The Barkley Marathons Has Begun!

This may be the least accurate comment on this thread.

2 runners out for Loop 4:
Karel Sabbe
Greig Hamilton

Sabbe came thru Loop 3 in 32:21 (elapsed)
Started Loop 4 at 32:40

Hamilton came thru Loop 3 in 34:20
Started Loop 4 at 34:54

Some things to keep in mind:

1. The latest anyone has finished Loop 3 and finished all 5 loops is 33:48 elapsed (Hamilton was 32 minutes behind this)

2. The fastest loop 4 is about 11.5 hours.
Most are in the 13 to 15 hour range.

Still 2 loops to go (40% of the race), an entire night and then well, all the daylight tomorrow (60 hours).

Sabbe is faster, at this point, that John Kelly was in 2017 when he finished and has better weather ahead. Hamilton has virtually no shot at a 5th loop. Of the 15 finishers, I think Sabbe is ahead of like 8 thru his first 3 loops

John Kelly finished 3rd loop in 35:26:09. Taps out.

Thomas and Jasmin are inching ever closer to the fun run cutoff.

This may be a totally dumb question. But is each loop the same? It seems like if you figure it out once, you'd be able to finish it. Can you wear a GPS watch? Just re-trace your steps.

Here's the latest update I can find that's an article:

runningmagazine.ca

Karel Sabbe leading at the Barkley Marathons - Canadian Running Magazine

Marley Dickinson

Sabbe is the first to head out for a fourth loop, completing three loops in 32 hours

Open link

Yes, the loops are the same. GPS watches are not allowed. It is not easy to recall a 20+ mile course. Navigation is difficult in the dark or in a storm. It becomes challenging to think after being awake for 40+ hours. Loops are required to be run in both clockwise and counter clockwise directions.

Both Thomas and Jasmin finished the fun run under the cutoff time. Congrats to them especially since this was their first Barkley's.

I think Courtney really likes the "more niche" and "extreme" ultra running community in general. These types of events (like Hardrock) draw a lot of the same individuals year after year.

With a runner like Courtney she's already won UTMB, Western States, Moab 240 (to name a few) etc...so it's like...what's the next challenge? There really aren't that many other big, iconic really long ultramarathons out there. She was in Hardrock last year. She already tried the Colorado Trail FKT. What other bucket list races would one really want to do? Diagonale des Fous? It's actually good career move for getting more social media followers and online attention...given the buzz about Barkley nowadays.

So part of it is the extreme challenge...the tradition. The mystery. The impossible lottery odds. The culture/community. I get that. It's part of what makes Barkley so "cultish" but also Netflix doc popular. I will hold onto the fact that since the entry process is seemingly not very transparent (i.e. what percentage of runners are actually drawn from a fair lottery vs being "hand picked" with personal bias )? and obviously it is very limited field size (like what 42-45 runners?) that by default it is very "Exclusive."

I get roasted on Twitter by some diehards/(passionate fans about Barkley etc) about this, but I will hold onto this fact. It is really hard to get into....unless you know someone. And no, I really don't want to do the event. I'd probably get cold and slip in the mud and fall and hurt myself while getting lost before the 2nd lap. I respect things that are hard and I get the challenge, but any distance running event is equally hard if you're trying 100% and pushing your limits.

I might be mistaken here but I believe this is only the 2nd fun run ever by a female.

Adding to the "hokiness" of this whole thing, John Kelly just posted on IG that he lost almost 3 hours searching for his plastic bag of book pages that he dropped during his 3rd Loop. Essentially doing hill repeats until he found it.

Another participant apparently had to turn back to camp during Loop 2 because one of the pages he collected just blew away in the wind when he went to put another page in his bag.

Unfortunately this is a very dumb question. Maybe you should visit a running forum sometimes. Oh wait you own one. The Barkley has 20 mile unmarked loops just like the track you ran on. GPS is not allowed.
But you can just re-trace your steps.

Rojo, really?

You want a challenge? Win a major road marathon, not this b.s.

Karel Sabbe is out

@keithdunn
After seeking help from a trash can that he thought was a person, as well as from some passing motorists, Karel was given a ride back to camp by the Morgan County Sheriff. #BM100

The Barkley Marathons has ended.

There will be no finishers.

One person still out there on the course on Loop 4, but the Loop 5 cutoff just passed (Greig Hamilton).

Since 2014, there have only been 2 finishers. Jared Campbell (2x) and John Kelly.

Bummer about those easily avoidable mistakes. I'd have used something stiffer, like the vinyl pencil pouches with metal zippers that fit in 3-ring binders, maybe with a lanyard.

Sabbe is out, got lost doing loop 4 on his own.

That's great, looking forward to see you out there next year.

officedepot.com

- Office Depot

Open link

So, here's a "well actually.

Loop 1 - Clockwise in the daylight

Loop 2 - Clockwise in the night

Loop 3 - Couinterclockwise in the daylight

Loop 4 - Counterclockwise in the night

Loop 5 - Either clockwise or counterclockwise depending on a variety of factors, but probably mostly daylight, but massively exhausted. Also, sometimes it rains or snows, which also changes both the running condition and the way the terrain looks for navigation.

The books don't move, but you have to find them from a variety of directions in a variety of light and weather conditions.

This opinion is logically invalid because it confuses necessity and sufficiency. Both are great challenges.