The Barkley takes 40 participants a year, chosen through a secretive application process. One used this year was a self-help book titled “There Is Nothing Wrong with You” - which Cantrell liked, because “there was something wrong with every person that got a page out of that book.”
Each runner has to rip a page from each of the 13 books to prove they ran the entire course. The checkpoints are just books tucked in the woods. This year, the course had more than 20,000 metres of uphill climb, said Cantrell, the race director. It is five loops of a 20-mile (32-kilometre) course in Frozen Head State Park near Wartburg, Tenn., navigating by map and compass through saw briars and climbing and sliding down hills with names like Testicle Spectacle.
Since it started in 1986, the Barkley has earned a reputation as one of the most gruelling trail runs in the world. “But I guess without those moments of tragedy you can’t have the great exaltation when it all works out.” Michael Doyle “A lot of people had something in their eye. “The bugler cried when he had to play,” Cantrell said. Even if he hadn’t veered off course, he had still reached the gate six seconds over the 60-hour limit.Ī bugler played taps to mark Robbins’ failure - one of the many traditions of this strange, three-decade-old race. “And then I realized my error and I knew I didn’t have enough time to come back over the mountain.”Īfter the discussion, it was clear that Robbins’ mistake meant he had not finished the race - running two miles short of the 100 mile (160 kilometre) total. “You turned right instead of left?” Cantrell said. Robbins showed Cantrell a rain-soaked map and pointed out where he veered off course. She looked up at Cantrell, who was wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a canvas riding jacket. Robbins’ wife crouched down and put her hand on his shoulder. He lay on the road with his knees tucked to his belly, hands on his face. “I took the wrong side of the mountain in the fog,” Robbins can be heard saying in video posted by Canadian Running Magazine. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Manage Print Subscription / Tax Receipt.
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