The Barkley Marathons is one of the toughest ultramarathons in the world, with only 17 people having ever completed the race in its more than 30-year history. Held annually in Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee, the race is shrouded in mystery and lore, with an intricate application process and a course that is intentionally designed to be confusing and difficult.
The race is known for its extreme difficulty, with less than 20% of participants ever completing it. The race consists of five loops through the park, with a distance of approximately 20 miles per loop, and a total elevation gain of more than 60,000 feet. Runners must navigate through thick forests, steep climbs, and rocky terrain, with no marked trail and only a few pages from a book placed at checkpoints to guide them. The race has no aid stations, and runners must carry their own supplies and equipment.
To enter the race, runners must submit a complex application and pay a $1.60 entrance fee. The race is started by lighting a cigarette, and runners have 60 hours to complete all five loops.
Origin
The Barkley Marathons was founded in 1986 by Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell, a Tennessee native and ultrarunner. The race was inspired by the story of James Earl Ray, a convicted murderer who escaped from nearby Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in 1977 and was on the run for several days in the surrounding woods. Cantrell was intrigued by the idea of creating a race that would be so difficult that only someone who was truly committed could complete it, and so the Barkley Marathons was born.
The race was named after Cantrell's neighbour, Barry Barkley, who once famously stated that nobody could run more than 50 miles in the rugged terrain of Frozen Head State Park. The race's first iteration involved a 55-mile course that runners had to complete five times within a 60-hour time limit, but it has since evolved into the current format of five loops totaling approximately 100 miles.
The Barkley Marathons has always been intentionally designed to be one of the most challenging races in the world, with Cantrell making the course intentionally difficult and confusing. He has also kept the application process deliberately obscure, with no website or social media presence and only accepting paper applications mailed to him.
Despite its difficulty, the Barkley Marathons has become a legendary event in the world of ultrarunning, drawing participants from around the world who are eager to take on the challenge of this gruelling race.
Entry Process
The entry process for the Barkley Marathons is famously complex and challenging. In order to apply, runners must send a letter of intent to race director Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell, along with a $1.60 entry fee. The application window typically opens in late January and closes after a few weeks, with no set date for when the announcement of the entrants will be made.
The application letter must meet specific requirements, such as answering questions related to the race, providing details about the runner's experience and qualifications, and including a "essay" on a topic of Cantrell's choosing, which often has little to do with running. The essay is intended to demonstrate the runner's creativity, resourcefulness, and ability to think on their feet.
Once the application has been received, Cantrell will review it and decide whether or not to accept the runner. Only a limited number of runners are accepted each year, typically no more than 40. The selection process is not based on the runner's qualifications or previous race experience, but rather on Cantrell's subjective judgment of whether the runner has what it takes to complete the Barkley Marathons.
The application process is designed to weed out runners who are not truly committed or who do not have the mental and physical toughness required to complete the race. It adds to the mystique of the Barkley Marathons and helps maintain its reputation as one of the most difficult races in the world.
Rules & Traditions
One of the unique aspects of the Barkley Marathons is its set of rules and traditions, which have developed over the years and add to the race's mystique and challenge. One of the most well-known traditions is the "fun run," a term that is somewhat ironic given the extreme difficulty of the race. The fun run takes place the day before the race, and involves Cantrell leading a group of runners on a loop of the course. The loop is not timed, and runners are encouraged to explore and enjoy the scenery. However, the fun run is still challenging, with runners covering around 10 miles and climbing over 2,000 feet.
Another tradition of the Barkley Marathons is the "conch shell ceremony," which takes place at the start of the race. Cantrell blows a conch shell to signal the beginning of the race, and runners must then light their own cigarette or headlamp in order to start their own individual timer. This tradition harks back to Cantrell's early days of ultrarunning, when he and his friends would light a cigarette before starting a run as a way to keep track of their own time.
Each year, participants are required to bring a license plate from their home state or country to be displayed on a wall in the race's headquarters. The license plates serve as a way to document the international participation in the race and to showcase the diversity of the runners who come to take on the challenge.
Over the years, the license plates have become a sort of trophy for those who have completed the race. After finishing, runners are given a Sharpie marker and are allowed to sign and decorate their own license plate, which is then hung on the wall alongside the others. The license plates serve as a tangible reminder of the runner's accomplishment and are a source of pride for those who have completed the Barkley Marathons.
The rules of the Barkley Marathons are also unique, and contribute to the race's difficulty. There are no aid stations along the course, and runners must carry their own food and water. They must also navigate the course without any GPS or other electronic devices, and must rely solely on a map and compass. The course is not marked, and runners must find their way to various checkpoints, where they must tear out a page from a book that Cantrell has designated for that checkpoint. The checkpoints change each year, and the pages are often obscure and difficult to find.
In addition, the course changes slightly each year, and runners are not informed of the exact route until the day of the race. This makes it difficult for runners to prepare and study the course ahead of time, and adds to the mental challenge of the race.
The rules and traditions of the Barkley Marathons make it a unique and challenging event, requiring runners to rely on their own skills and resourcefulness in order to complete the race.
Barkley Marathons in popular culture
The Barkley Marathons has gained a cult following and has become a fixture in popular culture, thanks in part to the documentaries and media coverage it has received. The race's reputation for being one of the toughest endurance events in the world has garnered attention from both running and non-running communities.
One of the most famous documentaries about the Barkley Marathons is "The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young," which was released in 2014. Directed by Annika Iltis and Timothy James Kane, the documentary follows several runners as they attempt to complete the race and provides an in-depth look at the history and traditions of the event. The film has become a cult classic, and has helped to popularise the Barkley Marathons even further.
In addition to documentaries, the Barkley Marathons has been featured in books, articles, and podcasts, as well as in mainstream media outlets such as CNN and The New York Times. The race's reputation for being shrouded in secrecy, its challenging course, and its unique rules and traditions make it a fascinating subject for journalists and storytellers.
The Barkley Marathons has also influenced the world of ultrarunning, inspiring other races and runners to push themselves to new levels of endurance and mental toughness. The race's emphasis on self-reliance and navigation, as well as its challenging terrain, have become hallmarks of other ultra-endurance events around the world. The Barkley Marathons has become a symbol of the extreme endurance capabilities of the human body and mind, and has inspired countless runners to take on new challenges and test their limits.
2023 Results
Since 2017, there have been no finishers, but this year, two people finished within 20 minutes of one another: France's Aurelien Sanchez just edged out John Kelly, an American who, six years ago, was the last person to complete five loops in 60 hours.
This year’s race was the first time that seven runners left on their fourth loop, four runners began the rarely-experienced fifth loop, and only the second time three runners completed the course, which is roughly 130 miles (210km) in length and includes about 63,000 feet (19,000m) of elevation gain, within the 60-hour time cutoff.
Although a day hiker removed one of the books near the finish line thinking the competition was over, Aurelian Sanchez was the first to cross the finish line. The 32-year-old Frenchman returned to the yellow gate with the pages he had, believing he was condemned, only to discover the book waiting for him at the finish. 58 hours, 23 minutes, and 12 seconds later, he tore out his sheet and received credit for finishing the course.
John Kelly, a 38-year-old local runner from nearby Boone, North Carolina, finished in second and became just the third person to complete the race more than once. With a time of 58:42:23, he arrived back at the notorious yellow gate of the start/finish area about 19 minutes after Sanchez. Kelly was also the most recent Barkley finisher in 2017.
After that, a tense hour passed as the arrival of Karl Sabbe was anticipated. The 32-year-old Belgian dentist who holds the record for the fastest known time on the Appalachian Trail eventually showed up with all the required pages and just six minutes to spare to place third (and the final finisher) in the 2023 race in 59:53:33.
Damian Hall of the United Kingdom was one of the four to begin the final lap, but he had to leave the race early despite his valiant efforts.
Three completions in the same year have only happened once before, back in 2012.
Jasmin Paris, the UK fell running champion, started the fourth circuit of the five-lap race earlier in the competition, making history as the second woman to do so. She made a valiant effort to finish first among women, but she eventually ran out of time on the fourth loop after returning with nine pages gathered. Along with Sue Johnston's valiant effort in 2001, she was only the second woman to begin the fourth loop, but the wait for a female finisher continues.
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