That’s what happened to Michael Wardian, the acclaimed ultramarathoner who this year ran seven marathons on seven continents in seven days-all in under three hours. Because of exhaustion, he took a brief nap a few hundred yards up the trail after starting the fifth loop last year, and returned a few hours later after taking a page from book one. He built from that experience to make himself only the 15th individual to complete all five loops this year.Ī loop is at least 20 miles, though competitors say it's several more-and it certainly becomes longer if you venture off course and have to find your way back. Kelly, a triathlete and ultrarunner from Maryland, completed four loops in 2016 and started a fifth. The person in the lead at the start of loop five can choose which direction he or she will go. To throw competitors off even further, Cantrell had all competitors reverse their direction after the first loop. Usually, the first two loops-if completed-are run in one direction and reversed on loops three and four. There are no real aid stations or markers racers must follow a map provided the night before the race to reach books placed on the course, tearing out pages that correspond to their bib number to prove they followed some kind of accurate route. Each loop must be done in 12 hours to even attempt all five loops, unless you’re attempting the “Fun Run”-that’s three loops with a time limit of 13 hours, 20 minutes for each loop (40 hours total).įour participants successfully completed the Fun Run this year-Sean Ramey, Johan Steene, Rob Youngren and Erik Storheim. 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.
0 kommentar(er)
