Howie Stern / inov-8 Field size and compositionĭespite its growing popularity, the race consists of only 40 runners each year. It’s one of the breakthrough achievements in ultrarunning yet little is known about the enigmatic Williams, who turns down interviews. In 1995, Williams completed the course in 59:28:48. Who was the first person to finish the Barkley?Ī Brit, of course: Mark Williams. Unimpressed, Cantrell, an ultrarunner, thought he could cover 100 miles in that time. Sixty hours later, following a huge manhunt, Ray was found – having travelled only eight miles.

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. It involves five loops of a (roughly) 20-mile course and there is a 60-hour cut-off point. And most years, no one finishes at all.Ĭreated by founder Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell, the Barkley has become known as “the race that eats its young”. But only 17 people have completed this gruesomely tough race in Tennessee, US. More than 6,000 people have scaled Mount Everest another 1,800 people have swum the British Channel. Only the toughest running race on the planet, that’s what. Want to know more about the Barkley Marathons? Here’s our essential guide to the world’s toughest race….

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