Barkley Marathons

Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee



I have been running and racing and adventuring (is that a word?) for a very long time. I like to think that I have a pretty good perspective on the world. I don’t take myself or my running too seriously. I try not to complain too much about my aches and pains because I choose to do these events so complaining about it doesn’t make sense. I think that I have a good way with words when describing how I feel and what I am experiencing.

All that said, let me just say these two urgent words; HELP ME!!!

I have spent the past couple of days in Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee. I have been trying to learn around some of the trails in the park. This is the location of the Barkley Marathons. There is a story behind the name and the fact that it is plural but I will tell that one later.

The Barkley is a 100+ mile adventure. Here are a few basic facts.

- Barkley is actually 5 loops of about 26 miles per loop

- The course is unmarked and changes every year

- There is more than 52,000 feet of climbing in the Barkley and 52,000 of descending

- More than 700 runners have attempted Barkley but only 8 have ever completed the entire race

- On average, more than half of the runners will break down in tears at some point (okay I just made this one up but it seems likely)

- The race director changes the course every year specifically to prevent runners from finishing

- The race begins with the lighting of a cigarette

- Virgins (that would be me in this case) DO NOT finish this race unless they have extensive experience in Frozen Head State Park

- I am in way over my head.

Why did I think this was a good idea? I don’t know. Doesn’t it always sound good when we are sitting comfortably on the sofa? I have known of Barkley for many years and have always wanted to give it a try.

Here are a few pictures of what this weekend holds for me:






I have my checklist all made out. I have some of the best possible partners helping me these days and I am very grateful for their support and guidance.

-Mission Skincare for SPF and the all important Anti Friction lube

-Newton Running for amazing shoes

-Balega Socks keep my feet blister free and happy

-Infinit Nutrition is huge for a race like Barkley because nutrition is critical for a 60 hour race

-Princeton Tec lights the way. Darkness is a bad thing at Barkley

-I have been using a special knee brace at night that sends a low level electric charge to the knee all night. This has saved me so far this year. VQ Orthocare provides that.

I am sure there are others but I am off to Frozen Head now.

Beast of Burden 100 – Lockport, NY



February 27, 2010

A few months ago, I was visiting a friend in Portland and I received an email from someone I didn’t know. Basically it was an invitation to come and run a 100 miler in February. It was a first year race being put on by a novice race director. I had my finger poised above the delete button when I saw one word that caught my eye; BUFFALO!
No, not the animal, the city. In New York. Hmmmm, a 100 miler outside of Buffalo NY in February. That sounds awful. I should check it out.

Twenty minutes later I am talking on the phone to the race director, Sam Pescari. He has never directed a race before and he doesn’t have the proper permits yet. He is still working out the details of the course itself. He doesn’t own a running or triathlon shop. In fact, he’s a barber. Red flags should have been smacking me in the face because this has the makings of a disaster. But something about Sam’s enthusiasm and matter-of- fact determination kept my attention. He was passionate and excited and he really wanted me to come and run his race. I told him I would think about it. I didn’t really mean it.

A couple of weeks later, Sam called to say that he had just brought in a great new sponsor. Rohto, a Mentholatum brand that makes eye drops, has just decided to support the race. Rohto has products that are specifically designed for athletes and non athletes alike. Sam wants to know if I have made up my mind about the race. Honestly, I had decided not to run it. Too cold, too new, too many unknowns. Then I realized that I had just given myself all of the reasons that I should be doing this race. The Beast of Burden would be an adventure, a race completely out of my comfort zone. So I said yes. What had I done?

I arrived in Buffalo on Thursday afternoon. It was snowing lightly and the temperature was around 25 degrees. Not too bad really. Sam picked me up and we drove to his house in Lockport, about 45 minutes from Buffalo. Sam lives about 2 minutes from the Erie Canal towpath, the location of the race. This was the path that Sam has been running for years and a very popular path for local runners and walkers.
At Sam’s house, I met his wife and two kids, Dominic and Sarah. Everyone was very welcoming but Sarah, aged 7, seemed to be the happiest about having company. She became my helper and waitress for the weekend. And when it came to talking, I had found my equal. I loved it.
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WHY YOU WANNA HURT ME?

Several months ago I decided that 2010 was going to be a breakout year for me. To be fair, around November of every year, I proclaim that next year will be THE year. You know what I mean. All my big plans will finally come together. All the sacrifices will seem worth it and I can walk around with a big smile and a smug confidence that says, “you people thought I was crazy but now you see the genius of my master plan.” Okay I don’t really say things like that to myself. But I just might IF my master plan ever does come together. Problem is, I don’t have a master plan. I should really get one of those.

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