that is one hardcore race! couldn't find the 'trail that east it's young' doc, but there's a lot on the barkley on youtube, coupla 20-30min docs & one clip of a guy who finishd, but 6 seconds outside the 60hour time limit. devastating!

that looks amazing. I e-mailed Dean Karnazes once, with a question about something, and he got right back to me. Nice guy.

I'd heard about this race. Races like this and a few others used to sit on a backburner want-to-do for me. There's a similar one in Alaska and the only prize for finishing is a Snickers bar. I've run seven 50Ks in the last five or six years and about that many trail marathons as well and I kept thinking that I would move up to longer ones. We have a local 100 mile race that practically finsihes in my back yard! But then my son came along and I stopped having the time to train to do that much long distance (to run a 50K, which is 31 miles, I was averaging about 45 miles a week). In the days when I was running like that, I kept swearing that the race I was in was the last but then when it was over I would sign up for another one. I survived that one, so why not?! Every single trail race presents different challenges so you constantly have to be prepared for almost anything to happen. The last 50K I ran had enormous winds that pelted us with rain and sleet flying sideways for 31 miles. There was no escaping it. It wasn't all that fun as the hours drug by but if I had the time I would do that race again - only hopefully with better weather.

I've gotten lost in several races where the course was supposedly well-marked so I can imagine what a nightmare this race must be. But, when it's over, the toughest races have become some of my favorite running adventures. What would be hard to face with this one is the possibilty of not finishing. I may have finished very slow a few times but I've always crossed the finish. That's where they keep the pizza and beer!

That's pretty phat, beatnik... I don't know if I could handle being pelted with sleet and wind whilst running though. Methinks I ain't tough enough for that sort of thing, although if the prize was more than a Snickers bar I might motivate myself! Alaska is prob worse than TN. Man, I can just envision the black flies if it was run at the wrong time of year!

I always admire the peeps who can run and run and run and not tire... my knees would never hold up to that (though my lungs might), but I can sprint like the dickens!

If there had been black flies that day they would have ended up in another state the wind was blowing so hard. That particular race was on the Oregon Coast. The first seven miles are run on a beach and the wind was so fierce that we ended up running in trains to take advantage of the person in front as a windblock. You had to trade off every few minutes because it was such a drag on the leader's energy and stamina. All part of the fun - once it's over anyway.

If there had been black flies that day they would have ended up in another state the wind was blowing so hard.

true!

digging the 90s-style, barebones site: https://barkleymarathons.com/
plus some stats and shit: https://www.mattmahoney.net/barkley/