Home > Trail Running

13 runners take on Loop 3 at 2023 Barkley Marathons

Among them are contenders Karel Sabbe, John Kelly, Damian Hall, Jared Campbell and Jasmin Paris

Super Mini Itsy Bitsy Barkley Photo by: jamesgeeee/Flickr

For the first time since 2015, 13 runners have completed two loops at the Barkley Marathons under the cutoff time of 26 hours and 40 minutes. All 12 runners are now on loop three at Frozen Head State Park in Wartburg, Tenn. 

Among the 13 runners are major contenders Karel Sabbe, John Kelly, Damian Hall, Jared Campbell and Jasmin Paris. 

Hall has been working with Kelly, completing the first leg in eight hours and 17 minutes and the second leg in just over 20 hours elapsed. The two men are joined at the front of the race by Barkley virgin Christophe Nonorgue of Switzerland, a 42-year-old experienced ultratrail runner who’s competed at Madeira, Diagonale des Fous on Reunion Island and UTMB, and Albert Herrero Casas of Spain, who returns to Frozen Head for the second time after completing one loop in 2022. 

Runners were understandably slower on loop two than loop one, considering they were going in the opposite direction, in the dark. It was also extremely cold last night–Barkley tweeter Keith Dunn mentioned that the water jugs at the Fire Tower were “frozen solid.” 

A group of three trailed the lead group of four, including three-time Barkley finisher Campbell and Sabbe, who is making his third appearance at Barkley after attempting a fourth loop in 2022. The third runner in the group about 30 minutes behind Hall and Kelly is Joe McConaughy, who is racing Barkley for the first time.

For the second straight year, Paris is the last woman standing at Barkley, completing two loops in 21:13:07. Last year, Paris achieved a fun run after completing three loops of the course just under the cutoff time of 40 hours. She has been on a faster pace at this year’s race, completing the first two loops two and a half hours faster than she did last year. No female runner has ever finished the race.

Other runners who have completed two loops are Aurélien Sanchez (FRA), Pavel Paloncý (CZE), Guillaume Calmettes (FRA), Tomokazu Ihara (JAP) and Aaron Bradner (USA).

The completion of two loops means that runners are 40 per cent done, but the best is yet to come as the runners begin to battle with sleep deprivation and the nasty terrain of Frozen Head State Park. 

Dunn, who is one of the very few reliable sources for information on the race, says runners are taking the “interloopal” period more seriously. “There’s been a much quicker turnaround than I have observed in the past, and the crews are focused on time,” he says.

Loop three also is counterclockwise, the same as loop two. The fourth loop will be clockwise, which is easier, according to Dunn. If more than one runner starts loop five, they must travel in opposite directions. 

If runners complete a third loop in under 36 hours, they must choose between settling for a “fun run” or going out for a fourth loop (which means they don’t get to claim a fun run). Some might say it hardly matters, since both are a DNF if they don’t finish all five loops with the 60-hour cutoff. (No one has achieved this since Kelly did it in 2017.)

Barkley Marathons
John Kelly at the 2017 Barkley Marathons. Photo: Canadian Running

The race has approximately 40 starters every year. Runners have 60 hours to finish the race. The course changes every year, and GPS watches are not allowed; each runner is issued a cheap watch with very little functionality beyond telling them how much time has passed. Runners must also collect pages corresponding to their bib number from books hidden on the course (they receive a new bib for each loop); missing pages mean automatic disqualification. There is water available on the course, but no aid stations per se; runners only receive aid between loops, in camp.

There are no Canadians in this year’s race, though Jodi Isenor of Nova Scotia, who has made five appearances at the Barkley, is believed to be crewing Hall.

Check out the latest buyer's guide:

The best trainers in Canada under $150

We curated the best performance trainers under $150 to meet your 2024 running goals, while staying on budget