Eduardo - Trail Run Planet

When it comes to whacky, off-the-wall trail race concepts, there is nothing to beat the Barkley Marathons. Imagine a race so tough that it wasn’t until the tenth edition that an athlete finished within the 60-hour cut-off for the first time. The Barkley Marathons is a trail running event held during March or April in the Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee. The race consists of five 20-mile laps, and almost all completely off-trail and unmarked. Less than half the field makes it through the first lap and there are usually no finishers. Let’s learn all about this weird event where even the entry process is completely different from any other event in the world. What Are The Barkley Marathons? Designed and founded by Gary Cantrell, more popularly known as Lazarus Lake, the Barkley Marathons is an ultramarathon trail running competition being held annually in the Frozen Head State Park which is near Wartburg, Tennessee. It is an ultimate race wherein runners are going to cover a full course of around 160 kilometers or 100 miles. Happening every March or April of the year, the Barkley Marathons is time-limited to 60 hours. Ever since its first race back in 1986 up until 2021, the popular ultramarathon has been completed by only 15 runners. How It All Started The race name Barkley Marathons was coined by Gary Cantrell after his running companion and longtime neighbor Barry Barkley, who died in 2019 at the age of 70. What inspired Gary Cantrell to conceptualize and establish the ultramarathon is the escape of James Earl Ray in 1977 from the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. He was imprisoned because of assassinating Martin Luther King, Jr. James Earl Ray ran for 55 hours in the woods and covered only just 13 kilometers or 8 miles. https://youtu.be/79IUKC9gS-8 After hearing about this, Gary Cantrell said that he could run for at least 100 miles with the hours that James Earl Ray ran. From there, Gary Cantrell had the idea of having an ultramarathon covering 100 miles within 60 hours limit, hence the Barkley Marathons. Registering For The Barkley Marathons Only 40 runners are accepted to run for the yearly Barkley Marathons. The registration has no publicity or advertorial campaigns at all. Even the email address to which applications must be sent is not publicized at all, it is up to the athletes to find the email address each year. The potential runners are pooled from the applications and they are given the task to write an essay entitled "Why I Should Be Allowed To Run In The Barkley". The registration has an application fee of $1.60 and the requirements are subject to change depending upon important factors. Accepted runners will later receive a "letter of condolence". Race Number 1 from Barkley 2018 Previous runners who are non-finishers bring donations like shirts or socks as an additional fee when they join again. Meanwhile, previous finishers bring Camel cigarettes as part of the application fee. Finally, first-time "virgin" runners are mandated to bring their state or country license plate. The Barkley Course, Timing, And Other Details The Barkley Course The course of the Barkley Marathons consists of about a 20-mile loop that is unmarked and mostly off-trail without any aid stations except for two water stations. The race starts and ends at the yellow road gate and in order to complete the race, the runners will have to run the loop five times alternating between clockwise and counter-clockwise. The course also has 16,500 meters of vertical climb, making it one of the hardest and most challenging ultramarathons ever. Barkley Marathons Timing And Cut-Offs The ultramarathon can begin at any time from midnight to noon on race day. A conch will be blown one hour before the race and is the only indication that the runners have of the exact start time. The race director signals the beginning of the race by lighting a cigarette. The cut-off time for the entire trail running competition is 60 hours, although the cut-off time for starting each lap is in increments of 12 hours. The pocket watch from Barkley 2021 set to "Barkley Time" - 5 mins to race start So, loop two must start within 12 hours, start loop three within 24 hours, start loop four within 36 hours, and start the final loop within 48 hours. Other Unique Details Of The Barkley Marathons There are 13 books along the course and the runner must tear the page corresponding to his race number in order to have proof of completion of all loops. Runners receive a new race number at the start of each loop. When a runner opts to drop out and returns to the yellow road gate, the bugler plays "Taps" and is said to have been "tapped-out." True success is not the absence of failure. It is the refusal to surrender!Lazarus Lake - Barkley Marathons At the start of the race each runner receives a simple watch that has been pre-set to "Barkley time" where 12-o-clock is shown at the start time. That watch is the only "technology" that runners are permitted to carry outside of head torch, compass, and map. GPS watches/units are not permitted. During the 2021 edition of the Barkley Marathons the runners were given pocket watches and many of the runners were clueless how to open them so that they could see the time. The Finishers Of The Barkley Marathons This annual ultra trail running competition does not always end up with a finisher. The Barkley Marathons had its first race back in 1986, yet it was only in 1995 when it had its first finisher. The runner's name is Mark Williams, and he completed the race within 59 hours, 28 minutes, and 48 seconds. https://youtu.be/NDZdsqbcGTU The story of the 2017 Barkley Marathons Since then, the Barkley Marathons have a total of only 15 finishers, and the latest of which was in the 2017 race won by John Kelly at 59 hours, 30 minutes, and 53 seconds. The Tradition Of Race Bib Number One On average every year at the Barkley Marathons more than 60% of the entrants drop out on the first of the 5 laps. As a result of this even the race bib number one has a quirky tradition. Normally the defending champion of an event has the honor of wearing race bib number one. Not so at the Barkley Marathons. The bib number 1 is given to the runner that Laz thinks will be the first athlete to quit each year. The Story Of The Six Seconds From 2017 And 2018 The infamous “six seconds” story at Barkley Marathons actually spans two years, both 2017 and 2018. The first part of the story has been widely reported and features how Gary Robbins collapsed at the famous yellow gate at the end of his fifth and final lap in a time of 60hr 00min and 06sec missing cut off by a mere 6 seconds. That was 2017. Youtube has a superb documentary about Robbins and the 2017 Barkley by The Ginger Runner called Where Dreams Go To Die. It is well worth watching. For the second part of the six seconds story, we need to look forward a year to the 2018 edition of the Barkley Marathons. "The Six Seconds" - Checkpoint 2 from Barkley 2018 As you likely know, the Barkley Marathons has a series of checkpoints, to ensure that the runners complete the entire route. These checkpoints are in the form of books that are hidden under rocks or in the trunks of dead trees. Runners have to tear out the page from the book that matches the bib number given to them at the start of the loop. As one of the many ways that Laz uses to jab at the psychological strength of the runners, he chose a book titled Six Seconds by Rick Mofina (Available on Amazon) as book number 2 for the 2018 edition. Lately, Laz gets asked each year if he thinks the Barkley will get its first female finisher. His answer remains “NO” every time, though not for any sexist reason. Laz never expects any of the runners to be able to finish, regardless of gender.