I didn’t have the time on feet necessary to do well given my recent return from injury. I had just run my first 100k in over two years just a month ago, and it wasn’t exactly a smashing success.
I kept finding every reason I had why this was a poor idea: I had only been back running for a year. It was sheer stupid for the sake of stupid, and I loved that.īut as the race date drew near, the fun and novelty of training began to be replaced by very real self-doubt and panic that I wasn’t prepared, nor that I had any business of even attempting the Barkley. Not for others, not for sponsors, just for me and my desire to rediscover my original path into racing. As I told my coach, this race was solely for me. (staying mum about it, especially as a virgin, is an unwritten tradition). An under the radar trip to Frozen Head in February made clear to me how different this terrain is than what I’m used to in California (NB: you can run on the trails, and ONLY the trails, so it’s of limited use, but I felt it was necessary to at least get a feel for the park, the layout, and some major landmarks) lemme tell you – that first time you see the gate, ALL the nerves come outīut I was thriving in a new challenge, in focusing on getting as much vert as possible, and of the fun little secretive nature of it all. I pivoted my training immediately after Sean O’Brien 100k, but that still gave me less than two months to take a crash course in everything Barkley, from map & compass courses to land nav skills to a focus on vert.
It’s broken up into chunks, so feel free to navigate to what interests you – there’s an account of my prep, of the race itself, along with my reflections, and then the very end contains gear/lessons and bullet points for those of you (wise ones!) who just want the bullet points nitty gritty.įrom the very moment I received my condolences and my heart rate returned to normal, the race loomed over everything I did for the next few months, an unspoken adventure to be had. So sit back, grab your MoonPie and RC Cola, and prepare for a novel (brevity has never been my strong suit, especially here). Just like so many things in life, I realize that I’m never going to be able to do it justice through my words, so this is the best you’re going to get. I’ve spent the past week trying to wrap my head around my experience, and hoping to find the words to convey its enormity. I’ve never been one to write race reports, but then again, I’ve never raced something like the Barkley Marathons. My training log entry the day before the 2018 Barkley Marathons read: “Once that cigarette is lit, I’m going to race my little brains out.
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