The first lap was run in really hot conditions, too hot for my liking, and then the second lap was the opposite, unbelievably cold with lots of rain. UK-based Nicky, the record-holder for epic 100+ mile mountain challenges like the Double Bob Graham (England) and Double Ramsay Round (Scotland), said: “The Barkley Marathons was extremely tough, in many ways. ![]() Staged in Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee, USA, each lap included around 10,000ft of brutally-steep, obstacle-laden, muddy mountain ascent through thick woodland. The race, made famous by a 2014 Netflix documentary, saw 40 selected runners self-navigate their way around an unmarked course, tearing pages from hidden books as they went, and returning them to the enigmatic event organiser, Laz. This year saw five male runners complete three laps, but none achieved four, let alone five. ![]() Only 15 runners – all men – have finished the full five laps of the notorious Barkley Marathons inside the 60-hour time limit since its inception in 1986. Nicky and Stephanie completed the first 20-mile lap together, before dropping out partway through lap two amid plummeting temperatures and appalling weather conditions. The tough 51-year-old inov-8 ambassador and breast cancer survivor was the last-woman-standing alongside fellow participant Stephanie Case in the 100-mile mountain event, widely-regarded as the world’s toughest ultramarathon. A race no-one wonĮndurance runner Nicky Spinks, took part in this year’s event and has spoken of the extreme challenges faced by runners in a race which no-one finished for a second successive year. Out of more than 1,000 starts, the 100-mile race has only been completed within the official 60-hour cut-off 18 times by 15 runners. ![]() The Barkley is a tough and eccentric race that can start any time between midnight and noon on race day. Around 40 runners started the race but the Barkley Marathons were the winners yet again, with no finishers for another year. ![]() The conch had been blown, the cigarette had been lit.
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