The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young

A friend told me about this. It's not a topic I would normally find interesting, but I was mesmerized from the first scene. Its homespun, down-home interviews with a professional film crew and engaging set of stories, along with plenty of scenes giving tastes of how very, very hard this event is. Unlike so many documentaries that get dull with an oppressive amount of detail and back-story, the film doesn't show you everything and tell you everything. This is a good thing. It left me wanting to know more, but feeling good with what the film delivered. I couldn't find one flaw with the film, and plenty of extras I didn't expect.

This is a documentary about pushing your limits and never giving up. It follows the lives of untraditional people (at least in the world of sports) for 3 days and really gets you to care about their journey. You root for these people to accomplish this crazy marathon, not because of the marathon in itself, but because of the accomplishment it represents for them!

I've heard of The Barkley Marathons before, but this doc really nails it. Low-fi homespun logistics tying together possibly the nuttiest and toughest course on the planet. Invite only and limited to 40 entrants per year, to tackle a 130(ish) mile course, across mind bogglingly hard terrain that you have to navigate yourself, with map/compass, no GPS. 5 laps, in daylight and at night, going opposite directions on each loop. Most people don't complete 1 Lap, never mind all 5. Completely solo, no help, no markers, no water stations, intentionally fluid organisation, even no set start time... but you only have 60 hours to complete it. With no markers and no GPS, can't you cheat? No, there are books at various points in the woods and you have to find them all, tear out the page that matches your race number (that changes each loop) and get a full set. It is awe inspiring. It is heart breaking and it makes for gripping viewing. Not a chance in hell I'd try it myself though.

It's amazing that it was filmed when we first have 3 finishers in the history of the race, and I can't resist the feeling that Jared and Brett are real characters like the ones we see in a Marvel production. Great job, and Lazarus is a real legend!

I have watched and re-watched this documentary multiple times. And have purchased the DVD from the movie's homepage. This is a fascinating view of what is unarguably the toughest trail race in the world. Since it's inception in 1986 ONLY 20 PEOPLE have EVER finished this 100 + mile race. This year, 3/22/24 the 1st female (Jasmine Paris from England) was among the Fierce Five Finishers on the race. Although the documentary was made 12 years ago, the information about the race is still current. If you are a runner or an running enthusiast I urge you to watch this award winning documentary on this awesome race!