BELL BUCKLE, Tenn. (AP) – The idea of running 40 miles, to most people, sounds like a ridiculous, over-the-top challenge.
That’s because you haven’t heard about the other races Gary Cantrell organizes.
Chief among those is the Barkley Marathons, held each spring, not in Wartrace, but near Wartburg, in Frozen Head State Park in Morgan County of East Tennessee.
The Barkley Marathons consist of five loops around a 20-mile route – not marked paths, but rough trails through a wooded area. The course includes steep hills.
Competitors attempting to run the full 100-mile event must complete each 20-mile loop in 12 hours, or they don’t get to move on to the next loop. The first two loops are done counterclockwise, the next two are counterclockwise.