Barkley Marathons

The Barkley Marathons is an ultramarathon consisting of 100 miles (160 km) run and a 60 miles (97 km) "fun run" held in Frozen Head State Park near Wartburg, Tennessee, U.S. The race is run in late March or early April of each year.

History

The Barkley course was designed by Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell. His idea for the race was inspired upon hearing about Martin Luther King, Jr's assassin James Earl Ray escaping from nearby Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. Ray covered only 8 miles (13 km) after running 55 hours in the woods. Cantrell said to himself, "I could do at least 100 miles." Thus, the Barkley Marathons was born.^[1]

Race description

Registration

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. Potential entrants must complete an essay on "Why I Should be Allowed to Run in the Barkley", pay a $1.60 entry fee, and complete other requirements subject to change. Entrants who successfully secure a place are delivered a "letter of condolence" at being accepted.

The course

The course itself, which has changed distance, route, and elevation many times since its inaugural run in 1986, currently consists of a 20-mile (32 km) unmarked loop with no aid stations except water at two points along the route and the runner's parked car at the beginning of the loop. Runners of the 100-mile version run this loop five times, with loops three and four being run in the opposite direction and loop five being runner's choice. Runners of the 60-mile "fun run" complete three circuits of the loop.

With 54,200 feet (16,500 m) of accumulated vertical climb, the 100-mile run is considered to be one of the more challenging ultramarathons held in the United States, if not the world.^[2] In many years, no one completes the entire course.^[3]

Timing and other requirements

The Barkley starts any time from 11pm to 11am on race day, with one hour till race start signaled by blowing a conch. The race officially begins when a cigarette is lit by the race director.^[4]

The cut-off time for the 100-mile race is 12 hours per loop, and the cut-off for the 60-mile version of the race is 40 hours overall, which averages out to approximately 13 hours and 20 minutes per loop. Since the race's inception in 1986, only 14 runners out of about 800 have completed the 100-mile race within the official 60-hour cut-off. In 2006 nobody finished even the 60-mile "fun run" in under 40 hours. The best women's achievement is Sue Johnston's 66 miles (106 km) in 2001. More than 30 competitors failed to reach the first book (two miles).^[5]^[6]

In addition to running, competitors must find between nine to eleven 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.^[7]

Finishers

Year	Name	Time
1995	Mark Williams	59:28:48†
2001	David Horton	58:21:00†
2001	Blake Wood	58:21:01
2003	Ted "Cave Dog" Keizer	56:57:52†
2004	Mike Tilden	57:25:18
2004	Jim Nelson	57:28:25
2008	Brian Robinson	55:42:27†
2009	Andrew Thompson	57:37:19
2010	Jonathan Basham	59:18:44
2011	Brett Maune	57:13:33
2012	Brett Maune (2)	52:03:08†
	Jared Campbell	56:00:15
	John Fegyveresi	59:41:21
2013	Nick Hollon	57:39:24
2013	Travis Wildeboer	58:41:45
2014	Jared Campbell (2)	57:53:20

† new record

Documentary

The 2012 Barkley was covered in a full-length documentary titled The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young, directed by Annika Iltis and Timothy Kane.

References

^ Jamison, Neal (April 30, 2014). Running Through the Wall: Personal Encounters With the Ultramarathon. Breakaway Books.
^ Seminara, Dave (March 27, 2013). "The Barkley Marathons: Few Know How to Enter; Fewer Finish". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
^ Buteau, Michael. "All 40 Runners Fail at 100-Mile Tennessee Mountain Race". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
^ Engle, Charlie. "Notorious". Runner's World. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
^ Jhung, Lisa (April 6, 2010). "The Impervious Barkley Marathons". Runner's World. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
^ Everett, Matthew (April 13, 2011). "The Barkley Marathons Is the Toughest Race You've Never Heard Of". Metro Pulse. Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ Ethier, David (July 5, 2013). "An Ultramarathon You Can't Finish". Huckberry. Retrieved April 3, 2016.