Barkley Marathon 2024: Everything about one of the hardest ultramarathon race only 17 people have ever finished

The Barkley Marathon is one of the hardest ultramarathons in the world, and has only been completed 21 times by 17 runners since its inception in 1986.

The race, held each year at the Frozen Head State Park in Morgan County, Tennessee, is known not only for its grueling physical requirements, but also for certain odd traditions participants must follow. It is usually held in March or early April each year.

The course of this ultramarathon changes each year, but features five loops of a 20+ mile course, making it a 100-mile race that must be completed in 69 hours. While the Barkley Marathon is a widely popular race, only 35 runners are allowed to participate each year, with details on time requirements for participating never made public.

Runners who are chosen for the race each year get a “letter of condolence” upon entrance, and must write a “Why I Should be Allowed to Run in the Barkley," essay, alongside paying a $1.60 application fee.

For first-time runners, the entry fee also includes bringing a license plate from their state/country, while previous runners must bring an additional fee which has included a white shirt, a flannel shirt, or socks in the past. Previous finishers are also expected to bring a pack of Camel Cigarettes as part of their fee.

The Barkley Marathon begins at any point of the day, with a conch marking an hour to the start, and the race officially begins when director Gary Cantrell, who birthed the Barkley Marathon, lights a cigarette.

The actual race consists of an unmarked route with no aid stations, and only water available at two points in the 20-mile loop. Runners must memorize the directions for the course beforehand.

During the race, participants must find anywhere between nine and 14 books while running, and rip out the page matching their race number. The first and third loops of the race are run clockwise, while the second and fourth are run counterclockwise. The first finisher of the fourth loop gets to choose which direction they go on the last lap, with the runners after them alternating between clockwise and counterclockwise.

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Barkley Marathon: Full list of finishers

While the race began in 1986, the first person to finish it was Mark Williams in 1995. Since then 16 more people have completed the Barkley Marathon, with Jared Campbell completing it thrice, while Brett Maune and John Kelly have each finished the course twice.

Maune is the only person to have completed the race in consecutive years, and is the current record holder.

Here is a complete list of the people who've successfully run the Barkley Marathon:

1. Mark Williams (1995) - 59:28:48
2. David Horton (2001) - 58:21:00
3. Blake Wood (2001) - 58:21:01
4. Teddy Keizer (2003) - 56:57:52
5. Mike Tilden (2004) - 57:25:18
6. Jim Nelson (2004) - 57:28:25
7. Brian Robinson (2008) - 55:42:27
8. Andrew Thompson (2009) - 57:37:19
9. Jonathan Basham (2010) - 59:18:44
10. Brett Maune (2011) - 57:13:33
11. Brett Maune (2012) - 52:03:08
12. Jared Campbell (2012) - 56:00:16
13. John Fegyveresi (2012) - 59:41:21
14. Nick Hollon (2013) - 57:39:24
15. Travis Wildeboer (2013) - 58:41:45
16. Jared Campbell (2014) - 57:53:20
17. Jared Campbell (2016) - 59:32:30
18. John Kelly (2017) - 59:30:53
19. Aurélien Sanchez (2023) - 58:23:12
20. John Kelly (2023) - 58:42:23
21. Karel Sabbe (2023) - 59:53:33