Pound the Mound
Mound Township, Minnesota
- Date
- Saturday, May 16, 2026
- Location
- Blue Mounds State Park
Mound Township, Minnesota
United States
OpenStreetMap Google Maps
About this event
Pound the Mound is an ultra event.
Mound Township, Minnesota
Pound the Mound is an ultra event.
Backyard Ultra
Course Preview2022 Race Welcome to the 2026 Duff Dog Backyard Ultra. The event will be held at the Blue Mounds State Park near Luverne MN. The very runner friendly loop course will utilize the established trail system at the park. The course will be 95% grass, a little gravel and a short stretch on paved path. The runner support area will have plenty of shade and a shelter building to use if the weather gets a little chilly at night. There is also plenty of nearby camping available just off the course for family and friends to use throughout the event. Rules for the Backyard Ultra1) Course. Loop or out and back. Must be 4 miles 880 feet in length. Metric equivalent 6.7056 kilometers2) Starting Corral. Measured to fit entire starting field. Corral stays the same size thru out the event. Participants must be in the starting corral at the bell3) Starts. Each loop starts precisely 1 hour after the last. Warning must be given 3, 2, and 1 minutes prior to start. All competitors must start at the bell (no late starts)4) Loops. Except for restrooms, competitor may not leave the course until each loop is completed. No non-competitors on the course (including eliminated runners). No personal aid during a loop (common aid stations are allowed). Each loop must be completed within an hour to be counted… including the final lap.. No artificial aids (including trekking poles). Slower runners must allow passes.5) Timing. Timing of the loops is optional6) Winner/Results. The winner is the last person to complete a loop. All others are technically DNF. Results of each runner in terms of distance covered are to be given.. If no runner can complete one more loop than anyone else, there is no winner.7) Cap. Race must be open ended.
Event's current local time: 3:45 AM CT
Important Note This is the official race registration page for the Big Sioux Rec Trail Races. Please refer to the Sioux Falls Area Running Club's website and SFRAC Facebook page for more information on this race, the Trail Race Series, and membership.www.runsiouxfalls.org/Big-Sioux-Rec-trail-race / www.facebook.com/RunSiouxFallsDue to the race routes being held on trails within the Big Sioux floodplain, there is a possibility the courses could be vastly altered or races canceled due to heavy rainfall leading up to the race. Celebrating 10 years of the Trail Run Series & 25th anniversary of Newton Hills in 2026! We have some updates that were brought on from the surveys sent out at the end of last year. 1. Change in age groups. We changed 50+ to 50-59 and added 60+. These age groups are used for the overall points series awards. 2. We brought back swag to all races.3. We have added another partner race to the series. Now you can run the Good Earth Trail Festival races presented by 605
Running Company and Mount Lucia Trail Race presented by Missouri River Runners and earn points towards our series. Pricing 2 & 5-mile races are the same price.Registration Price: $40 through registration cutoffCurrent SF Run Club Member: A discount code was sent out to all current members at the opening of registration. DO NOT use the Run Club member discount code for those under 18 please! Are you current and need the code? Please email [email protected] and we'll get it to you!18yrs old and under (as of race day): $15 through registration cutoffNot a member and want to become one? Sign up at www.runsiouxfalls.orgSign up for all 4 races at once! Select 'All 4 Races' ($170*) or ‘4 Race-Under 18’ ($70*) on the Deer Dash Trail Races registration page. (Run Club discount available here as well – DO NOT use for 18 & Under pricing please)Signing up for short distance will register you for all the short distances in future races and likewise if signed up for the longer distance races.
Contact us to change your distance for any of the races.*Special swag gift for those who sign up for all 4 races using this price point! Free Kids Race We will have a free kids race starting at 10:30am. The distance will be around a mile and will follow some of the trails in the park. Kids will get some cool gifts for participating and parents are welcome to join them on the run!Please sign up you child through the registration link under the Free Kids Race. This will sign their waiver and help us plan for how many kids will be running. When registering them, you can sign them up all individually with their information, or you can sign up with your information and list your kid/s that are running. About This Race The Big Sioux Rec Trail Races were part of the initial first three years of the trail series, but were hampered by the park flooding significantly in ‘18 & ‘19. We pivoted away from Big Sioux and Good Earth for that reason, adding in other races in future years, but we’ve always
wanted to come back! Big Sioux Recreation Area is a beautiful park along the east edge of Brandon and has the Big Sioux River running through the middle of it. There are wide open prairies, bluffs, and heavily wooded areas to explore. There is a paved bike trail stretching the entire park north to south. There are also several dirt/grass trails and we’ll utilize them all to showcase this awesome park. The park also has a playground and large covered picnic shelter at the start/finish area. There is a vault toilet and we’ll bring in a port-a-potty as well. Course Description The park has a paved trail stretching the entire park north to south. It also has several dirt/grass trails coming off the paved trail in different areas, taking you through prairie and wooded areas. Both the 2 and 5 mile races will start and finish in the same place, by the main picnic shelter and playground. Runners will head onto the paved trail and venture throughout the park heading onto the dirt/grass trails. The
trails will take participants through the woods, prairie areas, and up a bluff for fantastic view overlooking the city of Brandon. Distance Changes If you need to change your race distance for any reason, please email [email protected] directly and we'll get that updated for you. Once the change has been made we'll send you a confirmation email and you can double check your race entry on UltraSignup. FAQ Do we need a park pass to get into the park on race day? Yes, all State Parks require a park permit, or day pass to enter the park. Do we get a shirt for participating? Maybe. We give our different swag for all our races. Sometimes that is a shirt, sometimes not. Please refer to the specific race website for details. If you sign up for all 4 races at once using the special price point on the Deer Dash page, you'll get a special swag gift.Are the races chip timed?Yes! 605 Running Company had generously agreed to provide chip timing for all of our trail series races!Are headphones allowed?
Yes, but you must be mindful of your surrounding if wearing them. Trail races generally take more concentration given the terrain, and with narrow trails and many turns, you'll need to be able to hear if people are needing to pass you and take directions from any volunteers.Can I get my money back if I can't run? No, we do not offer refunds or credit for future races.I've never run trails, how do I train for these races?Find a gravel road, run on the grass next to the sidewalk or bike trail, or better yet, head to Sertoma Park and run the flat, wide trails there. There is also single track trails along the south side of the bike trail in Yankton Trail Park between Minnesota and Western Ave and in Tuthill Park. This will get you used to running on uneven ground. Be very careful as you ease into it and be mindful of you footfalls. After you've mastered that, head to any of the other trails around Sioux Falls: Leaders Park, Great Bear Recreation Area, Big Sioux Rec, Good Earth State Park,
Newton Hills, Beaver Creek Nature Area, Union Grove State Park, etc. SFARC host a group run every Thursday night at Good Earth State Park - 6pm - if you'd like to run with a group too. Can I run with my dog? No, pets are not allowed to run in the Trail Race Series. Points Series Points: 1st place in each division for each race receives 10 points. Points go down by 1 sequentially. 2nd place receives 9 points all the way to 10th place receiving 1 point. At the end of the series, we’ll tally up the points in each age division, and give out gift cards to the top three male and female finishers. We’ll see how this works out, and hopefully be able to crown overall champions (male/female) and still get them framed pictures of their favorite course.Age Divisions: 29 and under, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60+ 5 Mile Course Map 2 Mile Course Map 1 Mile Kids Course Map Event's current local time: 3:35 AM CT
Join us for the annual Turkey Trails 5k/10k! A fun, Thanksgiving-themed event that is perfect for the whole family.
The fun includes -
Great Swag - designer shirt & custom medal
Chip-timing with live results and awards
Free photos
Delicious Treats waiting at the finish line
Plenty of fun!
Grab your friends and family, you are not going to want to miss this one!
Can't make the race? No problem! We offer a virtual race option where you can run anywhere, at any time, and still earn the fun swag!
*Youth-based pricing for the 5k/10k, 12 & Under are only $17!
Half Marathon registration includes a custom bib, designer shirt, and an awesome finisher medal!
5k/10k registration includes a custom bib, designer shirt, and an awesome finisher medal!
1 Mile registration is untimed and includes a custom bib, designer shirt, and an awesome finisher medal!
The kid's dash is a fun, untimed dash for our kiddos ages 10 and under. Registration includes a mini bib, youth-sized shirt, and a specifically crafted medal for our kids' dash event! (If your child wants to run the kid's dash, and doesn't want the SWAG, they are welcome to run with us on race day for free!)
*Register by midnight on Thursday, two Thursdays before race day, to guarantee your shirt!