This was written soon after the start of the 2026 Barkley Marathons. At the end of loop two it was confirmed that the four runners leading the way were Sébastien Raichon, Mathieu Blanchard, Damian Hall and Max King.
Lots of people were wrongfooted when the 2026 Barkley Marathons started in mid-February – Valentines’ Day on the 14th to be precise, rather than the usual month or so later.
But a group that weren’t surprised were the 40 runners taking part – the only thing they didn’t know was when the conch would blow within a 12-hour window.
And in this secretive and mythical event the big question now is establishing the identities of all who are taking part.
Some are easier than others. John Kelly is a Barkleys legend and a three-time finisher, just one less than record-holder Jared Campbell.
He indicated he would be there as normal and nothing so far has suggested otherwise. But who else is joining him?
Allez Les Bleus
The first thing to say is there is a heavy French influence.
As always everyone is reliant on Keith Dunn for the updates. And one of his first photos, from the start gate, looked to show Aurelien Sanchez who was the ‘winner’ in his first ever attempt in 2023.
It also seemed to feature Sébastien Raichon, the perfectly-paced winner of ‘Britain’s most brutal’ ultramarathon just last month, the Winter Spine Race. He’s already made a mark at the Barkley and it will be fascinating to see how he gets on this year.
There are potentially two automatic qualifiers for this race and that’s the two winners of the Barkley Fall Classic – this year ultra legend Mathieu Blanchard and Demi Marcantonio.
As things stand it appears Blanchard, who holds both French and Canadian citizenship, has taken his spot.
And early into the event, Dunn lent some weight to our ‘best guesses’ when he revealed: “The first five through the tower all have French accents.”
Ultra Damo goes again
In terms of the Brits this year it looks like Damian Hall is aiming to complete unfinished Barkley business.
He has come so close in the past and it would be a wonderful story if he could add his name to the finishers list.
![Aurelien Sanchez Barkley Marathons winner 2023 [Photo credit: Davidmillerphotography_ on Instagram]](https://run247.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Aurelien-Sanchez-Barkley-Marathons-winner-2023.jpg)
![Russ Cook completes his epic run across the entire length of Africa [Photo credit: The Snapshot People Ltd]](https://run247.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Russ-Cook-completes-length-of-Africa-run-2024-912x720.jpg)
