The British ultrarunner Jasmin Paris has become the first woman ever to finish the notorious Barkley Marathons race in Tennessee.
The 40-year-old was one of five runners to complete this year’s event, which is made up of five punishing 20-mile loops around Frozen Head State Park in the east of the US state. Paris’s finishing time was 59 hours, 58 minutes and 21 seconds – 99 seconds inside the 60-hour cut-off.
Paris made headlines in the UK in 2019 by winning the Montane Spine Race along the Pennine Way, breaking the course record for the mixed-sex event by 12 hours. She made more history in the US on Friday, adding her name to a list of 20 competitors to have completed the event since it was extended to 100 miles in 1989.
Ihor Verys recorded the fastest time at this year’s event, with the Canada-based Ukrainian runner finishing in 58hrs 44min 59sec. Americans John Kelly and Jared Campbell also completed the race for the third and fourth time respectively, with New Zealand’s Greig Hamilton also beating the cut-off time.
In a sporting gesture, Campbell also appeared to offer Paris the choice to take on the final loop in the clockwise direction – which is considered slightly less difficult – as the remaining competitors camped out before the closing stage. The runners on the final loop must alternate between clockwise and anticlockwise, so that they are not running together.
The finishers. #BM100 pic.twitter.com/jImcGzD5nB
— Keith (@keithdunn) March 22, 2024
Paris, who has two children and works as a vet and research scientist in Edinburgh, first competed in the Barkley Marathons in 2022, where she finished three loops. In last year’s race, she completed a fourth loop but was outside the time limit.
Known as “the race that eats its young”, the Barkley Marathons is considered to be one of the toughest ultramarathons in the world. While the woodland route changes year to year, it is estimated to feature an accumulated 16,500m (54,000 feet) of elevation changes.
The race was created by renowned course designer Gary Cantrell, better known as “Lazarus Lake”, and first run over 50 miles in 1986; Cantrell lights a ceremonial cigarette to mark the start of each year’s run.
The unusual event also features a bugler, who plays to signal when a runner has dropped out.
