The 2026 edition of the Barkley Marathons has turned into a battlefield unlike any in recent memory. Of the four runners who started the third loop, only two remain at the time of writing. Bitter cold, relentless rain and thick fog have created punishing conditions that could very well prevent anyone from even completing the third loop this year.
Reaching that third loop is a prerequisite for finishing what is known as the “Fun Run.” But even then, runners are far from done. Only after completing five loops – meaning two additional loops of roughly 30 to 40 kilometers each – can an athlete officially claim to have finished the Barkley Marathons.
Just hours ago, Damian Hall, Sébastian Raichon, Mathieu Blanchard and Max King set out on loop three. Since then, King and Blanchard have withdrawn, leaving Hall and Raichon as the only athletes still battling the course.
The extreme weather has forced competitors into survival mode. In an effort to stay even marginally dry, runners resorted to unconventional measures – Hall, for example, opted to run barefoot, while others wrapped plastic bags around their shoes to keep out the soaking rain.
Widely regarded as the most punishing ultrarun in the world, the Barkley Marathons once again proves that at Frozen Head, the weather can be as formidable an opponent as the course itself. For more on what makes the Barkley Marathons so notoriously difficult – and why it is widely regarded as the world’s most brutal ultrarun – make sure to read this article.
