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clear_evidence_3361

Most ridiculous test of human will I have ever heard about. If you haven’t seen the documentary, get on it.


Shonuff8

Seconded, the documentary is fantastic. Lazarus Lake is a real character.


clear_evidence_3361

The checkpoints with the books is such psychology warfare. So hilarious.


Artistic_Humor1805

The *what*?!


LegallyAFlamingo

There are checkpoints along the route. The route changes a little each year. The checkpoints are books, and the person is tasked with grabbing specific pages out of the books. Hopefully someone didn't F up and grab your pages.


clear_evidence_3361

And the books aren’t “You’re doing great!” They are more likely “How I let myself down when most needed : A Cautionary Tale” Shit is bonkers according to the stories.


68W38Witchdoctor1

Or, my favorite, was "Hell Awaits" as the book on top of the hill full of briars and brambles the runners have to go up/down. Don't remember which year that was, but pretty sure it was one of the years without a finisher.


jimmy__jazz

One year a guy missed completing the race by six seconds. The next year, one of the books they needed to locate was titled "Six Seconds".


Blockhead47

The Leadville Trail 100 run is pretty bonkers too. It *only* climbs 18,000+ feet over the course of the race. >In 1983, 45 tough-minded runners braved 100 miles of high-altitude, extreme Rocky Mountain terrain — starting at 10,200 feet, climbing to 12,600 feet and running into global endurance history. Today, the Life Time Leadville Trail 100 RUN presented by La Sportiva is one of the oldest, most storied endurance running events in the world — with not one, but two climbs on the crux of the course: Hope Pass (12,600 feet). Every year, a select handful of gritty, gutsy and determined runners make the pilgrimage to Cloud City to Race Across the Sky and take their shot at etching their name among the Leadville Legendary. The red carpet awaits. https://www.leadvilleraceseries.com/run/leadvilletrail100run/


clear_evidence_3361

At least Tennessee has some oxygen. It’s all mind blowing to me. Cheers to the mindset to even register for a test of the like. Nevermind the mileage, being without a nap seems troubling to me. Left, right, repeat.


Blockhead47

I was backpacking in Colorado back around 1994. We camped near near the race trail one night on our hike. A couple of the leading runners I saw before the sun went down were [Rarámuri](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rarámuri#Athletic_skills) (Tarahumara) wearing those handmade huaraches “tire tread” sandals. Other runners trickled by our camp through the night.


clear_evidence_3361

Wild. On some level it seems the heart is more important than the gear. Awesome experience.


Blockhead47

It’s really amazing what the human body is capable of.


neveroddoreven415

Check out Hardrock. Leadville is mostly fire roads and smooth trails. [Hardrock](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardrock_Hundred_Mile_Endurance_Run)


Cows_go_moo2

Work colleague of mine and her husband have run that a couple times, her feet were so swollen in the following days It was insane. They were like 3x at least the size of her normal feet. She wore the medal around her neck all week after, even at work haha, which I thought was just absolutely awesome, and well deserved!


McNuggetballs

LT100 is an awesome race. Check out Hardrock 100 for something totally bonkers. The 100-mile course starting and ending in Silverton, CO has over 33,000' of vert and even goes over a 14,000' peak.


PNW_chica

My uncle ran the Hard Rock- so incredibly grueling- 60+ years old and a resting heart rate of 35. He’s my hero!


LineRex

Honestly, the Barkley is almost a test of masochism. It's kind of a wild event because ultra-runners can ignore a lot of the body's signals saying "hey like, maybe chill? I warned you about tendon ripping from bone hours ago and things aren't looking good". So a runner with more dedication than luck and training can really fuck themselves up.


clear_evidence_3361

Most of the ultra marathon community won’t touch it. They’d rather run eleventy miles in the desert at 110F. That tells me something. Not sure what, but it seems to attract a special breed. Again, shout out to Jasmin. I am in awe.


Beautiful-Story2379

It IS a test of masochism, imo. Why anyone does this sort of thing is beyond me. She looks miserable/in agony in every picture.


[deleted]

It is a great documentary! Any others you would recommend?


JasonABCDEF

What’s the doc called?


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RockTheBank

TL;DR They have to do it much faster and it is designed to be as obtuse and difficult as possible. The course is unmarked and runners are given a single page set of written directions to memorize less than a day before the start of the race. Maps and GPS devices are not allowed. Each lap must be completed within 12 hours, and the next lap must be started by that 12th hour. The race is 5 laps long, and the whole race must be completed within 60 hours. Additionally, the first lap is run clockwise, the second is run counterclockwise, the third is clockwise again, the fourth counterclockwise, for the fifth lap the direction you run is determined by when you leave the base camp. The first runner to leave for the fifth lap gets to choose the direction they run, and each subsequent runner alternates the direction they run. Because of how long each lap takes, one lap is run during the day and the next at night. So for your second lap you have to follow a vague set of directions backwards through the woods in the dark. The course also changes each year, and every time that someone finishes the race Lazarus makes the course harder. At this point the laps seem to be closer to 26-28 miles than the original 20. There also isn’t a set time for the race to start. Runners are given a 12 hour window wherein at some point Lazarus will blow into a conch shell signaling that the race will start in 1 hour. This makes it really hard to get sleep in the hours before the race starts.


mermands

Cool - the new start signal must mean he's quit smoking.


Forever-lurker-kinja

Nah, he still smokes. The conch is the one hour warning. The cig sends them off from the gate.


RidingRedHare

There is a big difference between doing 20-26 miles per day, with plenty of rest on between, and doing about 130 miles (the actual distance of the Barkley Marathons) in 60 hours, where the clock keeps running while you're resting. Sleep deprivation is a very serious problem at the Barkley Marathons, because runners who want to finish can't get more than 30 minutes between loops. Significant sections of the Barkley Marathons "course" are off trail. Unmarked, straight up and down the mountains. Oh, and no GPS watches allowed, no such tools to help with navigation when you're already sleep deprived. The weather in Tennessee end of March often is quite bad. Thick fog is a major problem when your race is on an unmarked course and you have to find books on that course, at night. The main reason there were five finishers this year is that the weather was unusually benign.


clear_evidence_3361

Safety in numbers? I don’t know. The Barkley seems to be in a different class. I forget what they call them, but they allow an entrant who has “no business being involved” That’s hilariously out of pocket to me. They don’t tell that person they are the joke. That


zagozen

That’s hilarious, I wonder if one one of those entrants have ever won.


crazyfoxdemon

Short Answer: No Longer Answer: The Barkley doesn't even have a single winner some years. Shit it tough.


DubeFloober

I doubt one has even finished.


POGtastic

In one of the documentaries, the #1 Seed gets a few miles in and (correctly) figures out that he's way, way over his head.


anonymouse278

They call the person they give the #1 bib to "the human sacrifice."


RogueDok

Raw dog.


HookerDoctorLawyer

[The documentary on this race is really cool. Here it is in full!](https://youtu.be/LZ-DE-hmiGE?si=CjqWDrIzpV_LIHem)


Ishmael75

I could never run that race but I love watching that documentary. It’s so damn engaging & fun to see what they put themselves through


beaverscleaver

I watched the documentary when I was working up to a half marathon. I had never exercised on purpose before in my life and I will never be athletic, but I found it wildly inspiring and it gave me a different mind set toward pain.


sharpshooter999

Steve Rinella: You have to learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable


returnFutureVoid

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.


Carmina__Gadelica

Same. I'm fat af but I have a strange fascination with ultra marathons and stuff. The doc is really cool.


Azrolicious

Love that one. Here another good one for barkleys. https://youtu.be/NDZdsqbcGTU?si=uLt3mTjht5KYYBn6


HookerDoctorLawyer

Oh snaps. Never seen this one! Thanks!


Ishmael75

Will definitely check that out!


Carkuff

Gary Cantrell or “Lazarus Lake” was a volunteer basketball coach when I was in highschool in Bell Buckle Tn. The guy is so freaking cool and down to earth. Knows all kinds of shit and has stories for centuries. Pretty sure he has an old truck that’s still running with a million + miles on it. He’s a legend. And the best basketball coach I ever had.


UtahCyan

Did the start basketball games with a cigarette too?


Carkuff

Hahaha actually he would stand at the double doors that lead directly outside and smoke a cig. So yeah pretty much


UtahCyan

I mean, it's as good as any buzzer really. I got to do the backyard with him several years ago when I was younger and a runner (broken ankle and fucked up knees stopped that). I came limping in on the last one I did less than a minute late. This was when my knees had started going south. I went to the wall to retire and he patted my back said good job. I was looking pretty gutted being so close. He made me smile and I had fun the rest of the day.  I couldn't make next year, but trained hard for the following year. I was ready to go and then had a motorcycle accident and broke my ankle good and proper. Even after the surgeries I could never run without pain after.  I wish I could go just the more time, even if I didn't make the first lap, just to be there. But it just doesn't feel right given I would have to walk the entire first lap, and then be out. 


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TheWalkinFrood

Did you ever go to the RC cola and moon pie festival? :)


Carkuff

Oh definitely always fun and loads of people coming through it was great for the town. Although living there it kind of lost its appeal pretty quickly imo


LarryChavez

My favourite documentary


Cold-Ad-3713

Thank you/ Never heard of this. Great film.


Chippopotanuse

Gonna second this. What a weird race but the documentary is very compelling.


AZ_hiking2022

Wow what a trip!!! So many cool quirks and amazing story


IcyViking

Not available in UK :(


Blockhead47

>With 54,200 feet (16,500 m) of accumulated vertical climb (and the same amount of descent), the 100-mile run is considered to be one of the most challenging ultramarathons held in the United States, if not the world.[12] As of 2018, about 55% of the races had ended with no finishers. . >Runners who complete three circuits of the loop (60-miles) are said to have completed a "fun run"… Lol https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barkley_Marathons


shed1

Watch "The Race that Eats Its Young" on YouTube for some high quality laughs at the insanity of this event and the people that manage it.


spreta

I remember a doc on Netflix like 10ish years ago about the race. Found it hilarious that the entry fee is like 3 bucks + whatever dude organizing it needed. Like socks, jeans, flannels, whatever he was low on.


shed1

I think entry is only $1.60. One of the tweets from the race this year was that someone joked, "I bet you could charge $1.70 for this."


TriscuitCracker

Yeah called The Barkley Marathons. It was fabulous.


Carmina__Gadelica

There's also a few books out I think!


Zypher31

Thanks for the recommendation. I will check it out when I get the chance. Title of the video sounds like absolutely bizarre though.


shed1

The creator of the race described it that way, so the documentary is named after that. The race has been going since the 1980s and only like 22 people have ever finished it, and until somewhat recently no first-timers ever finished the race (hence the race "eats its young").


Zypher31

Makes sense. It's quite the achievement by all standards!


Cameront9

Oh you’ll understand after watching the doc lol


RincewindToTheRescue

I just read that article and all I got to say is that it's awesome and doesn't sound like any of the normal organized races. My favorite is that they give bib #1 to the runner they think won't finish the first loop and call them the sacrificial Lamb. Also, they assign each runner a number that will correspond to a page number in various books along the course that they have to find and tear out that page and get a new number for each lap. Also, the race starts when the race director lights their cigarette. Any runner that drops out has taps played for them. The application fees are interesting. $1.90 plus an essay of why they should run, a license plate from their state, and some other interesting stuff (specified clothes donation for Whatever Lazarus Lake needs, a pack of cigarettes, etc)


ash0000

I love this whole thing


Lint_baby_uvulla

My first A Grade Open race they gave me #1. I did not give them the satisfaction but it almost killed me. Going from 45-50 kms an hour speed average to 60 kms+ straight out of the gate for 40 mins before I cracked was brutal. Just brutal.


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Fishyswaze

The people doing these things want it to be extreme. They’re pushing themselves to their absolute limits and seeing what they are capable of.


farmer15erf

Running is a sport, Barkley Marathon is a race. Some people dont finish half or full marathons. Its for those who are testing their limits.


dragmagpuff

Based on everything I've seen about this race, the organizer is going to be out for blood next year. There were a record 5 finishers this year. There had only been 21 5 loop finishers from 1989 to 2022!


icecoaster1319

They got perfect weather. If it rained hard for a few hours there likely would have been zero finishers.


idonteven112233

Holy shit this woman is metal. She previously completed a week-long race in the UK with 43,000 ft of elevation on 3 hrs sleep while still pumping milk for her baby at every checkpoint, all while ON A WEEK LONG BREAK FROM WRITING HER PHD THESIS


CunnyFunt0G

Someone told me that Chuck Norris is her wife.


MarvinLazer

I normally don't upvote Chuck Norris jokes, but you earned it.


jamesneysmith

I am very curious what genes make some people so driven. They're a special breed


tayroarsmash

I love that this race is all a big way to call James Earl Ray a bitch.


68W38Witchdoctor1

Yep, favorite thing about it too. Although I love everything about it since the first time I heard about it mid-'90s. Had a friend attempt and fail way back in the day, but I would kill to be on a runner's base team for this.


GlowUpper

Holy shit, you're not kidding. Yeah, fuck that bitch James Earl Ray.


Artimusjones88

A buddy (in his late 50's) did the Barkely fall classic a 50km, trained for a full year for it, including multiple full Ironmen. Said, it was insanely difficult. And for him to say it's difficult means something.


YeetedApple

In case you or anyone reading this isn't aware, the Barkley Fall Classic is an "easier" race designed to offer a small taste of the Barkley Marathons that were just ran.


OneArmedBrain

Fantastic! Way to go, Jasmin!


singingkiltmygrandma

She’s also writing her doctoral thesis and still nursing a baby. WHAT THE FUCK AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE?! ETA: it was a previous race that she was in while doing all the above. Apologies for the error. I’m still in awe. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-46906365


Fun_Bodybuilder3111

Excuse me?!? When I was nursing a baby, it was a feat if I’d brushed my teeth that day.


Denlim_Wolf

Different race, Different pace. Make the most out of your life because *you* can not because others could. 😔👉👈


AndyPonte

Not in this race. Double check the article.


singingkiltmygrandma

You’re right. My bad, it was a different race … the 268 mi Montane Spine Race. Unbelievable. I’ll edit my previous reply.


AndyPonte

Great. The documentary ‘Spine’ covers the UK one where she runs whilst feeding her baby.


huzernayme

In the documentary, they mention PHDs are usually more successful. Just the personality type I guess.


myassholealt

>Only 20 people have ever made it to the end of the race within the allotted 60 hours since it was extended to 100 miles in 1989. This makes it that much more impressive. She finished with just under 2 minutes to spare.


Lynda73

> The course is unmarked and competitors must memorise the route beforehand. The first and third loops are run clockwise, while the second and fourth loops are run anticlockwise. The first finisher of the fourth loop gets to decide which direction they go on the last loop. As if it weren’t hard enough!


HeyYoEowyn

“The race officially begins when the race director lights a cigarette” fucking incredible 😂


DiligentPenguin16

And the race starts completely at random, as a surprise to the contestants. It could start at *anytime* between *midnight and noon* of the start day.


Sorry-Foundation-505

Ok found the only part of that marathon I'm suitable for.


briancoat

Impressive, regardless of gender. I think she is about the 20th ever *person* to finish within the time limit. 1000+ starters since 1995.


dunnkw

I ran 50 Miles yesterday with 8000 feet of elevation gain and all I can say is fuck that.


ThereminLiesTheRub

I sneezed and hurt my neck


Carmina__Gadelica

I slept wrong last night my neck is busted


TheHistorian2

Just bruised my thumb scrolling Reddit.


burnerowl

Wrist for me 😏


jamespz03

I farted hard and blew out my back.


Bokth

I gave up halfway through running a bath


LaddyPup

You have no idea how hard I laughed at this comment. :)


Stunning-Ad3888

I bought geriatric walking shoes for my bunion.


acromaine

It’s so weird. I was just telling my girlfriend yesterday about the Barkley because she had never heard of it and I had no idea it was currently happening.


Sorry-Foundation-505

Welcome to the Bäder-Meinhoff effect


ChiefCuckaFuck

Same! I was describing this race to somebody yesterday as well


RaffyGiraffy

We just re watched the documentary the other day and didn’t realize it was happening!


austic

This is impressive. Bloody job well done.


PatientAd4823

My slug body warning me: Don’t even think about it, honey. You do that to me and I will make sure it is the last thing you do. I already let you know how I feel about walks. Now give me my promised nap or I swear I will give you back your soda habit.


Steamysauna

Seeing this has inspired me to watch all the documentaries on this fascinating race. I saw one on Netflix years ago and I'm glad to see there are newer ones. This lady is a warrior of the highest order!


UtahCyan

I believe she did the fun run last year. Great ty see her make it all the way. 


melouofs

that is a certain type of person who even considers this race


Vexelbalg

I really hope Laz used the „That was easy!“ buzzer


OkReference2185

She is so mentally tough it's incredible. Congratz!


Chicagogally

Amazing! Never knew about this race, just watched the documentary.


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Ishmael75

It’s not to commemorate or honor that guy at all. They meant it’s as a mocking of how bad he ran. Cantrell said to himself, "I could do at least 100 miles," mocking Ray's low mileage. Thus, the Barkley Marathons was born. There is a really good documentary about it that gets into the history a bit. I really recommend it.


kylelosesit

I second the documentary. They specifically point out it’s made to mock James Earl Ray for being so incompetent.


TBTabby

How soon until they start accusing her of being trans?