The Barkley Marathon

* (Photo credit: Geoffrey S. Baker for the New York Times)

One of the most elusive and difficult races of the year took place in the middle of March, and as most people expected, there wasn’t a single finisher. If you are familiar with Lazarus Lake, you know I’m talking about the Barkley Marathon. If you aren’t familiar with it, sit back, grab a protein shake, and learn all about the race that eats its young.

The Story Behind Barkley

The Barkley Marathon is the brain-child of sadistic race director Jerry Cantrell, aka Lazarus Lake, better known in the running community simply as “Laz.” Of all the races and race formats that he’s come up with (and there have been a few!), Barkley may be the most famous and likely the most difficult, as well. 

Laz came up with the idea for the race after being inspired by the jailbreak of James Earl Ray (who was convicted for the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.) from the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. Ray was on the loose for 54 hours but only managed to make it about 8 miles away from the prison. Laz, an ultra runner himself, figured that he could have made it 100 miles if he’d been given the same amount of time in the Crab Orchard Mountains, and the framework for the race was born. 

The race was named after Laz’s longtime running companion and neighbor, Barry Barkley.

The Barkley Format

The race is hosted early each year in Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee. The race dates change from year to year, taking place in mid-March to early April. Runners don’t even know the dates of the race until they are accepted, at which point they receive a “Letter of Condolence” from Laz to let them know they’ve been picked to tackle Barkley. Only 40 runners each year receive a letter, so it is quite an honor to be selected. 

The original course format differed from the race we know as Barkley today. For starters, it was “only” 50-55 miles (or so Laz said; others said they thought it was considerably longer) and featured three loops instead of the five runners must complete today. 1988 was the first year that runners had to find books hidden around the course and bring back a page to prove they’d completed the entire course (which still continues to this day.)

In 1995, Laz overhauled the race, making it even more difficult. The 60-hour, five-loop race that we know today was born, even though the course itself continues to change constantly. Each loop is supposed to be about 20 miles, but runners believe each loop is now closer to 25 miles. No one is allowed to use any type of GPS device, so no one knows precisely how far the race is or how much elevation gain there truly is. Runners now have 60 hours to complete the five loops, although they must complete their 3rd loop under 40 hours to be allowed to continue. Completing 3 of the five loops is called a “fun run,” and many runners hope to even make it that far. 

Runners must navigate unmarked trails while fighting dense undergrowth and unpredictable weather. Since GPS devices are banned, runners must rely on a map and compass to find their way. Don’t expect Laz to hand you a nice photocopied map of the course; one master map with notes is released the day before the race, and all the runners are responsible for making their own copy. 

Participants still have to pull pages from books hidden on the course to prove they completed the entire loop, but now there are anywhere from 9 to 15 books to find on each loop (the actual number changes from year to year.) If runners miss a book or lose a page, their race is over.

Each loop starts and ends at the famous yellow gate, which you may be familiar with if you’ve watched any of the Barkley Marathon documentaries released in the past. 

The Women of Barkley

Laz has famously said that he didn’t think a woman would ever be able to finish the Barkley, that it was simply too difficult. That held true until 2024, when Jasmin Paris, a British runner on her 3rd attempt at the race, came in to touch the yellow gate with 99 seconds left on the clock. She became the 1st woman ever to complete the race, inspiring women and men worldwide to try to break their own barriers. The image of her collapsed at the yellow gate will go down as one of the greatest trail runner pictures ever.

Jasmin completed a fun run in her first year and four laps in her second year. She took her training to another level before the 2024 edition of the race, and it paid off in spades for her. Her name will now forever be synonymous with the Barkley. (If you haven’t seen it, a documentary about her race was recently released on YouTube. Check out The Finisher: Jasmin Paris and the Barkley Marathons.)

The Barkley Quirks

Laz is one of the most eccentric race directors out there, and his races have some unique aspects. The Barkley is no exception. Some of the eccentricities include:

• First-time competitors must bring a license plate from their state or country to complete their registration. 
• The entry fee is $1.60. Yes, you read that correctly: less than two dollars. “One cent per mile,” as Laz says (60-mile fun run and 100-mile full race)
• The race application includes random questions, such as “What is the most important vegetable group?” and “What will the 119th element on the periodic table be?” Runners must also write an essay explaining why they should be chosen to tackle Barkley.
• Laz selects one “human sacrifice” each year, someone who he thinks has no chance of completing the race.
• Along with their application and entry fee, runners must bring an item of Laz’s choice. Previous items included a pack of white socks, a white shirt, and other items that Laz needed at the time of the event.
• The race can start any time between 11 p.m. and 11 a.m., and only Laz knows the official start time beforehand. One hour before the race begins, Laz blows a conch to let runners know they have 60 minutes until race time. 
• There is also no starting gun at Barkley. The race begins when Laz lights his cigarette. Once it is lit, runners pass the yellow gate, and the race is on. 
• Runners must alternate the directions of their loops so that each loop is in the opposite direction of the last one. On the 5th loop, each runner must alternate directions, meaning that no one can work together to get through the last loop (as they may have for the first four).
• “Taps” is played on a bugle every time a runner drops from the race to mark the DNF.

Why has Laz created such a challenging race and continued to make it harder when runners find a way to complete it? Some say he likes to see people suffer, but he does it to see what people are truly made of. One of his famous quotes probably sums it up better than I ever could;

If you’re going to face a real challenge, it has to be a real challenge. You can’t accomplish anything without the possibility of failure.

 - Lazarus Lake