Ihor Verys discusses his Barkley Marathons win

Ihor Verys recently added his name to the Barkley Marathon’s history books, becoming the 18th person to complete the infamous race. Ihor, a Ukrainian national who lives in Canada, was one of five finishers at the 2024 Barkley Marathons. 

The Barkley Marathon is a 100-mile race featuring five loops of a 20-mile mystery course in the mountainous region of Tennessee. With a 60-hour cut-off, just 40 racers each year take on the route with almost 60,000ft of elevation. 

Participants must also find hidden books on the course and rip out the pages corresponding to their bib number – failure to do this will lead to your disqualification. 

Can you briefly introduce your background in your running career and why you entered the Barkley Marathons?

I’m still relatively new to ultra running and running in general. I started running probably seven or so years ago as a road runner – to keep myself sane; it was a mental tool for me ever since I went to Canada. 

I transitioned to trail running and ultra running after the pandemic hit the world, and the trail was the only safe place to be on. I never returned to the road and discovered the world of ultra running. 

I realised that I really enjoy going the distance and pushing myself to the limits. And that’s where ultra running came into the game. I started trying different formats, doing different races. Obviously, Barkley became one of those lifelong goals that I wanted to attempt. And it happened.

What was the process like entering the Barclays? Was it quite a prolonged process? Because I’ve heard it’s quite secretive.

Yeah, it is pretty secretive. I mean, everyone knows about Barkleys, but nobody knows how to get in. It’s like one of those secret clubs everyone wants to be a part of, but only if you get a chance to become a participant of Barkley. Around 40 people or so get that chance every year. 

I’m really honoured, to be honest, to be a part of it. As I was running my last stretch on Loop 5, I was thinking how fortunate I am to be on these trails or off trails and to be a part of this historic race.

What training did you do leading up to the race? How would you prepare for something like this?

I think my entire life was some training block for Barkleys. When I was growing up in Ukraine, I did a lot of walking; we didn’t have a vehicle, so that was one of the biggest aerobic blocks I’ve ever had.