Courtesy of Bruno Nascimento
“If you’re going to face a real challenge, it has to be a real challenge.” At least that’s what Gary Cantrell thinks. Cantrell, known more famously as Lazarus Lake, is the co-founder of one of the toughest ultra-races across the globe. Lake, alongside Karl Henn aka “Raw Dog,” created the Barkley Marathons in 1986. Anyone who has even attempted this monster of a race would agree that “there is no other event in this world that [I know of that] is this hard.”
In 1977, James Earl Ray, who was convicted for the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., escaped from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary located deep in the woods of Tennessee. Fleeing from this “inescapable prison,” Ray was found 54 hours later but had only made it eight miles from the prison. What was one of the largest manhunts in the history of Tennessee eventually turned into Lake’s inspiration for the Barkley. With curiosity surrounding the woods that Ray traipsed through, Lake was intrigued to see if people could make it 100 miles. So, he got to work and founded the Barkley.
Every year on the weekend before April Fool’s Day, 40 people are invited to the small town of Frozen Head, Tennessee with one goal in mind: to complete the Barkley Marathon. However, little is known about the application and entry process of the race. What began as a secret has slowly gotten around to more people in the ultra running community. Some have heard that an exam is required, while others are under the impression that an essay must be submitted on Christmas Eve detailing why you want to run. Upon the slight chance that you are accepted, you will receive a letter of condolences stating that you have been chosen to participate. Those who are new to the race, or “virgins,” are required to bring $1.60 and a license plate from their home country or state to be able to run. Anyone who has raced the Barkley before, the “veterans,” are asked to bring an item that Lake may need. One year the creator asked for white t-shirts and the next he requested flannels. These odd requests, Lake says, “attracts a certain type of person, and I don’t think we would get the same collection of people if there was a large entry fee,” which tends to be the case for most ultra-races.
The application process is just the beginning in terms of strange details about this event. The 40 accepted runners are only aware of the weekend that the race will begin, but they are not sure of the exact time. All participants arrive and set up in camp, just to wait around for Lake’s symbol. This symbol is a conch shell. Once the shell is blown, the race will begin exactly an hour later. Once an hour has surpassed, all runners line up behind an infamous yellow gate that marks the start. Lake lights a cigarette and sends the brave souls on their way. One of the most asked questions about the race is what each runner has to do and why it is so challenging:
The Barkley consists of a looped course that must be completed five times. Each loop is said to be 20 miles; however, many people believe that it is closer to 26.2 miles per loop, or a marathon, which would total to approximately 130 miles upon completion. With each loop requiring 12,000 feet of climb and 12,000 feet of descent, participants who finish will have climbed and descended the distance and elevation of Mt. Everest, twice. Each runner must complete two daylight and two nighttime laps, one clockwise and one counterclockwise. The first runner, if any, to begin loop five chooses their direction, while the subsequent runners must alternate directions. If that’s not challenging enough, no one is sure of where the course is. Each participant is given a master map upon arrival that they must copy down and commit to memory, making this a “source of endless speculation.” Every year Lake changes the course, making it almost impossible to know exactly where you are at any given moment. Even the veterans get turned around.
This race is truly “right at the limit of what people can do.” To ensure that the runners follow the correct route, there are about fourteen books placed on the course. Each runner is tasked with finding and tearing out a page from each book that corresponds with their race number for that lap. These serve as unofficial checkpoints and maintain the validity of the challenge. Climbing through spots titled the Pillars of Doom and Checkmate Hill, the runners must find all fourteen books per loop and complete five loops. Oh, and it might be important to mention that they only have 60 hours to do so. After the completion of a loop, a runner can spend as much time in the camp as they need, whether this means replenishing their hunger, resting, or changing shoes. Most people spend an average of ten minutes in camp before heading out for another loop. However, there are those who choose to stop their attempt at the Barkley.
Up until 2024, there had only been seventeen individual finishers. Most participants end up walking down Quitter’s Road back to camp. Taps are played for each dropout, commemorating their bravery and attempt at a marvelous feat. Lake adds that “for some people, just to get back to camp alive is all they want in the world.” However, the 2024 Barkley was a special year for the race. Jasmin Paris, 40, became the first woman to ever complete all five loops. Finishing with less than two minutes to spare, Paris tapped the yellow gate and collapsed from the exhaustion and pain that her body was in. Paris reflected, saying that “those final moments have redefined for me what I am capable of.” This is exactly what Lazarus Lake loves getting to witness each year in Tennessee.
Lake believes that “people who go through this are better for it.” He adds, “the harder you work for something, the more you enjoy it.” The Barkley Marathon is nothing short of a tremendous accomplishment and an outrageous event that requires extreme mental toughness to even toe the start line. After all, the event has been coined “The Race That Eats its Young,” which was first used in a 2014 documentary made about the race. It’s the camaraderie of the competition combined with the absurd requirements, the secretive element, and the amount of pain required that creates the unique nature of the Barkley Marathon. It is simply hard to believe that something like this even exists in the world, and even harder to understand how now 20 individual people have completed it. It is safe to say that this race is a real challenge, and Lazarus Lake has succeeded in pushing many people beyond their preconceived limits. “You can’t really tell how much you can do until you try to do something that’s more,” states Lake. The Barkley Marathon, an iconic and world-renowned ultra-race, continues to challenge and push brave souls to the brink. Who will be its next victim? After all, “you have to be super-elite to finish the Barkley, but if you want it just bad enough…” you might surprise yourself.
