The Barkley Marathons must be just about the hardest ultrarunning race on the planet to get an entry for – so spare a thought for Scott Snell as we build up to the 2025 edition.
It’s a convoluted process – much more on that here – to get one of the 40 starting berths, but there are usually two ‘almost guaranteed’ routes.
Firstly, be the last person standing at the previous year’s Big’s Backyard Ultra. And secondly be first man or woman at the Barkley Fall Classic, both races also creations of Barkley supremo Laz Lake.
The ‘unchosen’ email
Winner of the 2023 Big’s Backyard in 2023 was Harvey Lewis – and the ‘assist’ that year came from none other than Ihor Verys who would write his name in Barkley legend the following spring.
In late 2024 it was Snell who prevailed and – as he freely admits – he thought that had all but booked his ticket for the Barkleys.
But nothing is certain in the ‘race that eats its young’ and Snell takes up the story in his blog.
He said: “My race plans for 2025 have and continue to be somewhat uncertain. A part of the reason for the uncertainty was waiting to find out if my application would be accepted and I would be granted a spot at a race that is extremely difficult to gain entry to and has an entry process notoriously shrouded in mystery.
“No, I did not have hopes of running Western States this year; I am of course referring to the Barkley Marathons. I was notified via an “unchosen” email just a couple weeks before Christmas that I would not be running the Barkley Marathons in 2025.”
But rather than let that knock him back, he’s turned it into a positive – and just a couple of weeks ago he came out and won the Holly Springs Race Against The Sun 24-hour event.
FOMO a factor
He explained: “I believe I submitted my application for poor reasons and if I had been granted a spot, very little if any good would have come of it.
“The Barkley has never been a race I intended to run. There are races that I’d like to run but because of circumstances (timing/schedule conflicts, travel/registration costs, etc.) would be difficult for me to run. The Barkley was never on this list of races for me.
“With that being said, what “poor” reasons motivated me to even bother applying? The first is that I honestly thought I had as guaranteed of a spot as possible given the selection process of the Barkleys. Since much of the selection process and criteria is not publicized, it is inherently primarily hearsay. I had heard from multiple credible sources that the winner of Big’s Backyard (regardless of team or individual year competitions) was guaranteed a spot at the Barkleys if their application was submitted properly.
“Based on this and the fact that I was the last one standing at the Big’s 2025 competition, I thought I had a spot if I just applied. I thought this was an opportunity that could very well never come along again so I told myself that I shouldn’t waste this opportunity even if running the Barkleys wasn’t particularly high or on my list of running goals at all.
“Which leads to poor reason number two: I felt somewhat obligated to apply. I felt obligated because it seemed like a rare opportunity and we all know what they say about opportunity knocking. So I attempted to answer that knock at the door, but as it turns out it wasn’t a knock at the door at all.
“Which explains my initial disappointment. I had gotten myself excited about running this race which so many runners want the opportunity to run and apply to run every year only to be turned away. I became so enamored with the idea of it after Big’s that I decided to stop at Frozen Head State Park on my drive home just to visit the yellow gate. At that time I was pretty certain I’d be back to make an attempt at running the Barkleys. I didn’t have high hopes of finishing or even doing well; but I thought it’d be amazing to be a part of that small group of runners to even make an attempt at the infamous race.
“Which leads to what was actually the biggest motivating factor for me to apply and poor reason number three: FOMO, my fear of missing out. In retrospect, the logic really was that simple: everyone else wants to do this and a very select few get to do it, therefore it must be good and I should do it. And that is how I allowed my decision to be dictated by fear. Even if it was the fear of missing out on an opportunity, it was fear nonetheless. Allowing fear to dictate my actions is something I try to avoid. However this time, the fear got the best of me.”
Balanced perspective
Another fascinating take on this absorbing race – and the good news is that plenty of good has already come out of it.
He continued: “I was considering other races to register for in early 2025 and holding off until I knew for certain whether or not I would be running the Barkleys. When I got the “unchosen” email, it was first shock as I was sure I would have a spot, followed by disappointment, and then relief.
“Relief that I wouldn’t have to travel to a race that I’m not sure I would have enjoyed. Relief that I was now free to register for the races I had been considering with no regrets of missing out on an opportunity due to my lack of effort. Relief and a bit of an awakening as to how I will decide my race schedule for 2025. My schedule will not be decided based on fear or disingenuous obligatory feelings; I feel more free to decide my path this year than in past years.”
Since then he’s chalked up that win at the Holly Springs Race Against The Sun 24-hour event, in the process setting a new 100 mile PR for himself of 17:22:31.
It will take those who did get into the Barkleys a good deal longer than that to cover the tortuous 100 miles at Frozen Head State Park – and who knows Snell might yet get his chance in years to come.
