Lessons from The Barkley

You probably saw some posts about a woman named Jasmin, who was the first to complete a race in the backwoods of Tennessee. This is the story.

💬 "This is the part where people usually give good advice. If y'all would take good advice, you wouldn't be here."
- Lazarus Lake, Race Director of the Barkley Marathons

🤔 Jasmin

As I write this, I'm rewatching the Barkley Marathons documentary. If you want some great entertainment, you can watch it here. It'd be a great weekend watch.

I've written about the Barkley before, but this past week the race actually happened. This is a 100+ mile race (no one knows the actual distance) with 50,000+ feet of elevation gain and no trail markings... just books you rip pages out of... you really should watch the documentary.

No one except the runners and directors knows the start date or time, so you have to follow this one random guy on Twitter. Pretty wild.

Well, this year started like any other. Thousands of applications. 40 accepted runners. Laz starts the race with a conch shell, the phrase "make peace with your gods," and lighting a cigarette.

Within 20 hours, half the contestants dropped out. Notably, a guy named Harvey Lewis who just three months ago ran 450 miles in four and a half days.

What causes a guy like that to drop out?

The end of the race was something different than ever before:

• 7 runners started the fifth and final loop, the most in Barkley's history.
• 5 runners completed the fifth and final loop, the most in Barkley's history.
• 1 woman, Jasmin Paris, completed the fifth and final loop, the first in Barkley's history.

Here are a few lessons:

The motivation to avoid future hard work will keep you working hard now. Jasmin spoke about how she wanted to finish so she didn't have to come back and do it again. Same thing goes for us the week before vacation.

We all have more time than we think. Jasmin is a mom of two and a veterinarian as well as making history as the first woman to complete the race. "I'm too busy" no longer applies.

Keep pushing even when there's little margin. Jasmin knew from 6-7 hours to go that finishing would be tight. She kept pushing. She finished with a mere 99 seconds to spare. Basically passed out at the end from what I can tell in the videos. Still remembered to pause her watch because she's a runner like the rest of us.

Ultrarunning is just getting started. I bet the ultramarathon is the thing in the next decade or two.

🏃🏻‍♂️ Race Prep

A lot of runners I know right now are getting ready to hit their first or second race of the season. It is, after all, that time of year when the weather gets a bit warmer. Here are the checklist-type items I always prep for:

• Terrain - What are you running on? I overlooked this in a half marathon last year, thinking it was all roads. But, the roads gave way to gravel in two distinct spots. This threw me off mentally, even though it was in the race description (I found it later). If there's no clear description, check for race reports.
• Weather - This one is obvious, so I won't spend a ton of time here. You want to know the temperature and weather elements that might be in play.
• Elevation - You'll want to know where the significant climbs and descents are in your race. Knowing they're coming, knowing how long they last, etc make for a different kind of day.
• Aid Stations - Where are they? What food do they have? How many miles between? All of this plays a part in your overall race strategy.
• Turns - If you're on trail or going to ultra-distance, you have to know the course. I saved myself and a few other runners a 7-mile wrong turn in an ultra in October. The two people faster than me ultimately finished behind me because of an early wrong way.
• Race Plan - I put all of the above on paper as a race plan. Miles per minute. Where I anticipate slowdowns. In longer ultras, a map of the whole thing. Critical turns, etc.

Book Progress - Ooh boy! Graphics are in. They're back out for last edits, so no joy on seeing them today. But let me tell you: I'm pumped! Once I've got graphics finalized, it's formatting and publishing.

Running Progress - I logged 20 miles back-to-back weeks. Feeling good. I'm gonna go for a LONGGG self-supported trail run next weekend. Should be a great time!

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Just run one mile... because one mile inevitably turns to two... Then, to three... And before you know it, you're running further than you ever dreamed. See you on the trails! 🤙🏻