Barkley Marathons: Everything you need to know

And just like that, another gruelling edition of the Barkley Marathons has ended. A nigh on impossible race in Tennessee, this year’s endeavour proved especially brutal, even by Barkley standards, with nobody finishing all five loops.

In fact, only 25% of the 40-strong field (which remained largely a mystery) made it to the second loop of the five-lap race. Then, only four intrepid souls conquered the second loop to make it onto the third.

Of these final, strong-willed participants, only John Kelly, a three-time Barkley Marathons finisher, was able to accomplish what is known as a ‘Fun Run’ – that is, completing three loops within 40 hours. According to longstanding race reporter Keith Dunn, Meet the cover star: Milly Pickles.

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Curious to know the history of this enigmatic ultramarathon? Then walk this way…

What is the Barkley Marathons?

The Barkley Marathons is a race like no other. Shrouded in secrecy and notorious for its sheer difficulty, the ultramarathon has gained a cult-like status in recent years.

Runners World, Part of the Hearst UK Wellbeing Network Meet the cover star: Milly Pickles Brett Maune 2011, 2012.

It’s easy to see why. Since its debut edition, the race has only been completed 26 times by 20 different runners, and it’s more common for there to be no finishers at all. To say that it’s nigh-on impossible is an understatement.

The 2024 race was its most iconic yet though. British ultrarunner Jasmin Paris made history as the first woman to finish, while the record was broken for the most ever finishers – last year’s race the first time five entrants have made it around the course.

But what is the Barkley Marathons? And what makes it so difficult? Ahead of the 2025 race, we’ve pulled together a beginner’s guide to get you up to speed.

Most running races are made to be finished. But the Barkley isn’t like most running races.

Created by Gary ‘Lazarus Lake’ Cantrell (the brains behind the Backyard Ultra), the race sees competitors given a 60-hour cut-off to complete five loops of a (roughly) 20-mile course in Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee, USA.

Although that might sound comparable to some of the world’s toughest ultramarathons on paper, the race involves several quirks (navigating with a map and compass and no GPS or running watches; an unmarked and overgrown course; checkpoints that require you to locate and rip pages out of books; 60,000ft elevation gain) that ups the ante somewhat.

When is the Barkley Marathons?

The exact date for the Barkley Marathons is kept under wraps to minimise spectators and protect the surroundings of Frozen Head State Park. Usually, though, the race takes place on the first weekend of April – although it sometimes happens in March, as is the case this year.

The history of the Barkley Marathons

In 1977, James Earl Ray, who assassinated Martin Luther King Jr, escaped from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in the town of Petros in Morgan County, Tennessee. Sixty hours later, following a huge manhunt, Ray was found – having travelled only eight miles. Unimpressed, Cantrell, an ultrarunner, thought he could cover 100 miles in that time. And so the Barkley was born.

The first event was held in 1986 and saw competitors pitted against a 50-55 mile course and a 24-hour time limit. The course was extended to a 100-mile version from the 1989 edition onwards, while the current 20-mile, five-lap set-up was introduced from 1995.

Its name is inspired by Barry Barkley – a longtime neighbour and running companion of Cantrell.

Who was the first person to finish the Barkley Marathons?

A Brit, of course: Mark Williams. In 1995, Williams completed the course in 59:28:48. It’s one of the breakthrough achievements in ultrarunning yet little is known about the enigmatic Williams, who turns down interviews.

Although more than eight hours have been shaved off his record since (a 52:03:08 set by Brett Maune in 2012), Williams’ result was one of the breakthrough achievements in ultrarunning.

Travis Wildeboer 2013

Field size and composition

Although hundreds apply each year, Cantrell has limited to start line to 40 runners. The competitors are mainly comprised of elite and experienced ultrarunners, but one entrant is sadistically selected as the ‘human sacrifice’ – a runner whom Cantrell believes has ‘no business being here’.

How do you qualify for the Barkley Marathons?

With only 40 spots up for grabs, securing a Barkley starting place is as hard as the race itself. In theory, one simply has to send in an application by post, along with a non-refundable registration fee of $1.60. However, when and how is a well-kept secret – and there is no race website.

According to a blog by three-time finisher John Kelly, each application is weighted based on factors such as chance of finishing, diverse representation and unfulfilled Barkley potential, while those who deferred, have finished or won the previous year’s Barkley Fall Classic or Big Dog’s Backyard are guaranteed spots.

A brief look at the course

Although the Barkley has a defined course, the terrain, overgrown nature of the trails and lack of any signage make it extremely difficult to follow.

To help them navigate, runners are given a topographical map the day before the race and a pen to plot the master route and locations of the nine-to-15 books that act as checkpoints. Participants are then required to find and rip a page out of each book, which are presented to Cantrell as proof at the end of each loop.

If that wasn’t hard enough, the trails aren’t the manicured kind and competitors are forced to wade through thorns and prickly shrubs, which rip clothing and legs to shreds. For that reason, runners tend to wear full-length trousers and tops.

There’s also the small matter of vertical incline, with more than 60,000ft (two Everests) of elevation gain to overcome over the five laps.

Inov-8

How the race works

Although runners know the race’s date in advance, they only know that it will start at some point between midnight and noon.

That decision is made by race director Cantrell, who blows a conch shell (obviously) to signal 60 minutes until the start. Once runners are assembled at the campground’s yellow gate start line, the race finally gets underway at the lighting of Cantrell’s cigarette.

Runners must touch the yellow gate at the start and end of each lap, at which point they can be assisted by their crew.

Although the main race has a cut-off of 60 hours, each lap has its own cut-off of 12 hours, with runners not allowed to rejoin the course if they fail to make it back to camp within the 12- (one lap), 24- (two laps), 36- (three laps) and 48-hour (four laps) windows. However, if attempting the 60-mile ‘fun run’, they have 40 hours to complete three laps.

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Why is the Barkley Marathons so difficult?

Aside from the standard challenges faced when completing an ultramarathon of this distance, elevation gain, terrain and duration, the Barkley ratchets up the difficulty even more by keeping the competitors on their toes throughout.

This is best highlighted by the course direction. The first two loops are completed clockwise, but just as runners think they’re getting the hang of things, it’s reversed for laps three and four. If you are one of the (un)lucky few to make it to lap five, the direction will be determined by the race’s leader, who can choose whether they will run clockwise or anti-clockwise, with any subsequent runners alternating the direction selected by the leader.

How many people have finished the Barkley Marathons?

In the 30 years of its current 60-hour, five 20-mile laps format, only 20 of the hardiest souls have completed the course, with three (Brett Maune, Jared Campbell and John Kelly) somehow making it around multiple times. Campbell has the most finishes – four – and Jasmin Parris is the only woman to have completed the Barkley.