The Last Soul Ultra 2026 has started
The Last Soul Ultra 2026 is underway. athleteXhub is accompanying Hubert Karl on site with the camera. Here you can find the current race standings and all important developments.
Live ticker: final result
The final race outcome, records and special moments at the Last Soul Ultra 2026. The race is over.
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Final result Mark Dowdle wins the Last Soul Ultra 2026 after 94 rounds
The Last Soul Ultra 2026 is over: Mark Dowdle from the USA is the last remaining soul of the race. He completes the Backyard Ultra after 94 fully completed rounds and thus after around 630 kilometres.
In the final, only Mark Dowdle and Ayyoub El Osrouti from Germany were at the starting line. El Osrouti was the last remaining competitor and is listed as Assist with 93 rounds . Dowdle completed the decisive 94th round and thus became the winner of the Last Soul Ultra 2026.
The race started on Friday, 14 August 2026, at 14:00 and ended on Tuesday morning, 18 August. Over nearly four full days the remaining athletes started every full hour on the around 6.7 kilometre long course.
Final standings: Mark Dowdle wins with 94 rounds. Ayyoub El Osrouti is the last eliminated athlete and Assist.
Status: 19 August 2026. The intermediate round 95 displayed was no longer completed. The publicly accessible official results page now only shows the completion notice; an exact finish time is no longer available there.
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Hubert Karl After 45 rounds: Hubert Karl rings the bell
After an exceptional race, it's over: Hubert Karl (68) ends his Last Soul Ultra 2026 after 45 completed rounds. After around 301.5 kilometres he drops out of the race and rings the bell.
Thus, an impressive journey at this year's Last Soul Ultra comes to an end. Karl was part of the ever-decreasing field of participants for many hours and, in doing so, set a new German backyard ultra record in his age group during the race.
What was already a new milestone at round 28, Hubert Karl continued for another 17 rounds onwards. In the end, 45 loops and more than 300 kilometres.
45 rounds. More than 300 kilometres. New M65+ record. Hubert Karl completes the Last Soul Ultra 2026 with an exceptional result.
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Live 294.8 kilometres: 18 athletes still in the race
The Last Soul Ultra 2026 continues: 18 athletes have now 44 rounds completed and thus covered a distance of 294.8 kilometres .
Also, Hubert Karl is still participating. The 68-year-old has further expanded his own new German record in the M65+ age group and is now just before the 300-kilometre mark. 300 kilometres.
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Record Hubert Karl breaks the German backyard ultra record in the M65+ age group
Hubert Karl (68) has achieved a new milestone at the Last Soul Ultra 2026: With now 28 completed rounds he has surpassed the previous German backyard ultra record in the M65+ age group.
28 rounds correspond to a distance of around 187.6 kilometres. The previous German record was 175.20 kilometres.
And the crucial thing: the race is not over for Karl at this point. As long as he completes each additional round within the one-hour time limit and stands at the starting line again, his new record will continue to grow.
Hubert Karl is already making Backyard Ultra history at the Last Soul Ultra 2026 – and he's still running.
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Live All 159 athletes reach Round 2
The second round of the Last Soul Ultra 2026 is underway. All 159 athletes who started have completed the first round within the time limit and have gone back out on the course.
As a result, there were no further dropouts in Round 1. The live tracking is still showing 159 athletes in the race .
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Start The Last Soul Ultra 2026 has started
It's underway: The Last Soul Ultra 2026 has started. A total of 159 female and male athletes are at the starting line for the kickoff and are going into the first round together.
From now on, a new round starts every full hour over approximately 6.7 kilometres. Anyone who doesn't return on time or doesn't start again will be eliminated.
There is no fixed finish line in the Backyard Ultra. The race only ends when only one athlete can complete a full round within the time limit.
Last Soul Ultra 2026 starts today: The last hours before the race
Only a few hours to go, then a race without a fixed finish line begins: Today, Friday, 14 August 2026, the Last Soul Ultra 2.0 starts. A total of 150 athletes are set to push their physical and mental limits round by round.AthleteXhub is on site and is accompanying Hubert Karl along with his team. With the camera, we're documenting not just his kilometres but, above all, what happens between the individual rounds at a Backyard Ultra.
Just before the start, the atmosphere is marked by the final preparations. The camps are set up, food and equipment are being checked, and the athletes are preparing for a race whose duration no one can predict.
New start time: Last Soul Ultra starts at 14:00
Originally, the start was scheduled for 13:00. Already on Monday, the athletes and crew members were informed via the event's internal communication channel that the start would be postponed to 14:00.Just before the race, the final organisational checks are also taking place. This includes, in particular, the issue and verification of the prescribed transponders. The participants were once again reminded that the trackers intended for timekeeping and recording must be worn in full.
Such details may seem insignificant at first. However, in a race where every lap and every punctual start decides on continuing, they are indispensable.
What can Hubert Karl expect at the Last Soul Ultra?
The principle of the Last Soul Ultra is simple - and precisely because of this, it is so uncompromising: at every full hour, all remaining athletes start together on a roughly 6.7-kilometre-long lap.Whoever completes the course within 60 minutes can use the remaining time to recover. Eating, drinking, changing clothes, putting their legs up or closing their eyes for a few minutes - everything must fit into the time between crossing the finish line and the next start signal.
Whoever does not return on time or does not start the next lap punctually is eliminated. The race only ends when only one athlete is left and has successfully completed the decisive final lap.
For Hubert Karl, this means that a challenge begins today in which his decades-long experience in ultra-running meets an extraordinary competition format. How long his body will hold out, how his strategy will develop, and what role his mind will play in the course of the race will be central questions in our documentation.
athleteXhub is accompanying Hubert Karl with the camera
For our team, an intensive time also begins with the start. We are accompanying Hubert directly on site, supporting him within the framework of the applicable rules, and capturing the decisive moments with the camera.This is not intended to create a classic summary of the race. Our documentation is consciously focusing on the moments that a livestream can only partially show:
- How does Hubert prepare for the next lap?
- How do procedures and communication change after many hours?
- What decisions does the support team make?
- When does physical exertion become a mental battle?
- What motivates a person to return to the starting line time and time again?
Especially in a backyard ultra, the breaks often tell at least as much of a story as the kilometres run.
Final preparations in the base camp
The closer the start gets, the more attention is focused on the small things: Are the transponders correctly attached? Is the food prepared? Are shoes, change of clothes and headlamp within reach? Does each crew member know what to do after the next round?According to the organiser, each athlete has their own area available in the base camp. There, the crew can help with food, equipment and preparation. On the course itself, however, support is not allowed. For the night, a functioning headlamp is also part of the mandatory equipment. The organiser describes the full rules in their official FAQ. Additionally, the athletes and crew members were given an internal rule book that explains all the details, rules and procedures in more detail.
This organisational precision is crucial. Because once the race is on, there may only be a few minutes between two rounds to react to problems.
Follow the Last Soul Ultra 2026 in the livestream
Spectators cannot follow the race directly on the course. The exact location is not publicly communicated for organisational and safety reasons and was only shared with registered athletes and crew members via the internal WhatsApp group. Instead, the Last Soul Ultra is to be broadcast around the clock from start to finish.Here you can follow the Last Soul Ultra 2026 live:
- German livestream on YouTube
- English livestream on YouTube
- Kim Gottwald's Twitch channel
- Official website of the Last Soul Ultra
Additional updates and impressions will be published via the social media channels of the Last Soul Ultra, Kim Gottwald and rappid, according to the organiser. The official page announces a continuous 24/7 livestream.
168 athletes - but only one Last Soul
According to the organiser, 170 starting places were allocated for the second edition. 168 athletes are now at the starting line and thus open the big first round. The field consists of international ultra-runners, well-known athletes, content creators and selected applicants.A reliably visible, complete list of starters was not available to us at the time of publication. However, it is certain: the format makes no distinction between large reach, well-known names and outsiders. What matters in the end is only who completes the next round within the given hour - and can start again afterwards.
A race whose end nobody knows
At 2 pm, the first round begins. At this point, all athletes are still running together. But with each passing hour, the race changes.The breaks become more important. Movements become slower. Decisions have to be made faster. At some point, it's no longer about who runs the best pace, but who gets up again, enters the starting area and starts another round.
We will accompany Hubert Karl on this way and take you behind the scenes in the coming days. How far he gets, how many hours the race lasts and what story emerges from it in the end, nobody knows yet.
That's exactly what makes the Last Soul Ultra so fascinating. The most important information about start time, livestream, route and Hubert Karl.
The Last Soul Ultra starts on Friday, the
14th August 2026. The originally planned
start time was changed from 1 pm to 2 pm .
The exact venue is not publicly disclosed by the organiser. Spectators are not allowed on site. This is to ensure safety and an uninterrupted course of events.
The race will be broadcast on YouTube. Additionally, the event can be followed on Kim Gottwald's Twitch channel. A German and an English YouTube livestream are available.
A lap is approximately 6.7 kilometres long. It
must be completed within an hour.
There is no fixed race duration. The competition runs for as long as
it takes until only one athlete is left and they successfully complete
a final lap.
Yes. Hubert Karl is starting at the Last Soul Ultra 2026 and will be
accompanied on site by athleteXhub and an exclusive documentary will be created from the joint weekend.
FAQ about Last Soul Ultra 2026
When does the Last Soul Ultra 2026 start?
Where does the Last Soul Ultra take place?
Where can the Last Soul Ultra be watched in the livestream?
How long is a lap?
How long does the Last Soul Ultra last?
Is Hubert Karl participating in the Last Soul Ultra 2026?
