Barkley 2023

The time has come for another edition of the Barkley Marathons...

I am not connected enough to know the exact start date for this year's edition, which as always is shrouded in mystery. But campsites are booked for the next four days in Frozen Head, and some chatter on Twitter is starting. 

No one has finished the Barkley since John Kelly (pictured above) in 2017. 

The weather looks downright pleasant - no significant chance of rain until Friday. It will be cold, though.

I'm excited to see if anyone can make it happen this year! And I've heard - John Kelly may be back.

12:46 pm March 15th, 2023

The race got underway I believe at 9:54am on Tuesday morning the 14th. There are now 13 runners out on Loop 3, a record high if not close to it. This is looking like a strong year. Some of the notable front-runners at the moment include John Kelly (Finisher #15), Damian Hall (Kelly's rival in UK ultra-trail running), Joe McConaughy (FKT unsupported on the Appalachian Trail), and Karel Sabbe (FKT supported on the Appalachian Trail), among others. 

The weather has been cold but good and clear so far. Looking at the forecast before the race, I thought this might be the year for the first finish since 2017, and I'm sticking with that prediction as we sit around halfway through the race. However, I think only one of the runners will ultimately make 5 loops under 60 hours. My wife thinks three! That's only happened once before, in 2012 (the documentary year).

Jared Campbell (the only 3-time finisher) also started the race, along with Harvey Lewis (Big Dog's Backyard record holder with 350 miles). Out of all the contenders, Harvey Lewis would be my favorite to root for, since he's local to my area and his 350 at Bigs is absolutely legendary to me. But if he's already fallen off the front, then my money would be on Kelly or McConaughy. 

What an amazing competition. We'll post another update as the race progresses.

9:38 pm March 15th, 2023

We are down to five.

Here's the rough play by play I have so far - details may become more clear after the race, especially from runners who publish race reports:

• 15 runners ended up going out on Loop 3
• Jared Campbell returned from Loop 3 and chose not to return for Loop 4 due to injury
• Harvey Lewis came in 10 minutes late from Loop 2 and is out.
• Guillaume Calmettes Dropped during loop 3
• John Kelly, Albert Herrero Casas, Damian Hall, Christophe Nonorgue, Jared Campbell ("nondescript guy"), Karel Sabbe, Joe McConaughy, Aurelian Sanchez, Jasmin Paris, Pavel Paloncy, Guillaume Calmettes,  Tomo Ihara, Aaron Bradner, Piotr Chadovitch, and Johan Steene were the remaining runners at 1:01pm
• 5 runners made it out onto Loop 4 on time (so far?)

Historically, this was looking like a very strong race getting into Loop 3. I am fairly confident that no race has ever seen 15 runners begin loop 3 - perhaps it has happened once. 

Now, at the last update we have 5 on Loop 4: likely some combination of Kelly, Casas, Hall, Nonorgue, Sabbe, McConaughy, and Sanchez. This is historic. Barkley has not had five runners out on Loop 4 in the last decade of racing. The top pack is really doing well (as well as you can be said to be doing at the Barkley) and are giving themselves a chance to succeed.

Every hour is critical now, although I suppose every hour is always critical at the Barkley. But as I write, the runners are out in the dark in 40 degree temperatures and falling. It might be a full 10 degrees colder on the ridges. Mistakes are bound to happen, and we will find out sometime in the morning who, if anyone, has managed to make it through the second night intact and ready to make a push for the finish.

Loop 5 will then take place mostly during the day... if anyone makes it that far.

We have 5 world-class guys trying to make it happen, guys who have been running, hiking, and navigating thousands of miles in the mountains for many years. Not only that, but Kelly has tons of lifetime loops under his belt, and Sabbe has several as well. Anyone hanging with one of those two guys is going to have a shot. If the pack is still all together, the odds of success increase even more dramatically. This is going to be exciting, and I can't wait to hear the stories.

7:32 am March 16th, 2023

A total of 7 runners ended up starting Loop 4! 2 more began after my last post, it would seem. But no one has yet finished Loop 4, with 2 hours and 22 minutes remaining to do so. A finish is still possible, seeing as there is a daytime loop approaching, but the margin for error is now razor thin.

Three men now have the best shot: Kelly, Damian Hall, and Karel Sabbe. At last sighting, Kelly and Hall were working together out front, with Sabbe about an hour behind. This night is taking long enough that it would seem all runners encountered some serious issues.

Several more fun runs came in overnight. Several other runners behind Sabbe theoretically might still be in the running for a finish including Jasmin Paris (no woman has ever completed Loop 4). One way or another, it will all be over by 9:54 pm tonight.

8:34 am March 16th, 2023

The race is on.

John Kelly arrived back from Loop 4, turned it around in 12 minutes, and headed out for his fifth and final loop 46 hours and 2 minutes into the race. Meanwhile, Aurelian Sanchez (John Muir unsupported FKT holder) arrived back and left camp in the opposite direction at 46:07, five minutes after Kelly.

We now have not only a possibility of a finish on the immediate horizon, but a possible race to the finish. 

Several runners, at last update, are still out on Loop 4. It is still fairly likely that we will see a third or even fourth runner on Loop 5 - but with very little time to spare. Hall was running with Kelly for a long time, and perhaps he isn't far behind. Sabbe was an hour behind them at the water tower.

This is what it's all about. Loop 5 - man vs course - and this year, even man vs man. 

Barkley 2023 is entering its final round, the round where dreams go to die... usually. I hope not today.

11:42 am March 16th, 2023

Karel Saab came in 47 minutes after Kelly and shortly thereafter departed for his final loop. Damian Hall arrived, spent 10 minutes in camp, and departed at 47:49 race time with a to-go bag from Sonic, with almost exactly 12 hours to complete his final loop. Jasmin Paris has timed out and will not be able to continue with Loop 5. 

We now have a truly stunning 4 runners out on the final loop: Kelly, Sanchez, Saab, and Hall in that order. None have a generous time cushion, but all have a shot to finish. Also, it has been reported that Kelly was limping out of camp and Sanchez was sprinting.

On the bright side, Frozen Head will be in the 50s and sunny all day. 

On the other hand, each runner has completed at least 100 miles and 48,000 feet of climbing and descent on little or no sleep.

Let's bring it home!

1:55 pm March 16th, 2023

This is the first time ever that four runners are out on Loop 5. Laz is reportedly concerned that this will lead to a decline in willing participants, as they will worry that the course is too easy. No updates yet as far as I know. There are two runners going in each direction, and there will almost inevitably be some interaction as long as they are not all desperately lost in different locations when crossing paths. One wrong turn by a front-runner or a slow book could still mean that one of the following runners could catch up. Additionally, each of the two leaders would likely have seen Saab and Hall coming in as they went out in the opposite direction. Kelly would have seen Saab and Sanchez would have seen Hall. 

9:54 pm March 16th, 2023

From Keith Dunn - 

Damian Hall has dropped out of the race.

Aurelian Sanchez completed loop five and has finished the 2023 Barkley Marathons in 58:23:12.  A bit of a challenge near the end - a day hiker removed one of the books, believing the race was over. #BM100

John Kelly completed loop five and has finished the 2023 Barkley Marathons in  58:42:23.   John is the third runner to finish the Barkley Marathons more than once. #BM100

Karel Sabbe completed loop five and has finished the 2023 Barkley Marathons in 59:53:33. #BM100

Analysis #1: What a special year for Barkley

2012 is a year of legend for Barkley fans. The year of the documentary, and more importantly, the 3-finisher year: Brett Maune, Jared Campbell, and John Fegyveresi. Now, we have another three-finisher year. The names Sanchez, Kelly, and Sabbe will go down in Barkley history for their incredible performances. The race comes down to a combination of good talent, supreme preparation, race-day decision-making, and race-day luck. And for these three men, it all lined up just enough to give them a finish. We may never see a year like this again, because Laz will probably add 54 new hills next year to make sure the race hasn't become too soft.

Analysis #2: A stunning win for Sanchez

It's not every day that a Barkley virgin manages to pull off a finish. But to do it in a win against the likes of John Kelly and Karel Sabbe is a performance on a whole other level. Aurelian Sanchez is something special, and I can't wait to learn more about him in the coming days. The John Muir Trail unsupported record holder, Sanchez ran a smart and amazingly consistent race for a first-timer, staying with the veterans early and avoiding disastrous mistakes late. What a run.

Analysis #3: John Kelly deepens his Barkley Legend

The local man from these very Tennessee mountains has now increased the size of an incredibly select group from two to three. Only Kelly, Brett Maune, and Jared Campbell have multiple finishes at Barkley. They are legends among legends in Barkley lore. I can't wait to read his race report and spend some time "out there" second hand through his written work. 

Analysis #4: Karel Sabbe finally makes it happen

Possibly the most gratifying of this year's three finishes was Karel Sabbe just managing to get through the final loop under 60 hours with a whopping 6 minutes 26 seconds to spare. After Fun Runs in 2019 and 2022, it was clear the guy had the makings of a finisher, but it never all lined up just right. But now it has, and I can't imagine the satisfaction of refusing to give up through a two and a half day fight, leaving it all out there to become the 17th finisher of the Barkley Marathons.