Ray was the convicted assassin of Martin Luther King Jr. The inspiration for creating the Barkley in 1986 was the 1977 prison escape by James Earl Ray from Brushy Mountain State Prison. Directly opposite of most ultras, the course is specifically designed to minimize the number of finishers. If they lose a page or miss a book, they are out. They are just given a one-hour warning when the conch is blown. To prove that they run the course correctly, books are placed a various places on the course where the runners must tear out a page from each book matching their bib number. The entrance fee includes bringing a license plate from your home state/country. Runners are given the course directions the day before the race and aren’t told when the race exactly starts. Those seeking entry must submit an essay. For the 2018 race, 1,300 runners applied and only 40 selected. It is a mystery how to enter, It has no course map or entrants list is published online.
The Barkley is an event with a mysterious lore. It is held in and near Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee, with a distance of more than 100 miles. The Barkley Marathons, with its historic low finish rate (only 15 runners in 30 years), is perhaps the most difficult ultramarathon trail race in the world. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | JioSaavn | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More By Davy Crockettīoth a podcast episode and a full article The famous prison and the start gate Get my new best-selling book about the history of crossing the Grand Canyon Not a chance in hell I'd try it myself though.Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:06 - 41.5MB) It is heart breaking and it makes for gripping viewing. With no markers and no GPS, can't you cheat? No, there are books at various points in the woods and you have to find them all, tear out the page that matches your race number (that changes each loop) and get a full set. but you only have 60 hours to complete it. Completely solo, no help, no markers, no water stations, intentionally fluid organisation, even no set start time. Most people don't complete 1 Lap, never mind all 5.
5 laps, in daylight and at night, going opposite directions on each loop. Invite only and limited to 40 entrants per year, to tackle a 130(ish) mile course, across mind bogglingly hard terrain that you have to navigate yourself, with map/compass, no GPS. Low-fi homespun logistics tying together possibly the nuttiest and toughest course on the planet. I've heard of The Barkley Marathons before, but this doc really nails it.
Reviewed by garethcrook 8 / 10 Inspiring and heart breaking.
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