Lazarus Lake inducted into the UltraRunning Hall of Fame
The creator of Big's Backyard Ultra is described as an "icon of inventiveness," known for his eccentricity and creativity
Photo by:
Alexis Berg
The UltraRunning Hall of Fame has announced its latest inductee: Tennessee’s Gary Cantrell, a.k.a. Lazarus Lake. Known for his eccentricity and creativity, and for inventing races that have become part of the ultrarunning lexicon, like the Barkley Marathons and Big’s Backyard Ultra, Lake has carved a niche in the realm of ultra-endurance sports over the last four decades with his unconventional methods.
“The American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame came about out of concern that the USATF Hall of Fame, as large as it was with over 300 inductees, mostly from the various track & field events, was not well suited to properly recognize the giants of ultrarunning at the highest level of elite performance,” the Hall of Fame website says. The first inductee Ted Corbitt, considered by some to be the“Father of American Ultrarunning,” and a former Olympic marathoner, was not in the USATF Hall of Fame. Other inductees included iconic ultrarunner Ann Trason, and Pam Reed.
Gary Cantrell (a.k.a. Lazarus Lake), of Tennessee, has been inducted into the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame as its 24th member. He has made a tremendous impact on the sport both in America and world-wide as a race director. https://t.co/QxkESuOR8r#bm100 @keithdunn pic.twitter.com/w1h3SZek5V
— UltraRunningHistory (@UltraRunningHis) December 4, 2023
Lake’s early ultrarunning creativity
Lake was inspired to create an ultra in 1979, after finding a lack of endurance events near his home in Tennessee. Author and ultrarunner Jared Beasley writes on the Hall of Fame website that Lake’s goal was to lose not more than $100 per event. He created a race course by connecting some of his training routes and named it The Strolling Jim 40 (the race is 41.2 miles long). Beasley calls Lake “unconventional, complex, and sometimes controversial,” and his races attract some of the most well-known endurance athletes from around the world. His methods and opinions have also occasionally created conflict in the trail and ultra community.
The Barkley Marathons and Big’s Backyard Ultra
Lake’s events, full of “conch shells, cowbells, cigarette-starts, ferry rides, and floating start-windows,” are never traditional, and he’s known for adding last-minute twists to keep runners on their toes. At the heart of Lake’s legacy is the Barkley Marathons, an event considered by many to be one of the most challenging ultras on the planet. Notorious for its relentless climbing and for sending runners through thick brush and briars, the Barkley Marathons has no marked course, with participants navigating using a map and compass. Only a handful of runners have ever completed it.
Lake is also the inventor of the backyard ultra format, a term he coined when he created Big’s Backyard Ultra. The backyard ultra challenges runners to complete a 4.167-mile loop (6.7 06 km), beginning every hour on the hour, until only one runner remains. The format pushes participants to their physical and mental imits as the hours turn into days. Canada’s Ihor Verys provided the “assist” (runner-up) in the 2023 edition of the race, which saw Verys and eventual winner, American Harvey Lewis, running for 107 and 108 hours respectively–more than 700 km.
An “icon of inventiveness”
Beasley describes Lake as an “icon of inventiveness.” Lake’s events often focus on making it to the finish line rather than running at a fast pace. Lake’s Strolling Jim 40 has now been running for 45 years.
Lake joins ultrarunning legend Scott Jurek as the 2023 addition to the hall of fame. Colorado-based Jurek is known for making the podium for almost every race he ran. Perhaps most well-known for his finish at the 1999 Western States 100, in 17:34:22, dethroning five-time winner but second-place finisher Tim Twietmeyer. Jurek went on to win Western States for seven straight years.
Jurek went on to rack up numerous records, and completed the “Grand Slam of Ultrarunning,” Western States 100, Vermont 100, Leadville Trail 100, and Wasatch Front 100, in 2004 with the second fastest combined time in history (now the fifth fastest time in history.) He was the first American to with the Spartathlon road race from Athens to Sparta, and he set what was then a course record at Hardrock Hundred in 2007.
In 2013, Jurek retired from competitive ultrarunning, but in 2015 he completed what was then an FKT on the Appalachian Trail, south to north, in 46 days, 8 hours, 7 minutes.
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