Jared Campbell descends Rat Jaw on his first lap.

The Barkley Marathons recently concluded for this year and, incredibly, five runners finished, including the first female finisher. Having witnessed this insanity in person (as a photographer, certainly not as a runner) for mental_floss magazine back in their print days, I really cannot believe five people finished.

I was talking about the marathons today with a friend and realized I’d never formally posted images from the project (though I’d sworn I had). Winslow Taft was the creative director and went with me to Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee. We shot over the course of a couple of days and I shot some on 8x10 to tip my hat to the effort the runners (and support folks) had to endure. Whatever effort I put it was dwarfed on exponential levels, without question.

Tons more detail is available at their original post (though I think some of the photos are broken now).

The entry process and fee are an open secret, though how to begin the process is elusive. One requirement of “virgin” racers is to provide a license plate. Those are displayed as a huge hanging installation.

Ascent, descent, ascent. There’s so much elevation change in this race it’s like climbing Everest. Twice. At least you’ve got more oxygen and less altitude?

One part of the race goes through the prison (James Earl Ray’s escape and failed fleeing of this prison is the inspiration for this mad ultrarun).

Along the way the runners have to collect the page that corresponds to their bib number out of a book hidden along the loop. Each loop they have a new bib number, but the vicious titles of the books remain the same—each a reminder or encouragement to drop out. Laz is a sadist as much as the runners are masochists.

When you drop out or fail to make your loop in time, you are “tapped” out with the playing of Taps on a bugle.

The year we were there, only one man finished. Jared Campbell.

This is Jared finishing his 3rd loop back in 2014. This year, 2024, he finished again (his fourth finish) as well as four other people. That breaks the finishing record for The Barkley and also provided the first finish for a woman, Jasmin Paris. Paris was the last to finish and hit the yellow gate with less than two minutes to spare in the 60-hour journey.