In running circles, the most common race that dedicated runners talk about is the marathon distance. After that distance comes the term ultra-marathons, and these vary in length from a 50K to over 100 miles.

In Texas, the biggest ultra-marathon is the Sunmart Trail 50K and 50 Mile race. The Beach to Bay Relay Marathon is very popular; but the teams have six runners who each run a little over four miles, so that does not really qualify for an ulta-marathon.

Probably the most famous ultra is the Western States 100 mile run out West. This race varies from running up mountains to crossing deserts, and now and then a raging river. Runners have to qualify for this race, and a majority of the entrants will finish this race even with the 100-mile distance.

I wrote about a race in Maine and the tip of Canada a couple of years back that was a relay event, but the distance was such that it took an entire weekend to finish. It also ran over mountains in snow and rain and in valleys with high humidity.

Paul Paese was in Washington, D.C. this past week and brought me an article in The Washington Post describing an ultra-marathon that is considered the hardest and most grueling race in the country. This race takes place in Wartburg, Tennessee and is called the Barkley Marathon. It’s a race that is limited to only 35 entrants, and it has a time limit of 60 hours to finish. Sixty hours for a good ultra runner for 100 miles is a reasonable time to complete the distance. When you think about it, if a runner averages only 2 miles per hour they will beat that time limit.

The Barkley Marathon consists of running a 20-mile loop five times. Gary Cantrell, a runner of sorts, conceived of this tortuous race back in the late 1970s and designed the course over rugged hills and overgrown mining trails. He does have a 60-mile “fun run” in there for the not-so-hardy runners. Cantrell warns the runners about the dangers of running in a forest in the dark of night and the rattlesnakes that are on the trail. Now those are not encouraging words for a runner to hear before starting out on this 100-mile journey. More than 600 runners have attempted this race over the years, but more than half of them have quit before they get to mile 21.

For the “fun run” of 60 miles, only 15 percent ever finish. Out of the number of runners that have attempted this race, only six have finished the race since its inception in 1986, and all of them consider that feat their greatest running achievement.

The article was focusing on Brian Robinson’s attempt to run the course. Robinson brought with him two dozen eggs, a dozen protein drinks, a bottle of salt pills, and enough turkey for 10 loaded sandwiches and 54 Snickers Marathon bars at 220 calories each. He had three pair of shoes, four shirts, two jackets, and three pair of pants.

The first mile is considered the easiest, and it has a 1,600-foot climb up a mountain trail so steep that it has 16 switchbacks included on the way up.

A runner by the name of David Horton gives a good account of what one loop is like. Horton is one of those runners that have completed the Barkley Marathon in a time of 58 hours and 21 minutes. This year he finished the first 20-mile loop in just under nine hours and sat down in a lawn chair to rest. His legs looked like they had been through a paper shredder. His socks, still packaged in plastic a day earlier, already had worn holes in them. He had stopped three times to dunk his head in streams to cool his head in the 75-degree heat.

“I can’t go back out there, it’s worse than I’ve ever seen it,” Horton said.

One of his friends offered encouragement saying it was only Saturday and he was there.

“You might as well try.”

“Might as well?” Horton replied. “That’s the worst reason I’ve ever heard. Going is stupid. It’s like taking the worst beating of your life, then deciding to leave again knowing that the next beating is going to be worse.”

Of the 35 original runners, 12 dropped out after the first loop. After the second loop there were only eight runners left. The third loop found four runners still in the race. The fourth loop had only one runner and the fifth loop had no one left to even think of running it.

That pretty well sums up the race each year, and the six finishers are still a very elite group of runners. Robinson quit after 85 miles and 53 hours of running, and the fourth loop had taken him 16 hours to complete. He had to hike back three miles after quitting just to get back to camp.

Robinson had slurred speech, bloodied legs and arms and feet that were almost beyond description. He sat in a chair and related his efforts of each lap. He was asked if he felt devastated about not finishing.

“You know, I thought I would. But I’m actually proud of a loss like this. Until you push yourself right to the edge, you haven’t really pushed yourself. I have absolutely nothing left right now. That’s what I really came for.”

The article was a fascinating read; and after reading the stories of various runners I came to the conclusion that the Barkley Marathon is one race I will be content to read about instead of participating.