#smalleuropeanwoman
March 22, 2024 11:41 PM Subscribe
This week, Jasmin Paris became the first woman to complete all five loops of the Barkley Marathons (NYT, gift link) a mere 99 seconds ahead of the 60-hour cutoff time. Only twenty competitors have ever completed the (absolutely bananas) Tennessee event often called the "World's Hardest Race."
Paris is a British ultramarathoner and veterinarian with young children. A fun and fascinating 2016 documentary about the race, The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young is available for free streaming on Tubi.
Paris is a British ultramarathoner and veterinarian with young children. A fun and fascinating 2016 documentary about the race, The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young is available for free streaming on Tubi.
From my sofa: Jasmin Paris has clocked off the three UK classic mountain rounds [~100km horizontal 8km vertical] - commended fuel: cold baked beans and buttered hot-cross buns.
BBC More or Less gives side-eye to the 'fact' that women run faster than men when the distance exceeds 195 miles = 315km.
posted by BobTheScientist at 2:15 AM on March 23 [5 favorites]
BBC More or Less gives side-eye to the 'fact' that women run faster than men when the distance exceeds 195 miles = 315km.
posted by BobTheScientist at 2:15 AM on March 23 [5 favorites]
Fantastic pictures! What an achievement! I remember stumbling across this documentary years ago and being amazed even 10 people could do it, let alone 20 now. Human beings are remarkable.
posted by lock robster at 2:19 AM on March 23 [2 favorites]
posted by lock robster at 2:19 AM on March 23 [2 favorites]
This in unbelievable. Also, she looks well in those pictures. :))
posted by Literaryhero at 2:41 AM on March 23 [1 favorite]
posted by Literaryhero at 2:41 AM on March 23 [1 favorite]
Mad respect for everyone who did this race - the old saying is that in races up to the marathon distance, you focus on what time you think you can finish; in ultramarathons, you focus on whether you can finish.
posted by fortitude25 at 3:53 AM on March 23 [1 favorite]
posted by fortitude25 at 3:53 AM on March 23 [1 favorite]
I was biting my nails watching the last few minutes, hoping she'd make it across. The Barkley is just brutal and I think anyone who does it must have at least one screw loose—but they also happen to be incredible athletes.
Here's another Barkley documentary about Gary Robbins, a Canadian competitor, and here's another one from last year (that I haven't watched yet).
posted by synecdoche at 4:07 AM on March 23 [3 favorites]
Here's another Barkley documentary about Gary Robbins, a Canadian competitor, and here's another one from last year (that I haven't watched yet).
posted by synecdoche at 4:07 AM on March 23 [3 favorites]
Incredible achievement from Paris. Love the post title btw
posted by crocomancer at 4:33 AM on March 23 [1 favorite]
posted by crocomancer at 4:33 AM on March 23 [1 favorite]
I know a couple of people who run in those ultra races as a hobby. They are good enough to finish and place fairly highly, but not at the level where you get sponsorships or attention. The thing that is amazing to me is that they will go out on a weekend, run some ridiculous two-day endurance race in the mountains, and then show up at work on Monday looking completely fresh and ready to go, like they could go out and run it again on Tuesday.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:00 AM on March 23 [6 favorites]
posted by Dip Flash at 6:00 AM on March 23 [6 favorites]
I'm a couch potato but I love this race 🤣. Huge congratulations to Jasmine and the other finishers.
One of my favorite things about the race is that Laz is going to make it absolutely fiendish next year.
posted by muddgirl at 6:48 AM on March 23 [1 favorite]
One of my favorite things about the race is that Laz is going to make it absolutely fiendish next year.
posted by muddgirl at 6:48 AM on March 23 [1 favorite]
they will go out on a weekend, run some ridiculous two-day endurance race in the mountains, and then show up at work on Monday looking completely fresh and ready to go, like they could go out and run it again on Tuesday.
The endurance of these athletes is mind-boggling. The farthest I've ever run is a half marathon, twice. I can't imagine running twice that distance, let alone running 10 times the distance in treacherous back-country while navigating and looking for little books taped in baggies to trees.
Laz is going to make it absolutely fiendish next year.
Oh yeah. He's going to be out for revenge. From what I've heard this year was a particularly difficult course, but the weather was pretty favourable. Next year I suspect Laz won't take the chance that nature will be on the competitors' side. :)
posted by synecdoche at 6:52 AM on March 23
The endurance of these athletes is mind-boggling. The farthest I've ever run is a half marathon, twice. I can't imagine running twice that distance, let alone running 10 times the distance in treacherous back-country while navigating and looking for little books taped in baggies to trees.
Laz is going to make it absolutely fiendish next year.
Oh yeah. He's going to be out for revenge. From what I've heard this year was a particularly difficult course, but the weather was pretty favourable. Next year I suspect Laz won't take the chance that nature will be on the competitors' side. :)
posted by synecdoche at 6:52 AM on March 23
The interview is sweet and, as it says, modest. She's incredible. I find her advice to use salty egg sandwiches to avoid cramps something I'm going to have to investigate further. Pickle juice is my go-to.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 6:55 AM on March 23 [2 favorites]
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 6:55 AM on March 23 [2 favorites]
The endurance of these athletes is mind-boggling. The farthest I've ever run is a half marathon, twice. I can't imagine running twice that distance, let alone running 10 times the distance in treacherous back-country while navigating and looking for little books taped in baggies to trees.
The other thing that the people I know do is that if one of them is running in a major race, often one or two others will go and support them, which seems to basically mean running most or all of a race with them for pacing and motivation. So virtually the same amount of effort, but you aren't even counted as having run in the race. The whole thing seems crazy to me, but in a very good way.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:06 AM on March 23 [3 favorites]
The other thing that the people I know do is that if one of them is running in a major race, often one or two others will go and support them, which seems to basically mean running most or all of a race with them for pacing and motivation. So virtually the same amount of effort, but you aren't even counted as having run in the race. The whole thing seems crazy to me, but in a very good way.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:06 AM on March 23 [3 favorites]
I totally respect these runners while at the same time have absolutely no idea why anyone would willingly subject themselves to the Barkley.
posted by tommasz at 7:34 AM on March 23 [4 favorites]
posted by tommasz at 7:34 AM on March 23 [4 favorites]
bringing up the rear to say the doc is FANTASTIC. "Hey Laz, which one's the human sacrifice?"
posted by hearthpig at 7:50 AM on March 23
posted by hearthpig at 7:50 AM on March 23
Course designer and apparent majordomo 'Laz', recovering from heart surgery, lights a cigarette to signal the start of the race, and after it’s all over, gloats about the new wrinkles he plans to implement to torment race participants next year, which he wasn’t able to do this year because of his medical problems.
If finishers and non-finishers alike weren’t so exhausted at the ends of their runs, if I were Laz I might want some discreet security to be hovering around when participants were about to cross the line, so to speak.
posted by jamjam at 8:29 AM on March 23 [1 favorite]
If finishers and non-finishers alike weren’t so exhausted at the ends of their runs, if I were Laz I might want some discreet security to be hovering around when participants were about to cross the line, so to speak.
posted by jamjam at 8:29 AM on March 23 [1 favorite]
So cool. I remember thinking when I heard that Paris had won the Spine Race (and smashed the course record) that she might be the one to make Gary Cantrell eat his words on how a woman could never complete the Barkley Marathons. Brilliant stuff.
Documentaries about the Barkley are one of my favourite little YouTube niches - because only runners are allowed out on the course you get a real sense of the drama of the race as experienced by the support crews with just footage from the transition area. Hopefully someone will put one out about 2024 before too long.
posted by tomsk at 8:58 AM on March 23 [2 favorites]
Documentaries about the Barkley are one of my favourite little YouTube niches - because only runners are allowed out on the course you get a real sense of the drama of the race as experienced by the support crews with just footage from the transition area. Hopefully someone will put one out about 2024 before too long.
posted by tomsk at 8:58 AM on March 23 [2 favorites]
A 60 mile.... Fun Run.....
All I can say is I'm freaking proud of myself when I finish a 5K.
posted by kathrynm at 9:12 AM on March 23 [4 favorites]
All I can say is I'm freaking proud of myself when I finish a 5K.
posted by kathrynm at 9:12 AM on March 23 [4 favorites]
My running group is full of all kinds - people just starting out running, people who pace marathons for fun and people who do 100 mile ultras through the streets of NYC. My cousin also loves endurance races - one that she did consisted of crossing the entire state of Vermont in under 24 hours and included night canoeing. Some people really love to push their limits! I have nothing but respect for them, even if I set my limit at a half marathon.
What a truly remarkable achievement for Jasmin Paris.
posted by grumpybear69 at 9:18 AM on March 23 [1 favorite]
What a truly remarkable achievement for Jasmin Paris.
posted by grumpybear69 at 9:18 AM on March 23 [1 favorite]
The backstory of this race is really, really strange:
The course changes every year but is roughly five loops of 20 miles with only 35 participants allowed each year.posted by jamjam at 11:42 AM on March 23 [1 favorite]
The Barkley course was the brainchild of Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell and Karl Henn.
The idea for the race came when they heard about the 1977 escape of James Earl Ray, the assassin of Martin Luther King Jr, from nearby Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.
Ray covered only about 12 miles (19 km) after running more than 50 hours in the woods, hiding from air searches during the day.
Mr Cantrell is reported to have mocked the distance covered by Ray, saying: "I could do at least 100 miles."
Lovely article: Jasmin Paris on ‘most wonderful thing’ at Barkley and why she’s so grateful to Jared Campbell. The sport seems to have a great culture.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:38 AM on April 5 [1 favorite]
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:38 AM on April 5 [1 favorite]
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