You have probably never heard of the Barkley Marathons. Many people hadn’t before Netflix released a documentary last year called The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young. On the first weekend of April, 40 runners from around the world gather in the rugged hills of Tennessee for a 160-kilometre footrace that lasts 60 hours. It is considered one of the world’s hardest ultra marathons; only 15 people have finished the race in its 30-year history.
This year the race started at 1.42am. One runner from Washington, DC finished in just under 60 hours but the real story was a runner who just missed out. Gary Robbins, a professional runner from Canada, missed a critical turn after 55 hours (having not slept the entire time) and missed the cut-off time by a mere six seconds. The gravity of running for 60 hours straight without success is not something normal people experience. However, Mr Robbins’s proclamation that he will be back next year to run the race again is an incredible lesson in determination and perseverance.
