The following 2006 Barkley Marathons report by RD and Barkley founder Gary Cantrell (aka Lazarus Lake) is re-printed with permission. The original post was on the Barkley mailing list on April 6th, 2006
nick gracie asked me,
“the weather can change really fast here, cant it?”
oh yes,
if frozen head had a motto,
it would be;
“we have weather”
in reality, the weather in ’06 was more stable than normal.
we didnt have any frozen precip all weekend.
but we had the death ray.
once before, we had 80 (f) temps at barkley,
and that year no one finished even the fun run.
take the 80 degree temps,
add in more “new” course than in any other year,
and a bunch of virgins at the front…
the results were no finishers in the fun run.
but it was close.
also plenty of adventures…
milan’s trip to prison,
dan’s trip to parts unknown,
and a couple of thunderstorms for good measure.
those might be the big stories,
but every entrant emerges with tales to tell.
nick also noted that there was a lot more trail than he had been led to
expect.
dont listen to these greenhorns that cant see a trail unless the leaves have
been swept aside.
almost the whole loop is on trail
ranging from game trails to power line cuts…
outright bushwhacking only comes in a few short stretches.
but there is lot of climb….
a f’ing lot of climb.
the two leaders, who missed the fun-run by mere minutes,
were both virgins.
they had one major miscue,
costing a couple of hours.
and, naturally, bled time the whole way,
finding the trail for the first time.
i suspect that, with the novely behind them,
and with a normal year of cold weather,
these guys could make a run at the 100.
i put my money on flyin bryan getting it within the next 3 years.
and i wouldnt bet against him in ’07.
bottom line on barkley;
it is not reasonable.
but if you are in this thing to find your limits….
they are to be found “out there”.
probably not nearly as far “out there’ as you would like to think.
loop 1 (20 miles):
1) jim nelson 9:26:46
2) nick gracie 9:27:20
3) brian robinson 9:29:21
(please note, these guys came in right around 9 hours, but restocked in camp
before passing thru the gate on their way out. many of the times are slower
due to the same strategy)
4) todd holmes 9:55:40
5) craig wilson 10:10:08
6) sue johnston 10:10:27
7) mike dobies 10:14:25
8) greg eason 10:32:05
9) mile bur 11:47:06
10) pat costigan 11:47:13
11) wendell doman 11:56:54
12) frozen ed 11:58:49
13) bill losey 12:03:24
14) johnny d 12:03:30
15) chip tuthill 12:17:38
16) sue thompson 12:17:40
17) hiram rogers 12:29:05
18) mark shipley 12:29:07
19) scott gala 12:29:15
20) andrew hackett 12:38:49
21) elise harrington 12:38:51
22) leonard martin 12:53:19
—-33 starters
loop 2 (40 miles)
1) nick gracie 24:34:14
2) brian robinson 24:38:12
3) craig wilson 24:56:23
4) greg eason 25:06:24
5) mike dobies 25:17:07
—-16 starters
loop 3 (60 miles)
—-4 starters
More Barkley Stuff
If you see any other race reports buy runners or crew, or particularly good recaps, let me know. And as always, if you want to learn more about the Barkley, check out the following:
- Barkley Finish Stats
- People of the Barkley (Barkers)
- Terms & Quick Reference
- Top 10 Barkley Documentaries
Peace, and good luck Out There
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