Known as one of the world’s hardest and most secretive races, the Barkley Marathons have eluded hundreds of participants in the past — so much so that it isn’t unusual for no one to cross the finish line.
But last week, a record five runners, including the first woman and the first Canadian, completed the 160-kilometre course through Tennessee woodlands.
Ukrainian-Canadian Ihor Verys won with a time of 58 hours, 44 minutes and 59 seconds.
“The Barkley Marathon is an ultimate endurance challenge … and every single loop is non-stop. There’s no aid stations, … there’s no GPS or watches involved,” said Verys, who’s based in Chilliwack, B.C., about 100 kilometres east of Vancouver.
“We were very lucky and fortunate this year with the weather. Usually when it’s foggy there, it’s really hard to navigate.”
Jasmin Paris, from Midlothian, Scotland, about 12 kilometres south of Edinburgh, became the first woman to complete the race, with a time of 59 hours, 58 minutes, and 21 seconds.
The invitation-only race challenges runners to complete the course in 60 hours and features quirky customs over difficult, elevated forest terrain.
Just days after the race, Verys joined CBC’s On The Coast to talk about the marathon and his historic win.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Ihor Verys from Chilliwack, B.C, became the first Canadian to finish the 160-kilometre Barkley Marathons, winning the event with a time of 58 hours 44 minutes 59 seconds. He says he completed the race without sleeping.
What is the Barkley Marathons?
Only a small amount of people get invited every year — around 40 people or so. It’s a mystery basically, so it’s hard to get in. Nobody knows how, but everybody knows about the existence of this race.
In essence, you cover this 42- or 48-kilometre off-trail loop, nobody knows exactly how long it is, in Frozen Head State Park near Wartburg, about 230 kilometres east of Nashville.
You just use an old-school map and compass in the forest and you do five loops of that in order to complete the Barkley Marathons.
Some years no one finishes the race, but this year five people completed it, including the first woman. What can you tell us about Jasmine Paris?
Jasmine made history and I’m just so lucky to be able to witness it. She became the very first female to have ever completed Barkley Marathons and had only 99 seconds to spare.
I’m so proud that she was able to finish it and prove the race director wrong, who always said that females cannot finish this race.
On The Coast8:35How a B.C. man won this year’s Barkley Marathons
Ihor Verys from Chilliwack tells us what it was like coming first in this year’s gruelling 100-mile Barkley Marathons without sleeping.
Does the course stay the same every year?
Some portions of the course are the same, but every time there is a finisher, the race director likes to make it harder. So every year it’s actually progressively getting harder.
There are always changes to the course and we only get to have a look at the master map just a few hours before the race starts.
There were also so many strong and solid veterans this year, who have done this race before, including Jasmine Paris — she attempted it twice and this was her third attempt.
We worked together for as long as we could, which is four loops. On the fifth loop, we’re not allowed to be in groups anymore, we have to figure it out on our own.
By helping each other, we were able to achieve this historic finish. There have never been five finishers before.
Is it true you didn’t sleep during the race?
The body achieves what the mind believes, right? I had previous experience, when I went with almost no sleep for four nights. So in comparison, I had to skip only two nights.
Granted, the exertion level is different here because you have to push, climb and descend a lot. I was getting sleepy a bit here and there, but it wouldn’t stop me and sleep deprivation wasn’t a big issue for me.
What was the hardest part of the race?
I feel like all the training paid off, but at some point my feet started blistering and I developed trench feet – basically blisters at the bottom of my feet from the wet conditions and not being able to change socks frequently enough.
In the grand scheme of things, where so many things could go wrong, like nutrition or cramps, nothing like that happened.
So I was thinking, if I just suck it up for a little bit, it’s not a big deal compared to what could have happened potentially.
Now my feet are feeling much better. I can walk, even jog, but I force myself not to, just to make sure I fully recover first.
And next, I have nothing crazy planned. I’m just going to do a few races in Canada, travel across our beautiful provinces, explore the trails here and support local race directors.