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Barkley Marathons

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The Barkley Marathons is an ultramarathon trail race held each year in Frozen Head State Park in Morgan County, Tennessee, United States.

Barkley Marathons
The start of the 2009 Barkley Marathons
DateMarch–April
LocationFrozen Head State Park, Tennessee, U.S. 36°07′34″N 84°30′04″W / 36.126°N 84.501°W / 36.126; -84.501
Event typeTrail racing
Distance100 miles (160 km) (5 laps of 20 miles (32 km))
Established1986
Course recordsMen: 52:03:08, Brett Maune (2012)
Women: 59:58:21, Jasmin Paris (2024)
Participants40

The course, which varies from year to year, consists of five loops of the 20+ mile, off-trail course for a total of 100 miles (160 km). The race is limited to a 60-hour period from the start of the first loop, and takes place in March or early April of each year. The race is known for its extreme difficulty and many peculiarities.

History

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The Barkley course was the brainchild of Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell and Karl "Raw Dog" Henn. The idea for the race was inspired upon hearing about the 1977 escape of James Earl Ray, the assassin of Martin Luther King Jr., from nearby Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. Ray covered only about 12 miles (19 km) after running 54.5 hours in the woods hiding from air searches during the day.[1] Mocking Ray's low mileage, Cantrell said to himself, "I could do at least 100 miles". Thus, the Barkley Marathons was born.[2][3] Cantrell named the race for his longtime neighbor and running companion, Barry Barkley.[4] It was first run in 1986.[5] Barkley died in 2019 at age 70.[4]

For the early years, the Barkley course was approximately 50–55 miles (80–89 km), with about 25,000–27,000 feet (7,600–8,200 m) of climbing. In 1988 "Frozen" Ed Furtaw, from North Carolina, became the first to finish the original short version of the course with a time of 32:14. In 1989, the course was extended. The 55-mile (89 km) version was referred to as “the short one” and the 100-mile (160 km) version, “the long one.” In 1995, Mark Williams, of the United Kingdom, became the first participant to finish the full longer version of the Barkley Marathons with a time of 59:28:48.[6]

The 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

In 2023, British runner Jasmin Paris became the fourth woman to complete the 3 loop 'Fun Run' twice and only the second to start the 4th loop.[8] Sue Johnston previously started the fourth loop in 2001.[9] Previous women to have completed the 3 loop 'Fun Run' are Suzi Thibeault (1991, 1994), Nancy Hamilton (1991, 1993), Sue Johnston (2000, 2001) and Beverley Anderson-Abbs (2012, 2013). They have all completed the 3 loop 'Fun Run' twice.[10] In 2024, Paris became the first woman to complete all five loops within the time limit, finishing the event 99 seconds before the 60-hour cut-off.[11]

Race description

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Registration

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The Barkley is limited to 40 runners and usually fills up quickly the day registration opens. Requirements and times to submit an entry application are a closely guarded secret with no details advertised publicly.[12] Potential entrants must complete an essay on "Why I Should be Allowed to Run in the Barkley," pay a $1.60 application fee, and complete other requirements subject to change. If accepted, an entrant receives a "letter of condolence." Upon arriving, first-time Barkley runners, known as virgins, are required to bring a license plate from their state/country as part of the entrance fee. Previous racers are required to bring an additional "fee" which in the past has included things such as a white shirt, socks, or a flannel shirt, as a donation for being a non-finisher. These donations are apparently based on the current needs of Lazarus Lake at the time. Prior finishers of the marathon who return to run again must submit a pack of Camel cigarettes as part of the registration fee. Race bib number one is always given to the person deemed to be the least likely to finish one lap out of all who have applied; a "human sacrifice," as Cantrell calls it.[13]

Course

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The course itself, which has changed distance, route, and elevation many times since its inaugural run, currently consists of an approximate 20-mile (32 km) unmarked loop with no aid stations except water at two points along the route. Runners are allowed to study and copy the course map prior to the race, but once the race is underway they must navigate by their own notes alone. The loop begins and ends at the yellow road gate where the runners' and supporters' parked cars stay. Runners of the 100-mile version run this loop five times, taking a counterclockwise direction for loops two and four, followed by each runner alternating direction on loop five, after the first-placed runner's choice. Depending on the start time of the first loop, either the second and fourth loops are run at night, or the first, third, and fifth loops are run at night. Runners who complete three circuits of the loop (60 miles) are said to have completed a "fun run".

With 54,200 feet (16,500 m) of accumulated vertical climb (and the same amount of descent), the 100-mile run is considered to be one of the most challenging ultramarathons held in the United States, if not the world.[12] As of 2018, about 55% of the races had ended with no finishers.[14][15]

The 100-mile and 60-mile distances are nominal. While a nominal distance of 20 miles, which only covers the horizontal distance, the actual length of the loop varies due to changes in the elevations on the course. Some[who?] say the loop is as long as 26 miles (42 km), yielding 130 miles (210 km) for the full race and 78 miles (126 km) for the "fun run."[16][17] The race course is not consistent between years; Cantrell modifies it to ensure it remains "at the very horizon of human potential", making it more difficult each time someone finishes.[18] Cantrell argues that most runners should fail to complete the race, as failure is essential to growth.[18]

Timing and other requirements

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Cantrell lights a cigarette to signal the start of the Barkley Marathons in 2009.

The Barkley starts any time from midnight to noon on race day, with one hour till race start signaled by blowing a conch. The race officially begins when the race director lights a cigarette.[16][19]

In addition to running, competitors must find between 9 and 15 books along the course (the exact number varies each year) and remove the page corresponding to the runner's race number from each book as proof of completion.[20] Because of this, competitors are only issued odd numbers. Competitors get a new race number, and thus a new page requirement, at the start of each lap.

The cut-off time for the 100-mile race is 60 hours overall, or an average of 12 hours per loop, and the cut-off for the 60-mile version of the race is 40 hours overall, which averages out to 13 hours and 20 minutes per loop. This also includes any rest/food time between loops. Once a competitor has started a loop (noted by the time they touch the famous yellow gate after collecting their bib) they are not allowed to receive any assistance, other than from fellow runners, until they have finished that loop.[13] Out of more than 1,000 starts, the 100-mile race has been completed within the official 60-hour cut-off 26 times by 20 different runners, with one two-time finisher, one three-time finisher, and one four-time finisher.[citation needed] However, in 2006, nobody finished even the 60-mile "fun run" in under 60 hours. Prior to Jasmin Paris's finish in 2024, as well as her 2023 performance (getting to the 9th book on the 4th lap), the best women's achievement was Sue Johnston's 66 miles (106 km) in 2001. More than 30 competitors failed to reach the first book (two miles).[14][21]

When a runner drops out of the race, a bugler plays "Taps" upon their return to the start/end point.

In 2017, Gary Robbins of North Vancouver, British Columbia, reached the finishing gate a mere six seconds after the 60-hour cut-off, almost becoming the 16th runner ever to complete the Barkley. However, he had taken a wrong turn in the final stages of the race, thus cutting two miles off the course; he would have been disqualified even if he had been faster. "The time, in that situation, is meaningless," Cantrell said of the six-second time overage.[5]

In 2022, the race had its second earliest start in history, with the ceremonial cigarette being lit on March 8 at 6:54 AM local time. The only earlier date was the first event, 1986, when the race started on March 1.[citation needed]

Finishers

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As of the end of the 2024 event, the full, five-loop race has been completed within 60 hours a total of 26 times by 20 runners.[22][23][24][25]

Official finishers of the Barkley Marathons
Year Name Time Notes
1995 Mark Williams 59:28:48 First male finisher
2001 David Horton 58:21:00 New record
Blake Wood 58:21:01
2003 Teddy Keizer 56:57:52 New record
2004 Mike Tilden 57:25:18
Jim Nelson 57:28:25
2008 Brian Robinson 55:42:27 New record
2009 Andrew Thompson 57:37:19
2010 Jonathan Basham 59:18:44
2011 Brett Maune (1) 57:13:33
2012 Brett Maune (2) 52:03:08 Current record
Jared Campbell (1) 56:00:16
John Fegyveresi 59:41:21
2013 Nick Hollon 57:39:24
Travis Wildeboer 58:41:45
2014 Jared Campbell (2) 57:53:20
2016 Jared Campbell (3) 59:32:30
2017 John Kelly (1) 59:30:53
2023 Aurélien Sanchez 58:23:12
John Kelly (2) 58:42:23
Karel Sabbe 59:53:33
2024 Ihor Verys 58:44:59
John Kelly (3) 59:15:38
Jared Campbell (4) 59:30:32
Greig Hamilton 59:38:42
Jasmin Paris 59:58:21 First female finisher

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Crockett, Davy (22 March 2019). "Barkley Marathons – The Birth". Ultrarunning History. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  2. ^ Bysouth, Alex (March 30, 2019). "Barkley Marathons: Inspired by a prison break, is this the world's toughest race?". BBC. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  3. ^ Jamison, Neal (April 30, 2014). Running Through the Wall: Personal Encounters With the Ultramarathon. Breakaway Books.
  4. ^ a b Francis, Anne (December 8, 2019). "The man who inspired the name "Barkley Marathons" dies at 70". Trail Running. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Race director clarifies final outcome of 2017 Barkley Marathons". Canadian Running Magazine. April 4, 2017. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  6. ^ Crockett, Davy (30 March 2019). "Barkley Marathons – First Few Years". Ultrarunning History. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  7. ^ Dawson, Andrew (March 17, 2020). "Barkley Marathons Canceled Due to Coronavirus". Runner's World. Archived from the original on April 12, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  8. ^ Keith Dunn [@keithdunn] (16 March 2023). "We are over 48 hours into the race. Jasmin Paris @JasminKParis has not completed loop four within the time limit and is out of the race. #BM100" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Keith Dunn [@keithdunn] (16 March 2023). "The largest number of runners on loop four of the #BM100 was 5 in 2001, when Blake Wood and David Horton finished. It also was the year Sue Johnston began loop four, the only woman to do so to date" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ Butler, Shawn (9 October 2018). "Barkley Marathons Finish Stats". Cactus to Clouds. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  11. ^ McVeigh, Niall (2024-03-22). "British ultrarunner Jasmin Paris is first woman to finish Barkley Marathons". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  12. ^ a b Seminara, Dave (March 27, 2013). "The Barkley Marathons: Few Know How to Enter; Fewer Finish". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 21, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  13. ^ a b "Ep50 - SPECIAL - John Kelly on finishing Barkley Marathons" (Podcast). The Bad Boy Running Podcast. Archived from the original on April 16, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  14. ^ a b Everett, Matthew (April 13, 2011). "The Barkley Marathons Is the Toughest Race You've Never Heard Of » Metro Pulse". Archived from the original on 2011-08-25. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  15. ^ Buteau, Michael (March 30, 2015). "All 40 Runners Fail at 100-Mile Tennessee Mountain Race". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  16. ^ a b Engle, Charlie (May 2011). "Notorious". Runner's World. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  17. ^ Everett, Matthew (April 6, 2016). "A Record-Setting Weekend at the Barkley Marathons, the Race That Eats Its Young". Knoxville Mercury. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  18. ^ a b Beasley, Jared (2023-03-18). "Life Isn't Fair. He Didn't Want This Race to Be, Either". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  19. ^ Annika Iltis, Timothy James Kane (directors) (2014). The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young.
  20. ^ Ethier, David (July 5, 2013). "An Ultramarathon You Can't Finish". Huckberry. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  21. ^ Jhung, Lisa (April 6, 2010). "The Impervious Barkley Marathons". Runner's World. Archived from the original on August 11, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  22. ^ Butler, Shawn (March 26, 2018). "Barkley Marathons Finish Stats". Posilicious. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  23. ^ Dalek, Brian (March 26, 2018). "When the Course Wins: No Finishers at the 2018 Barkley Marathons". Runner's World. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  24. ^ Mcguire, Jane (April 1, 2019). "Nobody finished this year's Barkley Marathons". Runner's World. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  25. ^ Ruggiero, Adam (March 10, 2022). "Barkley Wins Again: Nobody Finishes World's Darkest Ultramarathon". GearJunkie. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.

Further reading

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Furtaw, Ed. (2010) Tales From Out There: The Barkley Marathons, The World's Toughest Trail Race, CreateSpace. ISBN 1-4505-4701-X

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