It’s down to two at the Barkley Marathons midway through the third of five potential loops at Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee.
It’s a unique event – click here for our beginner’s guide and here to learn more about its enigmatic creator Laz Lake.
Just 20 runners have finished the five 20-mile loops since the event started back in 1986 and this year saw the earliest ever start, with the conch blown on Saturday 14th February.
Each year 40 runners start but the attrition rate was high from the outset this time – 70% went on the first loop as 40 became 12 and then it was down to just four at the end of lap two.
They were Sébastien Raichon, Mathieu Blanchard, Damian Hall and Max King – two Frenchmen, though Blanchard also has Canadian citizenship, a Brit with previous Barkley form in Hall and an American in King.
‘Barkley runners evolve’
This year there are some significant changes, beginning with the start date of Valentine’s Day on February 14th – by far the earliest date compared to the usual mid to late March slot.
Also the famous yellow gate has been replaced by a smaller version as the usual campsite is being renovated, meaning a stream crossing right at the start of each loop.
That led to some lateral thinking from both Hall and King at the start of loop three, with Keith Dunn – the sole source of reliable information on this maverick event – saying: “Damian Hall started loop 3 barefoot to prevent his shoes from getting soaked in the stream. Max King covered his feet in plastic bags. Barkley runners evolve.
‘Playing with the runners’
But for all the smiles at the start of the third lap of this unforgiving contest, it soon became pretty bleak again.
“In addition to the rain, fog is rolling in. Now the Barkley is just playing with the runners,” said Dunn and the photos below illustrated exactly that.
And not long after, four became three, with Dunn saying: “Mathieu Blanchard quit on loop 3 due to cold and is tapped out”. The ultrarunning legend was on his Barkley Marathons debut, having booked his spot by winning the Barkley Fall Classic late last year.
It’s not just a physical and mental challenge for the runners but for Dunn and many others too and a little later he posted: “I must have dozed off or something, but somehow I missed Max King dropping a couple hours ago, after making it to book 4 on loop 3. Two runners remain on loop 3; 1 remains on loop 1.”
King was the brilliant winner of the 2024 Dragon’s Back in Wales but had a nightmare Barkley debut in 2025 when he was the first person eliminated after a nasty knee injury – this was some bounceback.
All of which left Hall, who has gone agonisingly close to finishing the Barkleys in the past – including the historic Jasmin Paris year – and Winter Spine Race winner Raichon as the last two standing.
Click here to find out how the rest of loop three played out…
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