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Podcast: Ultrarunning History
Episode: 130: The 2023 Barkley Marathons
Description: By Davy Crockett
New book on Barkley history
The Barkley Marathons course (thought to be roughly 130 miles and about 63,000 feet of elevation gain) at Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee was conquered for the first time in six years. Laz (Gary Cantrell) blew the conch shortly before 9 a.m., on March 14, 2023, signaling to the competitors that they had one hour to prepare for the start. At 9:54 a.m. Laz, sporting a new "geezer" hat in Japanese, lit the ceremonial cigarette, and about 40 daring athletes were off and running on the grueling course that “eats its young.” Previously, only fifteen people had f...