This finish line vid, tho

https://www.facebook.com/runningmag/videos/379681461623650

That road she is coming up is much steeper than it looks. I have run up it and it is no joke. And she is doing it at the end of 5 laps.

Laz' comments -

reflections on the 2024 barkley
.
it is never the same.
but it is always like this.
a lifetime compressed into 2 and a half days.
.
ihor the champion.
ihor driven by the will to never give up.
maybe i had the best view as he left on loop 5.
mincing across the rocky surface on destroyed feet.
i did not think it possible that they would carry him another lap over the brutal course.
.
but, ultimately, the barkley is a measure of sheer will.
and an iron will
the determination to stay the course to the end
carried him to victory.
.
john kelly and jared campbell.
the definition of barkley elite.
their performances were works of art.
their canvas the rugged crab orchard mountains
their palette powerful legs and minds.
master navigators
goatlike climbers
unyielding determination
unblinking focus on the task at hand.
their races were masterpieces.
.
greig hamilton
back for one more go at the most elusive prize in running.
maybe his last chance
as his great athletic career is closer to twilight than noon.
add in that his previous attempts all combined
had not seen the good weather of a single day this year.
he was not letting the opportunity get away.
even a major navigational error on the 5th loop did not rattle him.
.
and then there was the last finisher...
.
jasmin paris achieved the impossible.
and to achieve the impossible you have to do the impossible.
.
that stirring, emotion charged finish is only a fraction of the real story.
jasmin went out too fast.
if you want what you want
you have to do what it takes to get it.
and what it took to get what she wanted was to go out too fast.
and then to transcend human limitations to hang on.
.
as a race director you have a responsibility not to let an athlete put theirself in danger.
at the barkley that can be a tough call.
the standing joke is that every barker starting lap 5
would be pulled off the course in any other event.
jasmin was damaged when she left on the third lap.
between 3 and 4 it looked like an open question if she would be able to continue.
but between 4 and 5 she initially looked like a corpse.
she perked up briefly getting her stuff together to start the last loop.
then her stomach rebelled.
watching her try and get things under control to leave i had an internal debate going on.
carl was really in charge
but he was occupied.
and i was supposed to step in and help him when needed.
i couldnt abrogate my responsibilities on a technicality.
so i needed to give the situation serious consideration.
normally it might be advisable to tell her she should get her stomach settled before leaving.
but this wasnt normally.
the clock was running
and every second had counted for a long, long time.
jasmin was not just some ordinary athlete.
she had proven herself many times over.
the weather was not life threatening...
.
but most of all she was on the verge of a transformative performance.
she deserved to decide the outcome of her race "out there"
so i just watched her head out into the darkness.
.
the rest of the story the world knows....
.
or knows most of it.
if you have not been "out there"
your mind cannot create an image of just how hard it is
nor of the sheer horror that is that course.
whatever superlative you went to apply to her performance,
it was better than that.
.
but that applies to 4 other athletes as well.
.
other random thoughts.
we were all reminded of just how narrow the margins at barkley
when the rain began an hour after the race ended.
we broke camp and loaded everything up in progressively harder rain.
the drive home was made in a downpour.
had that arrived one day earlier
we would have been lucky to see one finisher.
.
another major factor in this year's success besides the weather.
was the strategy of the deep field of elite runners.
a pack of 18 took on the first loop together.
usually that results in testosterone poisoning
as they beat each other to death.
this time the best navigators led the group
and they collectively used brute force to defeat the new books.
it doesnt require precise navigation to locate a book
when 18 people fan out over the place it is at.
.
in military terms it was the equivalent of a full frontal assault.
casualties were expected.
but there were so many elite runners the course could not kill them all!
.
the struggle to keep away spectators is still an issue.
i spent a lot of friday telling people it was not a spectator event.
but there were still a lot of extra people by the time the finishers arrived.
it seems bizarre to see people wandering thru the campground like it was some sort of display set up for their amusement.
the park wont let us block the entrance to the campground
(which i would like to do)
because we have to leave access to the public trails.
i get that, but
with about double the campground's normal capacity already there
the only place for spectators is in the way.
i guess that is something we just have to keep working at.
.
all told it was a successful barkley.
i was proud of how carl performed
and i dont think we started the transition a moment too soon.
when i think about all that he did
and how exhausted i still was at the end of the weekend
i wonder how i ever managed to do it all...
.
that youth stuff cant be over-rated!

Did you catch the part about Jared Campbell's gesture to let her run clockwise for the 5th loop?

Caught on video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IOY7nvnQTE

Trent - Thanks for sharing.

Most welcome! 🙏🏻

I've been reading that the course may be easier this year, as evidenced by the record number of 7 competitors on the 5th lap.  I think that fails to take into account the weather, which seems to be cooperating with the runners very much, and can make a big difference.

I agree with your assessment. Some additional evidence -

This was a remarkable field of runners and finishers. Several had previously finished the course before,. Others had given it several attempts.

The weather was remarkably mild. This is a critical aspect of success on the course. At no point was weather even a remote challenge.

I know several people who build out the course/ set books, and have seen reports from runners all indicating this was a harder course than before. Jared Campbell who finished loop five in 59:30:32, his fourth finish, said to Laz: “That new section is brutal. You are a bad man.”

All the finishers came in so close to the final 60 hour limit despite lovely weather , and Jared and John both slower than prior finishes.

I've been chatting just now with Naresh, the tall Indian fellow seen in a lot of pictures at the yellow gate, and the guy who helped set out a bunch of books. He is also seen in the 2014 documentary. Naresh confirmed that this was a very rough course this year - easily harder than any that came before.

Naresh added that part of the success was that the top runners worked together on the first lap, helping each other and pushing each other. This shows up in Laz' comments as well, above

The course changes for the harder every time anybody finishes. Last year three people finished and so Laz specifically made the course harder.

3 Vendors Still Missing in Barkley Marathons 32,000-Acre Unmarked Race Expo

Gold.

I’m told the course will change.

Also, Laz is handing the reigns over to Carl Laniak. Transition apparently began this year.

This was jarring to hear about, and to see clips of groups filming at different points on the course. The mystery of it is part of the appeal for me as someone who will never participate.

 

I agree.  All that filming robs the race of one of it's quintessential characteristics.  I'm not sure what can be done about it, though, since the venue is a public park.  Asking people to behave less selfishly has a long history of not working.