Backyard Series Agde

Black is his color, forged in the smoky lava of an old volcano, his nickname "La Perle Noire" suits him to a T ⚫️. Guess where we’re headed? Of course to Agde, the city made for a nocturnal race 🌙. Behold the perfect setting for an event where you go round in circles without ever losing your bearings 👁️. The Backyard Series Agde plants its arch on the banks of the Hérault, at the foot of the Moulin des Évêques, in this Greek-influenced town that the Phocaeans already dubbed “ good fortune.”🌒. Nestled between the vineyards of Languedoc and the beaches of Cap, the Pearl of Black of the Mediterranean surely earns its nickname: its basalt volcanic rock, once spat out by the Mont Saint-Loup, dresses the lanes and façades with a dark cloak that clicks perfectly with the nocturnal vibe of the race 🏃. Mid-December, the thermometer teeters: mild days around 13°C

The premise is built around one line, but it will keep you hooked for hours 🥵. A loop of 6,706 km to finish in under an hour, then you go again at the signal 🔁. If you succeed, you can start another loop (if the legs hold up), and so on until you can’t go on! 🤯 Yes basically the aim is to GIVE IT YOUR ALL from start to finish, but smartly, to rack up as many loops as possible, in fine shape 😁. For this one the course snakes through the alleys of the historic center, falsely rolling and secretly knee-trembling with these basalt cobbles. So lap after lap, your footing will become wanderers until turning the slightest re-start into a tight negotiation with your calves 😅. The scenery meanwhile will have you glide along the Hérault's water, brushing the silhouette of the fortressed Saint-Étienne Cathedral carved in the black lava, catching the glow of the headlamps on the quays, before you pass under the Moulin arch again to kick off another lap 🏁. As the hours slip by, the loops get longer but that’s where your mindset matters 🧠. By the way, the race comes in two versions. The first, infinite version and the “Backyard Access Agde” with 6 loops max, i.e. about 40 km on the clock with several finishers rewarded, just to ease you into the concept without risking your life until dawn 😄.

Behind this backyard format lies the legacy of Lazarus Lake, the mischievous spirit who invented the formidable Barkley in the remote Tennessee 🤠. The concept of the backyard ultra even found celebration on French soil in its presence, during the very first Backyard Series in 2025 🗓️. The discipline has since seen Phil Gore gulp down 119 loops on the other side of the globe, i.e. nearly 800 km in a row! 😳 A sight to reframe your own limits 🔥. On the Agde cobbles, Julian Bilo clocked 31 laps for 207.9 km and Stéphanie Chabaud logged 22 laps147.5 km. The first home records, thus set a very concrete target 🎯.

On the fueling front, Agde knows how to host, and not just at the organizer’s table 🙂‍↕️. Nearby, the Étang de Thau treats its Bouzigues oysters, the tielle inherited from Sète fills you up and a glass of Picpoul from Pinet rewards the resilient legs 😋. This is carb-loading in true Southern style ☀️. Between two scouting jogs, stroll along the Canal du Midi to its surprising round lock, push toward the Cap d'Agde and its creeks, or climb the Mont Saint-Loup, a sleeping volcano watching over the bay 🌊. The town carries about 2,600 years of history in its pavements, so wander it in recovery mode before or after the effort 😄.

Here, “the loop is closed” takes on full meaning: you’ll push off again and again until night falls to call it a day (or you) 😉. Ready to join the Backyard Series Agde to shake off before Christmas? 🤓