įor the early years, the Barkley was 50-55 miles or so, with about 25,000-27,000 feet of climbing. Cantrell named the race for his longtime neighbor and running companion, Barry Barkley. Cantrell said to himself, 'I could do at least 100 miles,' mocking Ray's low mileage. Ray covered only about 12 miles (19 km) after running 54.5 hours in the woods hiding from air searches during the day. The idea for the race was inspired upon hearing about the 1977 escape of James Earl Ray, the assassin of Martin Luther King Jr., from nearby Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. The Barkley course was the brain child of Gary ' Lazarus Lake' Cantrell and Karl Henn (Raw Dog). The race is limited to a 60-hour period from the start of the first loop, and takes place in March or early April of each year.

The course, which varies from year to year, consists of five loops of the 20+ mile, off-trail course for a total of 100 miles (160 km). The Barkley Marathons is an ultramarathon trail race held each year in Frozen Head State Park in Morgan County, Tennessee.

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