The Barkley

The Barkley is considered one of the toughest 100 mile races in the world. It has 52,900 feet of climb (and 52,900 feet of descent), more than any other 100 mile race. Since the race began in 1986, only 8 runners out of about 700 have finished within the 60 hour cutoff.

In 2009, Andrew Thompson (from New Hampshire) finished in 57:37. In 2005 he set the current speed record for the Appalachian Trail, 2160 miles in 47 days + 13:31 (breaking Pete Palmer's record of 48 days + 20:11 in 1999, who took the record from Horton).

The Barkley consists of 5 20-mile loops with no aid except for water at two points. The cutoffs for the 100 mile race are 12 hours per loop. The 60 mile "fun run" has a cutoff of 40 hours, or 13:20 per loop. To prove you completed each loop, you must find 9 to 11 books (varies) at various points along the course and return a page from each book.

Pete Stringer, forwarded an email he recieved from his friend, Allan Holtz, who ran in this year's Barkley. My favorite line is about that voice runners hear inside them when every part of your body wants to stop and quit................but you don't. Somehow, you gather enough energy and courage to keep going. Here is part of a very long email:

"This year Andrew Thompson finished all five loops, becoming only the 8th person in 23 years to do so. First time finisher, Mark Williams returned this year and quit after 1.5 loops. So far no one who has finished 5 loops has done so twice. Once you complete the Barkley it seems the motivation to put yourself though that much pain again is lacking, and that little voice inside says "mommie, I want to quit..."

"I watched Andrew come in off of his 4th loop as he strongly ran down the paved road and touched the yellow gate. I was showering when he started his 5th loop and I was heading home when he finished. There were not many left in camp for the start of his 5th loop. I suspect only a very few stayed for his finish, which is too bad, because it is a great accomplishment and demonstration of human endurance, tenacity, spirit and perseverance. Now that someone has finished the Barkley 2 years in a row, I can only imagine how Laz and Raw Dog plan to increase the difficulty for next year."