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Everything You Need to Know
The weather is slowly getting better here, gone are the days of dark evenings and subzero temperatures. That means more outdoor activities. A brisk stroll, a cycle around the trails or even a drive in the night air. However for some the prospect of just physical activity is not enough, some like pushing their mind and body to the limits. So in this 3 part series, we talk about 3 of the most extreme, gruelling and toughest races in the world. We kick it off by introducing one of the toughest ultramarathons in the world.
Barkley Marathon
The Barkley Marathons is held annually in Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee, USA. The brainchild of Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell after reading about the lacklustre prison escape of James Earl Ray (murderer of Martin Luther King Jr.). James Earl Ray only managed a distance of around 19km (20 miles) after nearly 55 hours of running in the woods and dodging air searches. Gary Cantrell said to himself that he could do 100 miles in the same time, therefore he founded the race. Why he would do that is beyond me.
The Route
The race is 100 miles, where runners complete 5 laps of a 20 mile loop within the state park. A slightly shorter route of 3 laps of the 20 mile loop is also available for runners to partake in and is aptly named the fun run. The distance of the race is not the only daunting thing about this race. Arguably the hardest part of the race is the accumulated elevation of approximately 16000m (55000 feet) across the 100 mile course. For context, Mt Everest is 8848m in elevation and aircrafts normally cruise at 33000-42000 feet. Runners are given 60 hours to complete the race or face being cut.
Registration and Completion
There is no official website for the race and registration and requirements are kept secretive. The registration fee is a measly $1.60 and if you are the lucky 40 who get selected, Gary Cantrell lets you know by sending you a letter of condolence. New runners are always required to bring a license plate from their state or country whereas all runners are required to bring an item (normally an item of clothing) specified by Cantrell. A conch is blown exactly 1 hour before the start of the race and can be anytime between noon and midnight. Cantrell as race director flags off the race by lighting a cigarette at the start line. Since 1995, the full 100 mile loop has only been completed 18 times by 15 different runners. More than 50% of the race editions end with no finishers. Lastly, race bib No.1 is always given to the person that Cantrell thinks is least likely to finish the race, a human sacrifice is how Cantrell puts it.
So there you are! One of the toughest footrace in the world with arguably the weirdest rules and requirements. Stay tuned for next week’s issue where the next race might involve wheels.
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