Barkley Marathons

The Barkley Marathons – one of the world’s toughest ultramarathons, has been held annually in the Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee, since 1987.

The race is so brutal that, as of the end of the 2024 event, the race has been finished only a total of 26 times by 20 runners. Runners are to run five 20-mile loops, within a 60-hour time frame, and with more than 20.000 meters of elevation change. Runners finishing the 5 loops outside the time frame, are not counted with the finishers. The course is unmarked, no electronic devices are allowed and most of the race is off-trail.

I have participated 3 times, each time learning a new lesson and pushing my limits further, until I was able to finish the race in 2023, as the 17th person since its inception.

Barkley Marathons – 2019

My first time running the Barkley Marathons. No finish but last man standing, ending on loop 4.

See how I got into the world of ultra running and how setting my world records helped me prepare for this race in “Out There – A journey to the Barkley Marathons“

Read my race report about my first Barkley marathons HERE

Barkley Marathons – 2022

In the back of a police vehicle was not how I imagined returning to camp at this year’s Barkley.

Loop 1: 8h 07 minutes, strong pace feeling strong about 4 people in the lead pack
Loop 2: 19h 34, back out at 20h. About 7 hours of rain during the loop. Just John Kelly and I at this point.
Loop 3: set off alone as John Kelly wanted to take a nap, finish in first place at 32h 15
Loop 4: feeling confident and knowing I have built the cushion needed to finish (about 3 hours 45 minutes for 2 loops). Hit the first six books spot on, making great progress and doing well. Minor hallucinations starting to show but all good. Then climbing towards book 7, I took a very wrong slope up and ended up in a totally unknown area with the compass and river directions not making sense at all. I was at a river right off the map and the two brain cells that were still firing didn’t figure out what had happened. I hit a road and decided to hit west until I got back on the map and saw something familiar. After an unknown time of hiking and number of hallucinations, that ‘something familiar’ was the Prison, starting to realize what had happened and knowing my race was lost.

I hiked on to the little town of Petros where I saw a lady with two kids at around 3AM. I was feeling cold so I asked for help but then she changed shape into a trash can. I passed quite a few houses and saw many people walking behind the windows, but every time I got closer I realised there was noone there at all. I then tried to stop cars, but I probably didn’t look that good at that time. People called the police, he knew the Barkley and was kind enough to return me to Frozen Head State Park. Devasted by how it ended. Even though I still had a ways to go, I felt so confident that I would finish and become #16

Barkley Marathons – 2023

59:53:33

17th finisher of the Barkley Marathons