hill Style Stars, Bronwyn Petersen and Owen Petersen, who didn't just tackle the trail—they absolutely owned the runway! Rocking their hillbilly/redneck-inspired outfits, they proved that you can conquer muddy trails, steep climbs, and unpredictable weather while still looking fabulous.

The funny part? These two are so committed to the look that many people weren't even sure it was a costume. They just assumed, "Yep, that's probably how they dress every day." 🤣

While everyone else was focused on pace, elevation, roots, rocks, and mud, our Style Stars were busy reminding us that trail running should be fun, creative, and full of personality.

Thank you for bringing laughter, energy, and a whole lot of style to the first-ever Snake Hill Backyard Ultra. You made the trail brighter, the photos better, and the memories even more unforgettable.

Keep being yourselves, keep making people smile, and never be afraid to stand out—because the best adventures are the ones where you let your personality shine.

See you next year, fashion icons! 👢🔥🤠

⚡🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ MEET OUR FIRST LIGHTNING LAP CHAMPIONS! 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️⚡

A huge congratulations to Melissa Shippy and James Smith, our inaugural Lightning Lap Winners at the Snake Hill Backyard Ultra!

While most runners were carefully navigating the rain, hills, roots, rocks, mud, and all the other sneaky ways Snake Hill tries to humble people, Melissa and James apparently looked at the course and said, "Challenge accepted." 😆

These two speed demons flew through the trail as if gravity, weather, and common sense were merely suggestions. They attacked every climb, danced through the mud, dodged roots and rocks, and somehow made one of the toughest trails around look fast.

Snake Hill threw everything it had at them. Their response? Run faster.

Their performances were a reminder that greatness isn't just about endurance—sometimes it's about having the courage to push the pace, trust your training, and give it everything you've got.

Congratulations, Melissa and James! You didn't just conquer Snake Hill—you left scorch marks on the trail. 🔥⚡

We can't wait to see who will try to steal your Lightning Lap crowns next year... but for now, enjoy the bragging rights, you absolute beasts!

🏆👑 MEET OUR FIRST-EVER BACKYARD BOSSES! 👑🏆

A huge shoutout to Karl Lee and Kendra Irvine, the inaugural Backyard Bosses of the Snake Hill Backyard Ultra!

While most sensible people were looking for a warm drink and a comfy chair, these two legends kept heading back out onto the trail. Through the rain, the mud, the hills, the roots, the rocks, and whatever other surprises Snake Hill decided to throw at them, they just kept showing up for another lap.

From 9:00 AM all the way to the 6:00 PM lap—and finishing at 7:00 PM on May 30, 2026—Karl and Kendra proved that determination is stronger than excuses and that grit can carry you farther than anyone thinks possible.

They didn't just run a race; they showed us what perseverance, resilience, and a little bit of trail-running craziness look like. 😆

Congratulations, Karl and Kendra! You have officially set the bar for future Snake Hill runners and earned the title of our very first Backyard Bosses.

The question now is... can anyone take the crown from you next year? Or will you return to defend your titles and make everyone suffer through "just one more lap" all over again? 😉

We'll see you in 2027. Until then, enjoy the bragging rights—you've earned every muddy, rainy, glorious minute of them! 🎉🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️🔥