Wartburg, Tennessee · Trail
Barkley Marathons
Five unmarked, mostly off-trail loops at Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee, with a 60-hour limit and more years without a finisher than with one.
Distances
- Distance
- 100 mi (161 km)
- Cutoff
- 60 hr
Five loops; the stated distance is nominal
| Distance | Cutoff | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 100 mi (161 km) | 60 hr | Five loops; the stated distance is nominal |
About
Gary Cantrell, alias Lazarus Lake, created the Barkley Marathons in 1986 after hearing that James Earl Ray covered barely eight miles in 55 hours after escaping the nearby prison. The race runs five unmarked loops through the briars and climbs of Frozen Head State Park; runners navigate by map and compass and prove their passage by tearing pages from paperback books hidden on the course.
The stated distance is 100 miles, and nobody believes it. Finishers are rare enough that each one is an event: 2024 produced five, including Jasmin Paris, the first woman to finish, and the two years since have produced none. Three loops inside 40 hours earns the consolation Fun Run.
Course
Five loops, alternating direction, mostly off-trail through Frozen Head State Park. The stated 100 miles is nominal; the climbing over five loops is estimated at well over 50,000 feet. The 60-hour overall limit and a 40-hour Fun Run limit do most of the eliminating.
How to register
Entry is deliberately obscure: an essay on why you should be allowed to run, a $1.60 application fee, and an application process that is itself a secret. The field is capped around 40. First-timers bring a license plate from home; the race has no official website and announces nothing.