- [Male] I think Laz is
crazy, but in a very good way. I think he's very smart, I
think he knows what he's doing. - [Male 2] People think
he's a sadist, or whatever. - [Female] He's like my trail soulmate. - [Male 2] Flare for the dramatic, I think. - [Female] Bit of a sassy man. (Laz laughs) - [Narrator] Laz Cantrell, a true backwoods rebel
of Tennessee, created one of the world's most grueling footraces. One that is so challenging, it leads many to assume it must be an act of sadism. (Laz laughs) Are you a sadist? - No, no. I think people are obsessed with comfort to the point that they forget if you don't have any discomfort in your life, how do you know when you feel good? The Barkley Marathons is a 100-mile race comprised of five 20-mile loops, which you have 60 hours to complete. And so, there's some
pretty rugged terrain. It's got a massive amount
of climb, about 66,000 feet. You have just your map and compass. It's cold, it's wet, it’s
miserable, you're alone. The fact that they’ll probably almost certainly fail
makes it more appealing. This started in '85 and, uh,
we have 14 finishers. Are y'all about ready? - [Female] You start the
race with a cigarette light, which feels very untraditional
for most race starts. - [Laz] Yeah, we always
use a Camel because that's about the best cigarette, I think. - [Male] Yay team, go for it. (crowd cheers) - [Narrator] The course is located in Frozen Head State Park, home to the Brushy Mountain
State Penitentiary. A location not chosen by chance. (ominous music) In 1977, James Earl Ray, the man who killed Martin Luther King Jr., made headlines again when
he escaped the prison. In the 54 hours he was free, he only made it eight miles from his cell. Because this terrain is no joke. - It donned on us; I thought man, you could put together a racecourse that would really
challenge people's soul. I think every runner
would like to do better than James Earl Ray, and get
further than eight miles. Although, some of them don't (laughs). Everybody gets a bid number for each loop. There's paperback books, which are kind of strategically placed so that to get them all you have to follow the course. And you pull out the page number
that matches your bid. You have to turn in your pages to show you've done the course. - He has a brilliant sense of humor. He's parodying the sport
of ultra-marathon running. Those of us who run ultras,
we have a certain egoism that we think we're pretty good because of what we can do. And, so, he set out to
puncture that balloon. Laz keeps making it
harder because he's trying to put it at the limit
of human possibility. (bugle Taps) - After they've decided
that they've had enough and quit, we play Taps on the bugle. Both because Taps is what you play for someone who's died in action, and because they will be tapped-out. - I think, genuinely in his heart, he wants to see people succeed. When people actually finish five loops, and you see him at the end, he's so excited. (crowd cheers) - When you have one or
more of them comes in, it's an inspiring thing. It's hard to believe a
human can accomplish that. It's good that some years no one finishes 'cause The Barkley
should win sometimes, too.
There's a documentary about this race on Netflix. Not to be missed.
This year was pretty cool. There were live updates on Twitter which made it easy to follow. Two guys made it to the final loop. One completed the race. The other finished it, but unfortunately came to the final the wrong direction and also like 19 seconds over the 60 hour time limit and was DQ'd.
They should call in some Tarahumara indians to give this a shot.
The Barkley Marathons are crazy.
Oh I thought at first his name was Wartburg. I was like no wonder he's a sadist.
What a magical character. I love ultras because the people that run them are other worldly, almost like a kind of monk.
also check out red bull x alps
I think this is kinda dumb. But people think what I do with my time is kinda dumb. So the circle is complete.