Barkley runners Courtney Dauwalter and Harvey Lewis drop out on loop two
Karel Sabbe and John Kelly are nearing three loops as five runners remain
Only five runners remain on the course after a rainy night at the 2022 Barkley Marathons in Tennessee. The reigning UTMB champion, Courtney Dauwalter, and 2021 Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra winner, Harvey Lewis, were among the 12 runners who dropped out of the race on loop two.
The remaining runners who started loop two were greeted with steady rainfall through the night, which presented tough and slippery conditions on the 20-plus mile loop.
According to Lewis’ Facebook post, he was running with Dauwalter and Greig Hamilton of New Zealand until they found book five. Then, he encouraged Hamilton to move on without them. Dauwalter and Lewis then teamed up, but they were unable to find book seven on ‘Leonard’s buttslide’ part of the course, which ultimately marked the end of their Barkley.
Among those who also dropped was Guillaume Calmettes of France, who had to drop because the wind blew one of his book pages away, according to a tweet by Keith Dunn. Barkley Marathon rules require runners to finish each loop with all of their book pages.
Karel Sabbe and 2017 finisher John Kelly are leading the race and currently working together on loop three.
Thomas Dunkerbeck of the Netherlands (a Barkley virgin), Greig Hamilton of New Zealand and 2019 Spine Race winner Jasmin Paris are also among the five runners left, out on their third loop.
There are approximately 40 starters every year. They have 60 hours to finish five 20-mile loops through steep and unforgiving terrain in Tennessee’s Frozen Head State Park while using their orienteering skills to navigate the course, which is not marked. GPS watches are not allowed; each runner is issued a Casio watch with very little functionality beyond keeping them apprised of how much time has passed. Runners must also collect specific pages (corresponding to their bib number) from books hidden on the course; missing pages mean automatic disqualification. (Runners receive a new bib at the beginning of each loop.)
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