The 2026 Barkley Marathons delivered one of the most brutal editions in race history — and for the second year in a row, no one finished.
In this episode of The Running Story, Michael Doyle and Jessy Carveth unpack everything that happened at this year’s Barkley Marathons in Tennessee’s Frozen Head State Park.
They discuss:
Why the February start made this year historic
How cold rain, fog, and creek crossings shaped the race
The shockingly low Loop 1 completion rate
The lone “fun run” finisher
The top women’s performances
The mysterious reporting style of the Barkley
Whether Lazarus Lake made the race too hard
What 2027 might look like
Is the Barkley Marathons supposed to be nearly impossible — or has the balance tipped too far?
If you love ultrarunning, trail running, and deep race analysis, this episode is for you.
Read our feature on Keith Dunn:
https://marathonhandbook.com/meet-keith-dunn-the-mad-tweeter-of-the-barkley-marathons/
New episodes of The Running Story drop weekly.