It started when Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell blew a conch at 4:17 a.m. That’s when a small group of intrepid people in Tennessee’s Frozen Head State Park knew that it was about to begin: their adventure that would take them far beyond their limits. When Lazarus Lake, a man with a graying beard, an orange cap, a lumberjack shirt and a brown Parker, lit a cigarette an hour later, it was the starting signal for a race that, according to legend and the title of a documentary, “eats its young.” . Designed to fail. Hardly anyone makes it to the finish line.
60 hours is the magic limit for the at least 160 kilometers in rough terrain with 18,000 meters of elevation, spread over five laps – many say the 20 mile loop is actually more like 26 miles long (almost 42 kilometers). Nobody knows the exact route profile except race director Lazarus Lake. GPS watches are banned at the infamous Barkley Marathon. Winner Ihor Verys from Ukraine (58:44:59 hours) and three other runners had completed the ordeal this year as they waited and hoped for a British woman to make history. The minutes and seconds passed, the 60-hour mark approached – and then she appeared: Jasmin Paris, marked by the exertions of the craziest, most mysterious and probably craziest ultra trail run in the world, which is incomparable to anything.
After 59:58:21 hours, i.e. 99 seconds before the finish line, she used her last strength to reach the yellow barrier where Lazarus Lake had lit his cigarette. She is the first woman to make it to the finish line in the race’s history, which is rich in drama and legends – before this year’s edition, only 17 runners had achieved it since 1989. Jasmin Paris, a 40-year-old veterinarian and mother of two children, made history. Behind the Ukrainian, who lives in Canada, John Kelly and Jared Campbell, who finished the race for the third and fourth time respectively, as well as Greig Hamilton crossed the finish line.
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Before the race, for which successful registration is almost impossible, Paris said: “I feel a mixture of excitement and nervousness. I know it will be very difficult, maybe even impossible, but that’s exactly why I want to do it.” She had already tried it once: in 2022 and 2023 she managed to complete three of the five laps in the required time 40 hours to run. This is called a “fun run” in the world of the Barkley Marathon. Before this year’s edition, a woman had never made it to the fifth round. There were also years in which none of the maximum 40 starters reached the finish line or even made it to the final lap. The fact that five runners made it this year is a record.
Those chosen receive a letter of condolence
The Barkley Marathon has long been a myth. It was conceived in 1986 by Gary Cantrell aka Lazarus Lake and Karl Henn. The idea is based on the escape of James Earl Ray, Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassin, who escaped from nearby Brushy Mountain State Prison in 1977. In his 55-hour escape, he ended up covering twelve miles, 19 kilometers. Cantrell said: You can do at least 100 miles.
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The Barkley Marathon was born, named after Cantrell’s neighbor and runner Barry Barkley, initially with around 55 miles and since 1989 with around 100 miles (or more). There are always five laps of around 20 to 26 miles and with an altitude difference that has to be overcome that is twice as high as Mount Everest. The route changes every year. But this race is so different and infamous not only because of the history, the constantly changing route and the small field of participants.
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Just register and hope to get a starting place? It’s not that simple. Anyone who wants to face the ordeal must first find out the contact from Lazarus Lake, which isn’t supposed to be that easy. Those in the know are secretive. There is no registration form; only Cantrell knows the registration deadline. Whoever finds out the contact and date has to write an essay about why they should take part in the Barkley Marathon, an application letter, so to speak. Whoever is ultimately chosen will receive a letter of condolence. The entry fee: $1.60. You also need to bring a license plate from your home country and different things every year, such as a white shirt.
Find books, no food, just a compass
What also doesn’t exist: a start time, or only Cantrell knows this. It starts sometime between midnight and noon on the start day, and the sound of the conch shell tells the camping participants that they should get ready. An hour later the cigarette lights up.
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Only one person knows the exact route in advance; the participants receive the information on site. The route is also not signposted or on fixed paths. And so the Barkley Marathon becomes an orienteering race, without a GPS watch, but with a map and compass. The usual timing chip, often tied with a ribbon around each runner’s ankle to track them, is also missing. In order to see whether the participants have actually run the route, they have to find several books on each loop, take out the page with their start number and hand these pieces of paper in as evidence at the end of each lap. Twelve hours is the time limit per loop.
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The route is run first clockwise and then counterclockwise; teams of athletes often form and fight their way through together. Refreshment points like you see at most major endurance events? You guessed it: not here. There are two water points, otherwise the runners have to feed themselves. The next problem: recovery or even sleep. Whether, if so where, when and for how long, is up to each individual. Usually after one of the rounds if there is a time buffer. And then for just a few minutes. Whoever goes to the fifth loop first has the choice: clockwise or counterclockwise. The following athletes take turns running in the direction so that everyone sets off alone and everyone has to fight alone.
Ihor Verys, the eventual winner, went into the final round first, with six participants following him. At that point, Jasmin Paris still had about 13 hours left to make history. Speaking about the moments when the situation came to a head as the end of the race approached, photographer David Miller told BBC Scotland: “There was great anticipation at the finish. Three minutes before the 60-hour deadline, we heard shouts and screams, people cheering Jasmin on. She sprinted and gave it her all, with no room for error, otherwise she wouldn’t have made it. Then she touched the barrier and collapsed from exhaustion. It was the best thing I’ve ever seen, it was incredible.”
You can find many pictures of the run on Jacob Zocherman’s Instagram page.
