The Barkley Marathon wins again

The Barkley Marathon wins again with no finishers on this year’s course.

The 2022 Barkley Marathon got underway at around 7.55 am (Eastern Time) on March 8, a surprising mid-week start for Barkley fans. This year, Lazarus Lake started the race with a heartfelt reflection to those friends who weren’t on the start line, some directly connected to the Barkley marathon, others from international locations such as Ukraine.

This year, the field of 40 runners included the 2017 winner of the Barkley, John Kelly and Bigs Back Yard Ultra 2021 winner, Harvey Lewis. As well as other familiar faces such as Karel Sabbe, Greig Hamilton, Thomas Dunkerbeck, and Guillaume Calmettes.

With the race beginning on international women’s day, many fans anticipated it as a good omen for female runners. Jasmine Paris, British fell runner and outright winner of the 2019 Spine Race, and the phenomenal Salomon sponsored athlete Courtney Dauwalter only strengthened the concept that 2022 would be the year the Barkley saw its first-ever female finisher.

The race began under gracious weather but soon turned bitter, with reports of all-night rain and poor visibility by the first evening, making conditions less than ideal for a race, but what we have come to expect from the Barkley.

John Kelly’s team reported on Instagram, “After a day of ideal and un-Barkley like conditions, the runners paid their dues with no visibility and pouring rain all night. It definitely took its toll. It’s hard to get at your calories when you are wet and cold. Falling behind on eating will make regulating your body temperature difficult. John was shivering and depleted after loop 2. After a wise rest break, he went back out and is still battling the course”.