įor the early years, the Barkley was 50-55 miles or so, with about 25,000-27,000 feet of climbing. Cantrell named the race for his longtime neighbor and running companion, Barry Barkley. Cantrell said to himself, 'I could do at least 100 miles,' mocking Ray's low mileage.

Ray covered only about 12 miles (19 km) after running 54.5 hours in the woods hiding from air searches during the day. The idea for the race was inspired upon hearing about the 1977 escape of James Earl Ray, the assassin of Martin Luther King Jr., from nearby Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. The Barkley course was the brain child of Gary ' Lazarus Lake' Cantrell and Karl Henn (Raw Dog). The race is limited to a 60-hour period from the start of the first loop, and takes place in March or early April of each year.

The course, which varies from year to year, consists of five loops of the 20+ mile, off-trail course for a total of 100 miles (160 km). The Barkley Marathons is an ultramarathon trail race held each year in Frozen Head State Park in Morgan County, Tennessee. The post Episode 255: Gary Cantrell – aka “Lazarus Lake” appeared first on Lindsey Hein.Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee, U.S. (Use code “another for 15% off your first order!) Join the I’ll Have Another Facebook Group You’ll never know what your limits are until you try something crazy. One of my favorite things about Laz is that he always encourages athletes to explore their potential and push their limits. He is known for his unique and eclectic race challenges and distances. Laz has been running ultra races before most of us even knew what ultra running was. Gary Cantrell aka “Lazarus Lake” joins me on the podcast today! He is the legendary race director for the Barkley Marathons! You may have seen the popular documentary on Netflix about Barkley! He is also the Race Director for Bigs Backyard Ultra, The Barkley Fall Classic, The Last Annual Vol State, Strollin Jim, A Race for the Ages and currently is directing his first virtual race – The Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee.

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