There is a great documentary on Netflix about this marathon, it has some funny moments and it's pretty engaging. I don't usually watch documentaries and I'd highly recommend it.
There is a great documentary about the Barkley Marathon on Netflix (US) [1]. It does an excellent job of telling the stories of the origin of the race, the race itself, and the people who take it on. I highly recommend it.
One of the barkley finishers (serendipitously featured in the documentary!) wrote a terrific and long race report [1]. Really good and unpolished insight into the training and race experience. I enjoyed reading it just as much as I enjoyed the documentary others have mentioned.
My favorite post-race report is from the infamous Andrew Thompson run of 2005, in which a promising young runner headed into the fifth loop with a good time and then completely lost his mind from sleep deprivation, spending the next hour vividly hallucinating and wandering aimlessly through the woods.
I've done it a couple of times... probably won't make it this year, but it's one of my favorites. The year we did it in the rain was outta control, especially for a dude from the desert.
Stay in the hostel the night before... great scene, makes the early start way easier!
It's worth mentioning a couple of Laz's other races:
- The Last Annual Vol State 500K. A race across the full width of Tennessee in the middle of the summer. You can compete either "crewed" or "screwed". This year's edition just ended a few days ago. http://volstate314.com/
- The Big Backyard Ultra. A race of attrition. A 4'ish mile loop every hour on the hour until there is only one runner left (who must complete the course solo, otherwise no winners). In 2014, two runners got to 204 miles at which point they both agreed to quit as one of them had to catch a plane. No winner that year. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=44026
My buddy Jamil does this race... he completed the "Fun Run" once. Insanity. This year, he's doing something like 100,000 ft of climbing in training to try and prepare to finish it.
Given that he's a multiple-time Hardrock finisher, it really makes you realize how badass the guys are who finish that race.
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[ 4.6 ms ] story [ 55.7 ms ] thread[1] https://www.netflix.com/title/80076413?s=i&trkid=(null)
[1] http://lakewoodhiker.blogspot.ca/2012/04/2012-barkley-marath...
http://www.mattmahoney.net/barkley/2005/andrew.html
Stay in the hostel the night before... great scene, makes the early start way easier!
- The Last Annual Vol State 500K. A race across the full width of Tennessee in the middle of the summer. You can compete either "crewed" or "screwed". This year's edition just ended a few days ago. http://volstate314.com/
Here's Laz writing about this year's race the night before - http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=8311134
- The Big Backyard Ultra. A race of attrition. A 4'ish mile loop every hour on the hour until there is only one runner left (who must complete the course solo, otherwise no winners). In 2014, two runners got to 204 miles at which point they both agreed to quit as one of them had to catch a plane. No winner that year. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=44026
Given that he's a multiple-time Hardrock finisher, it really makes you realize how badass the guys are who finish that race.