Ray was no Andy Dufresne though and, after just 55 hours and a massive police manhunt, he was found a mere eight miles across the prison’s treacherous backwoods. It will be no surprise that only 15 runners have finished the 5 loops of the course in the events history with Mark Williams being the first in 1995 – 9 years after the first event took place.In 1977, James Earl Ray, the gunman behind the assasination of Martin Luther King Jr., embarked on an ill-fated escape from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in the town of Petros in Morgan County, Tennessee. No GPS or tracking is allowed – so to prove the runners have completed the full distance of each loop each runner must find books along the route and rip out the page which corresponds to their race number. The Barkley Marathon is made up of five 20 mile loops – although due to the difficulty of the terrain and the hard to navigate course it is thought that runners will cover around 26 miles per loop.Įach loop starts and finishes at a yellow gate where the camp is and there are no aid points along the course, just two water stations. Returning races must bring a ‘fee’ which usually consists of an item of clothing for Lazarus Lake. Successful applicants are then sent a letter of condolences and when they arrive first timers are asked to bring a licence plate from their home country or state. To enter the Barkley Marathon potential entrants must write an essay on “Why I Should be Allowed to Run in the Barkley,” pay a $1.60 application fee, and complete other requirements. Entering the raceĪs this is no normal Ultra there isn’t a standard sign up form – things are a little more elusive than that! Hearing of Ray’s escape and subsequent capture Cantrell said he could do at least 100 miles in that time – and the idea for the Barkley Marathon was born. In that time James Earl Ray hid from the police in the woods but only made it 12 miles before he was captured. In 1977 James Earl Ray, who assassinated Martin Luther King Jr escaped from the local prison and went on the run for 54.5 hours. The founder of the race Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell and his friend Karl Henn were inspired by the escape from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary by James Earl Ray The origin story of the Barkley Marathon is unlike any other race which adds to the intrigue.
With only 40 places available each year it is also pretty exclusive – making this a tough race to even get to the start. The Barkley Marathons is one of the toughest, most exclusive and most mysterious races in the world.Ī 99% DNF rate, a manhunt and sending an item of clothing with your entry, the myths of the Barkley Marathons are legendary.
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