The five loops of the course are full of punishing ascents (about 60,000 feet) and descents that often force you to bushwhack off trail. RUNNER’S WORLD SELECTS: What It's Really Like to Run Barkleyīarkley is as much mental as it is physical.

Would-be runners have to figure out how to get in touch with Race Director Gary Cantrell to submit an application, and he ultimately selects the 40 individuals for each year’s race. There’s no official website with information. Seven made it onto loop three, with only Kelly and Robbins making the 36-hour cutoff to continue onward.įor years, the Barkley was run largely under the radar, but it gained popularity by word of mouth and through a documentary released last year, The Race That Eats Its Young. As often happens, the field narrowed from there. In 2015, nobody finished.Īccording to reports, 24 of the 40 competitors started the second loop of the Barkley. Very few runners have completed the race since it began in 1986-Kelly, 32, became just the 15th individual.

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