“If I knew I could make it, what would be the point” – Barkley Marathons trailblazer Laz Lake re-starts epic trek

Last month saw his fiendish creation the Barkley Marathons bite back in style as none of the 40 participants came close to finishing the 100-mile race at Frozen Head State Park.

And as ever Lazarus ‘Laz’ Lake was there to set the runners on their way and oversee proceedings but this weekend sees him re-start a personal challenge of his own.

He’s now turned 70 and though he doesn’t run anymore, he does walk – and over extreme distances. Soon after the historic 2024 Barkley Marathons when Jasmin Paris became the first woman to finish, Laz set out on what was dubbed ‘Lazcon’ – an epic walk from the east coast of the United States to the west coast, Delaware to San Francisco.

He ended up calling a halt at the fitting point of Foyil in Oklahoma – he had made it to his parents’ graves the day before and then battled on to Foyil, where his father grew up.

‘Confident… and afraid’

And now the unfinished business of the next 350 miles is scheduled to be completed in the next 17 days.

A few days before setting out, he posted the following in his own unique style on his Facebook page:

“350 miles doesnt sound like much. but, it is actually really far.

“5 more days to train, and i am leg-weary. there are a lot of little aches and pains. i am only doing a little over 4 hours a day, less than half the 10 hours a day i have in my plans for the long walk.

“i have worked hard the last three months to get ready. but i only have 1 day off planned to drive to the start and recover some semblance of snap in these old legs. the extreme slowness of getting in shape at 70 is compensated for by the extreme speed of losing it…i think the conditioning effect starts to wear off after about 3 hours.  

“at once i feel confident… and afraid. i have no plans except to reach dodge city in 17 days. but i know it is not guaranteed. if i knew i could make it, what would be the point?”

Trailblazer

Laz – real name Gary Cantrell – was inducted into the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame two years ago and has had a huge impact in the sport.

And not just with the Barkley Marathons. He has created numerous other races and also came up with the Backyard Ultra format which continues to grow globally.