Updated February 14, 2026 06:45PM
WARTBURG, Tenn. – Love is in the air indeed this Valentine’s Day. A love for sleep deprivation and suffering, anyway. The 2026 Barkley Marathons has begun.
At 6:00 a.m. EST on Saturday, February 14, race director Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell lit a cigarette and a gaggle of runners forged a creek before running off into the barren, brambled woods of Frozen Head State Park, deep in the Cumberland Mountains of eastern Tennessee.
While their crews huddle for warmth in 32-degree F temps at the start, these runners are attempting the near-if-not impossible: cover a “20-ish” mile loop five times, alternating directions every two loops, in under 60 hours total. That’s 100 or so miles—although most believe closer to 130 miles—of shwacking through dense, prickly undergrowth and up and down steep hillsides with names like Rat Jaw, Testicle Spectacle, and Bad Thing that amount to well over 60,000 or so feet of climbing and descent. That’s like climbing Mount Everest, twice, from sea level. And then some.
There are no course markings on this largely off-trail route, which changes year to year. No cell phones or GPS devices are allowed. There are no aid stations stockpiled with treats. Just a race-issued analog watch (which may or may not tell the time) and a paper map and compass are there to save you. There’s little time, if any, for sleep.
The 2026 Barkley Marathons: The Hardest Edition of the Hardest Race?
For a race steeped in tradition, very little about the 2026 Barkley Marathons sounds familiar. Let’s start with iconic the yellow gate marking the start and finish. It’s making a, well, special appearance this year. Big Cove Campground is closed for renovations, so the race start/finish is down the way at the shelters. Hence the creek crossing right at the beginning of each loop. How conveniently inconvenient.
Next up, the race director. For the second year, Laz will be joined by Carl Laniak, who has taken much of the reins. And lest we forget, the duo dialed up the volume to louder than 11 last year in what three-time finisher John Kelly called the hardest edition of the race he’s entered.
And if Valentine’s Day sounds too early for what many love to call The World’s Toughest Footrace, you’re also right. The Barkley Marathons, typically held in March, sometimes April, has never started before March 1.
In 2024, Jasmin Paris became the first woman to finish the Barkley Marathons, part of an unprecedented five finishers in one year. (Photo: Jacob Zocherman)
Why is the race so early this year? While we can’t be certain, it’s a safe bet to assume that Laniak and Laz figured they needed a little extra cold, wet, darkness, and misery to ensure the “success” of the event. Translating that from Laz-Laniak speak, we mean pure and utter failure. Sure, for the 25th time since the inaugural race in 1986, no one finished the Barkley Marathons last year. But the specter of an unprecedented five finishers in 2024 undoubtedly haunts Laz and Laniak’s conscience. This race has, collectively, about a 2% finish rate, after all.
And why on a long weekend with not one, but two, holidays? (For our non-American friends, Monday is Presidents’ Day.) Most likely, to throw us off the scent and keep the media away, those dastards.
Nonetheless, for those of us with nothing better to do this holiday weekend, we’re in for quite the sweet, if also Satanic, treat. Buckle up, the 2026 Barkley Marathons is here, and it’s shaping up to be harder than ever. Keep reading to catch the live, ongoing play-by-play.
Wondering what the Barkley Marathons is all about? Head over to our full Barkley Marathons guide to get the full run down on what is the Barkley Marathons, the lore, the course, and all 20 finishers (who have collectively finished 26 times).
Sébastien Raichon suffers at 2025 Barkley Marathons, where there were no finishers. (Photo: Jacob Zocherman)
Barkley Marathons Rules (a Refresher)
To say the Barkley Marathons is counter-cultural would be an understatement. But that, of course, is exactly what makes Laz’s events so beloved and bewitching.
Runners hoping to enter the Barkley Marathons must first figure out how to apply.
If accepted, runners receive a letter of condolences. (About 40 runners get in every year.)
There’s a $1.60 fee to apply. If accepted, new runners, aka Barkley “virgins,” must bring a license plate to the start. Veterans must bring some other item specified by the race director (such as a t-shirt or socks).
Runners are allowed one crew member each.
Crew is not allowed on course, other than at the campground and the lookout tower 4 miles away. Aid and communication with runners is only permitted while runners are in camp in between loops.
There are two water stations along the course, otherwise runners must carry their own supplies, restocking after each loop.
Runners and crew traditionally camp out in tents. Sprinter vans are permitted, but no RVs.
GPS devices and cell phones are not permitted. Paper map and compass plus a race-issued analog watch only.
At the start of each lap, each runner is a bib. At 13 or so checkpoints along the course, runners must find the book and rip out the page corresponding to their bib number to prove they completed the entire loop.
Every runner who DNFs is officially pulled from the race while Taps is played on a bugle trumpet.
Runners who complete three loops within the 40-hour cutoff are awarded a “fun run.”
Loops 1 and 2 are run traditionally clockwise (ensuring one is in the light, the other at night). Loops 3 and 4 are run counterclockwise.
If any runners make it to loop 5, the first one chooses the direction, with subsequent runners alternating directions.
To finish the Barkley Marathons, runners must finish all five loops in under 60 hours.
There is no official live tracking, and only Keith Dunn (@keithdunn on X) can report live from camp.
To stay within state park capacity, the Barkley Marathons is not open to the public.
Barkley Marathons Updates and Instant Analysis
13:20 elapsed: 12 runners are onto loop 2
The cutoff to begin loop two has come, and five more runners are on their somewhat merry way into the dark, rainy night. That means there are 12 runners on loop two.
At least one woman out of the 10 female starters is in the mix, Keith Dunn reports. The rest includes “Happy Guy,” “Pale Guy,” and “French Guy 1 and 2.”
Assuming 40 starters, that brings us to a 70% attrition rate so far. (The two buglers are working overtime.) The 2026 Barkley field “began with one of the strongest fields ever,” Keith says. They hailed from 15 countries and 15 states. “The course,” he concludes, “does not seem to care.”
At the end of every loop, Laz counts each runner’s pages (from the books at each checkpoint) to ensure they completed the full thing. (Photo: Jacob Zocherman)
Based on historical data, we can assume many more won’t make it back in time for loop three. Typically runners need to finish loop one within the 12-hour mark (if not significantly faster than that) to finish loop two within the 26:40 cut-off. The top seven were all onto loop two in under 10 hours, but these final five were all around 13 hours.
If runners want a chance of finishing the race, they need to average sub 12-hour loops. The bad news: they have another counter-clockwise loop ahead, this time in the pitch black. (This direction has hills so steep, you might as well be rock climbing. We’re talking like 45 degrees.) The good news: if they can make it to loop three, an “easier” clockwise loop in the light awaits.
Do not go gentle, friends!
10:30 elapsed: The first runner taps out (literally)
Claire Bannwarth is bugled out of the 2025 Barkley Marathons (Photo: Jacob Zocherman)
We don’t know who, but we do know they called it quits. Per race tradition, they were officially ejected from the race to the ceremonial tune of Taps, otherwise known as the song of U.S. military funerals.
9:59 elapsed: Led by “Old French Guy,” seven runners start loop 2
Sébastien Raichon, 54, at the Barkley Marathons. He finished four loops in 2024 and two in 2025. (Photo: Jacob Zocherman)
After 9 minutes and 22 seconds in camp presumably refueling, changing gear, and sending prayers to the Barkley gods, “Old French Guy” (who we believe to be Sébastien Raichon, 54) is the first to start loop two, Keith Dunn reports. He was quickly followed by three more, with “Knee Guy” four minutes behind.
“Water Balloon Guy” and “another French guy” were back out there by 10:26 elapsed. On the way into camp, one of two frenchmen had stopped to put trash bags on his feet before crossing the creek, Keith reports, along with the face palm emoji.
While we wait for more runners to return to camp, Keith left us with this quote from Laz to decode:
So far, to be in this game you have to have some big skins on your wall. But the skins on Barkley’s wall go halfway down the park. – laz #BM100
— Keith (@keithdunn) February 14, 2026
9:47 elapsed: Five runners have completed loop 1 (yikes!)
Woof, this year’s race is a doozy. Five runners finished lap one in 9:47:08-plus, Keith Dunn reports.
Chiseled Jaw Guy, Knee Guy, Old Guy, Midnight guy, and The Path Finder are the first five in. #BM100
— Keith (@keithdunn) February 14, 2026
Given John Kelly completed loop one in 9:44:55 last year and he “only” made it to a “fun run,” this does not bode well for our 2026 crop of Barkley Finisher Hopefuls.
But before we’re forced to resort to going back to following the 2026 Winter Olympics or something, remember: For the first time ever, runners started in the counter-clockwise—aka harder—direction. They’ll have to go this direction again on loop two, and with the added difficulty of darkness, cold, and a good chance of rain. But should they make it through loop 2 in a respectable time, things could improve on loop three. (Just as the fatigue and sleep deprivation really sets in, but details.)
Aurélien Sanchez was the first of three finishers at the 2023 Barkley Marathons. (Photo: Jacob Zocherman)
Who is Keith referring to in his crystal-clear tweet? We’re willing to bet “The Path Finder” is indeed three-time finisher Kelly. “Old Guy” is most likely Sébastien Raichon, 54, who completed two laps last year. Former finishers Aurélien Sanchez and Damian Hall are likely in that mix as well, and Chiseled Jaw Guy be frenchman Mathieu Blanchard (winner of the Barkley Fall Classic 50K, which may have given him entry) or Max King, whose new sponsor Kailas Fuga seems to not understand that what will happen at Barkley must be revealed by Barkley.
3:25 elapsed: Another 10 runners have made it to the tower
That’s 19 runners total, or about half of the field, per Keith Dunn. Last year, only 10 runners completed one lap.
The rest of the field reached the fire tower by the 6-hour mark, Keith says.
2:40 elapsed: The French are at the tower!
The tower, which is about 4 miles from camp, is the only on-course location where non-racers are allowed. (Photo: Jacob Zocherman)
A group of 9 runners have made it to the lookout tower in about 2:40 elapsed, and the first five “all have French accents,” Keith says. Where along the course is the tower, you may be wondering? We don’t know for certain, but in previous years the tower has come about a third of the way through the loop in the counter-clockwise direction, putting these runners on pace for a sub-9 hour loop.
3:02 elapsed: We have our first DNF
Well that didn’t take long.
Just three hours into the race, someone has called it quits. “We don’t know who, we don’t know where they are, and we have no idea when they’ll be back, but someone definitely has dropped,” Keith reports.
Even on last year’s notoriously difficult course, everyone made nearly six hours. Buckle up, friends.
8:54 a.m.: Who’s in the race?
Three-time finisher John Kelly made it the furthest in 2025 with a “fun run” (three laps) before tapping out. (Photo: Jacob Zocherman)
Per tradition, the names of the entrants are never officially revealed. And they won’t be leaked until at least after they complete loop one—if they are so lucky to do so.
All we will say for now is that three-time finisher John Kelly, the only runner to complete a “fun run” last year, went Strava dark after February 4. Only one runner, Jared Campbell, has more Barkley finishes (four).
Kelly wrote in his 2025 race report that last year’s race was, by his estimation, 7% harder than the previous year, with about an extra mile and 10% more climbing on each loop. (Can you tell he’s a data scientist?)
“Barkley isn’t sadistic. If anything, it’s existentialist,” he wrote. “Barkley is a satire. All races are absurd, as are other sports, and art, and music, and most things that give us joy or meaning.”
Kelly understands that meaning is not absolute, it’s cultivated. He finds meaning through pushing himself beyond his perceived limits, and that’s precisely the opportunity that the Barkley presents.
All that to say, we hope to see him in the field this year.
6:18 a.m.: And now we wait
As part of the unusual race entry fee, Barkley “virgins” (first-time racers) must bring a license plate from their home state or country. (Photo: Jacob Zocherman)
The runners are exactly 18 minutes into their herculean quest that, if they succeed, will take upwards of three full days.
With a 60-hour cutoff to complete all five loops, runners theoretically need to finish loop one in 12-13 hours if they want to have any chance of completing the whole thing. But keep in mind that the cumulative effect of fatigue and sleep deprivation compounds exponentially throughout the event. Plus, the nighttime laps are always slower.
Based on historical performances, runners really need to finish loop one in under 9 hours if they want to have any chance of being in that elusive 2% of entrants who have finished the race. In 2024 when there were an unprecedented five finishers, nine runners completed loop one in 8 hours-and-something.
Back at camp, people are “looking for things to do,” Keith says. “One of the media tried warming a banana over the camp fire,” he continues. “She was very disappointed in the result.”
6:00 a.m./0:00 elapsed: The 2026 Barkley Marathons has begun
The Barkley begins as it always does, with Laz, seen here in 2025, lighting a cigarette. (Photo: Jacob Zocherman)
The 2026 Barkley Marathons has begun, and it’s already full of surprises.
After a “brief memorial,” Laz lit his customary cigarette and 40 or so competitors from around the globe ran off into the barren woods. But not before forging a creek, a new addition to the race this year as the start/finish, which also serves as home base in between in each loop. (This base has been moved about half a mile away from the customary Big Cove Campground, which is undergoing renovation.)
Fear not, however, the yellow gate is still miraculously present.
For the first time in Barkley history, the first two loops will be run counterclockwise, per Keith Dunn. The next two, should anyone make it that far, will be clockwise, and runners will alternate on the final loop. Given each loop inherently alternates between daytime and night, this ensures every lap looks as different as possible, maximizing navigational difficulty.
5:34 a.m.: Laz is not worried
You may have realized that the 2026 Barkley Marathons coincides with not only two holidays, but also a whole slew of sporting events. Tarawera Ultra-Trail and Black Canyon—two golden ticket races into the Western States 100—are on Saturday, and in case you missed it the 2026 Winter Olympic Games is ongoing.
Is Laz worried the Barkley will be overshadowed by all of this hoopla, Andrew Roberts asked on X? Keith set the record straight:
Andrew, my dude, you clearly don’t know Laz. If anything, Laz most likely chose this weekend precisely because it’s a spandex-clad, sweetheart candy circus. The more he attempts to shelter Barkley from attention, the more attention it gets. The “IFYKYK” aspect is exactly what makes the event so alluring.
Plus, Barkley transcends ultrarunning, and even sport.
While we wait, here’s a Barkley Marathons map (kind of)
There are no course markings at the Barkley. Before starting, runners are given access to the “master map,” which they can then painstakingly copy on their own paper map for navigating by hand with a compass.
The Barkley Marathons course changes every year, and even previous versions are kept under strict lock and key. But what we do know is the race begins and ends at Frozen Head State Park in the Cumberland Mountains of eastern Tennessee, where runners can expect to contend with snakes, bears, wild boar, poison ivy, and bipolar weather switching on a dime from boiling sun to freezing rain.
Don’t be fooled by the trails on the map—the Barkley Marathons is essentially all off-trail through dense, prickly forest and underbrush.
5:00 a.m., February 14: The conch has been blown, the 2026 Barkley Marathons begins in 1 hour
Crew huddles for warmth at Barkley basecamp. (Photo: Jacob Zocherman)
This is not a drill, friends. With the blowing of the conch shell at 5:00 a.m. on the dot, the 2026 Barkley Marathons begin in one hour, per @keithdunn on X, the official-unofficial Barkley liaison.
This is the earliest calendar start in Barkley history by over two weeks. (The previous record was March 1, when the inaugural 1986 Barkley Marathons was held. The race was “only” 50 miles back then.)