The 2026 Barkley Marathons is underway. The conch was blown at 5:00 a.m. ET on February 14 and runners set off into the Tennessee wilderness approximately one hour later to begin what is widely regarded as the world’s hardest ultramarathon. A field of roughly 40 runners will attempt to complete five loops of brutal, unmarked mountain terrain — approximately 100 miles with around 60,000 feet of cumulative elevation change — within a 60-hour cutoff.
As is tradition, there is no official live tracking, no broadcast, and no race-sanctioned updates. Information emerges slowly through a tight-knit community of insiders, crew members, and spectators at the yellow gate. We’ll be updating this page as news comes in from the course over the next 60 hours.
8:37 p.m. EST: The Barkley is officially over, with no finishers for the second year in a row.
Damian Hall, the final runner on the course, returned to camp without all the required pages to complete a three-lap “fun run.”
8:36 p.m. EST: Here’s the state of play at the Barkley:
There will be no finishers yet again, and for the second year in a row the field got crushed by brutal weather and other curveballs thrown at them by Laz Lake et al.
So far, only one runner, Sébastian Raichon of France, has finished three laps (known as a “Fun Run”).
One other runner, Damian Hall of the UK, is still on the course, attempting to finish a fun run before 10:00 p.m. EST, the 40-hour cut-off.
Just four runners finished two laps: Raichon, Hall, Max King and Mathieu Blanchard.
Of the 40 starters, only 12 finished one lap. That’s unusually low, signifying just how difficult it is to run the Barkley in February. Before this year, the average was around 26 lap one finishers.
8:34 p.m. EST: “Wet and foggy” conditions, but the rain has subsided.
8:33 p.m. EST: This year compares in terms of difficulty with 2024 and 2018. In both cases, the weather played a significant factor. Rain is devastating for competitors at the Barkley. In 2018, Gary Robbins was the last runner standing, after a brutal night of cold rain and harsh winds. Last year, only John Kelly was able to survive the full “Fun Run” experience. This year, thus far, we only have one fun runner, with another still out on course, trying to salvage a hellishly tough weekend.
8:05 p.m. EST: Sébastian Raichon, who finished four laps back in 2024, has completed the three-lap “Fun Run,” in 38:05:46. He will be the best of the field in what was a very brutal year. There will be no finishers, and Damian Hall is still out there trying to get three laps done in under 40 hours in order to check off the Fun Run box. He’s got just under two hours to do so.
6:01 p.m. EST: It sounds like the Barkley course is going to win for a second year in a row. The final two runners who are in the mix, Sébastian Raichon and Damian Hall, will not complete the third lap in the 36 hour cut-off required to head out again for another round in the darkness.
They will both have a shot at a three-loop “Fun Run,” if they can get back to camp having completed the lap in under 40 hours. They have until 10 p.m. ET.
4:24 p.m. EST: Incredible scene at this year’s Barkley. A runner, in the mist, wearing what looks like a garbage bag. Oof.
3:45 p.m. EST: Yes, aparently you can still have fun at the Barkley
At 3:26pm a runner was seen smiling after seeing a French flag at the fire tower. #BM100
— Keith (@keithdunn) February 15, 2026
3:04 p.m. EST: The Fun Run: Three Loops in 40 Hours (We may have to keep our eyes on this soon): Completing three of the five loops within 40 hours is known as a “Fun Run” — though there is nothing fun about it. A Fun Run covers approximately 60 miles with around 36,000 feet of elevation gain through unmarked wilderness. For most ultrarunners on the planet, completing even a Fun Run at the Barkley would be the achievement of a lifetime.
3:02 p.m. EST: The Barkley being Barkley…
The final runner has returned from loop 1. “This mud sucks. What’s it made of? Grease?” #BM100
— Keith (@keithdunn) February 15, 2026
1:53 p.m. EST: Only two runners left: Sébastien Raichon, and Damian Hall.
Max King dropped out a couple of hours ago.
Both remaining runners are still on loop 3.
It’s cold, and wet.
13:02 p.m. EST: Only 3 runners left. Keith Dunn tweets that French-Canadian runner Mathieu Blanchard has quit due to cold.
The three runners still out there – and all on loop 3 – are Sébastien Raichon, Max King, and Damian Hall.
12:55 p.m. EST: Fewer Than 2% of Starters Finish In nearly 40 years of the Barkley Marathons, fewer than 2% of all starters have completed all five loops. As of the end of the 2025 race, the full course has been completed just 26 times by 20 individuals. Most years see zero finishers. The Barkley doesn’t just have a high attrition rate — failure is the expected outcome.
12:53 p.m. EST: Why GPS Is Banned The Barkley is a navigation race as much as an endurance race. GPS devices are banned because the ability to read a map and use a compass in the dark, in the rain, while exhausted, is considered a core part of the challenge. Runners who can’t navigate don’t finish — full stop. It’s one of the things that sets the Barkley apart from every other ultramarathon.
12:06 p.m. EST: Loop one had an attrition rate of about 70%, which is on par with the average of the Barkleys since 1995.
12:00 p.m. EST: February in the Tennessee Mountains A February start date means runners are facing late-winter conditions in the Cumberland Mountains. Overnight temperatures can drop well below freezing, especially at elevation. Frost and ice are possible on exposed ridgelines, and cold rain is common, creating a serious hypothermia risk during the slower later loops.
At the Barkley, weather often matters more than fitness. Fog can make navigation nearly impossible. Rain transforms steep descents into dangerous mud chutes. Cold reduces dexterity, making it harder to handle maps and compass. Many Barkley attempts have ended not because a runner wasn’t strong enough, but because conditions made navigation untenable.
10:18 a.m. EST: Four runners are on loop three, after 28 hours of gruelling racing. The runners include Sébastien Raichon, Mathieu Blanchard, and Damian Hall.
28 hours into the #BM100 1 runner is on loop 1 and loop 2; 4 runners are on loop 3.
— Keith (@keithdunn) February 15, 2026
10:16 a.m. EST: Jasmin Paris will remain the only woman to ever finish the Barkley Marathon as Keith Dunn confirms that all the ladies are out.
All the ladies are out. #BM100 https://t.co/Ph5ObGf7qe
— Keith (@keithdunn) February 15, 2026
6:29 a.m EST: Max King has finished loop 2.
Max King finished loop 2 in 24:06:38. #BM100
— Keith (@keithdunn) February 15, 2026
5:08 a.m. EST: Three runners have begun loop three… with one of them heading out barefoot??
Damian Hall began loop 3 barefoot at 22:54:26. Mathieu Blanchard and Sébastien Raichon began loop 3 shortly thereafter. #BM100
— Keith (@keithdunn) February 15, 2026
4:47 a.m. EST: We have our first three finishers from loop 2: Sébastien Raichon, Mathieu Blanchard, and Damian Hall, while one runner has quit, so four remain on course.
The first loop 2 finishers: Sébastien Raichon in 22:35:40; Mathieu Blanchard :42; Damian Hall :44. At the same time, another loop 2 runner has quit and is tapped out. #BM100
— Keith (@keithdunn) February 15, 2026
3:31 a.m. EST: The cutoff time for loop 2 will be 6:00 a.m. EST, so runners have around 2.5 hours left.
3:23 a.m. EST: How the Book Page System Works At multiple points along each loop, Lazarus Lake hides books in the wilderness. Runners must find each book and tear out the specific page that matches their bib number for that loop. These pages are the only proof that a runner completed the full course. Missing even one page means disqualification.
Your Bib Number Changes Every Loop Runners receive a new bib number at the start of each loop, which determines which page they must tear from each book. This prevents runners from memorizing a single page number and means they must carefully check their bib before heading out on every loop. It’s a small detail that adds real cognitive load when you’re 50 hours into a race with no sleep.
Finding the Books Is Part of the Challenge The books aren’t sitting in obvious locations. They’re hidden in the wilderness, and finding them requires precise navigation. In fog, darkness, or heavy rain, locating a single book in dense forest becomes exponentially harder. Many runners have lost significant time — or dropped out entirely — after failing to locate a book.
3:22 a.m. EST: Why the Course Is So Brutal The Barkley course is almost entirely off-trail, running through dense forest, steep ridgelines, and deep hollows. There are no course markings of any kind. Runners navigate using only a map and compass — GPS devices are strictly banned. The total elevation gain across five loops is estimated at around 60,000 feet, roughly equivalent to climbing from sea level to the summit of Everest twice.
Lazarus Lake tweaks the Barkley course annually, meaning no runner can fully rely on prior experience. Book locations change, specific route sections are altered, and new challenges are introduced. This keeps even veteran runners on edge and makes course knowledge only partially transferable from year to year.
3:13 a.m. EST: The Barkley course? Easy?
One runner who dropped said he couldn’t understand why he was redlining the entire time because the course was easier than he expected. #BM100
— Keith (@keithdunn) February 15, 2026
02:26 a.m. EST:
And now there are only eight runners left on the course, all in loop 2.
This less that 21 hours into the race with a 60 hour time limit.
2026 is going down as a bloodbath.
02:11 a.m EST:
There are now only nine of the original 40 runners still on the course, just 20 hours into the 60 hours race.
The 2026 Barkley Marathons may be one of the most brutal ones yet:
Day 2 – 15 February – 01:41 a.m. EST: Only 12 of the 40 runners who started the 2026 Barkley Marathons completed loop 1. Now we’re hearing that so far, 1 runner has dropped from loop 2. We currently don’t know who it was.
And then there were 11.
(We’re still trying to pin down who each of these 11 are).
What we do know:
- Keith Dunn described the field as “one of the strongest ever”;
- Over 15 countries represented;
- 30 men and 10 women;
- Now over 70% of them are toast.
11:22 p.m. EST: Keith Dunn has tweeted that a group of 8 have come in together from loop 1 and “face the bugler” – see our post below this one for that ceremony.
Sounds wet and hard out there.
11:10 p.m. EST: One of the many wonderful (and perhaps simultaneously cruel) traditions at the Barkley is that each runner who does not complete the race must “tap out,” and they are serenaded by the onsite bugler, who, of course, performs “Taps.” Here’s an example clip from a couple years back:
10:48 p.m. EST: This year is beginning to feel reminiscent of 2025. Based on that, last year’s first runner to complete loop two (Tomokazu Ihara of Japan) came in at 24:32:50. That would suggest that we can expect someone to emerge from the woods at around 6:30 a.m. tomorrow morning. By contrast, in 2024 the first loop two finisher (John Kelly) appeared at 19:27:49. That was a historically successful year, as a record five runners finished. By that standard, we’d see our first runner at around 2:30 a.m.
A first loop two finisher between those two times would be a good omen for a more successful outcome than last year.
10:40 p.m. EST: The Barkley remains a mysterious event primarily because cell service is so terrible in Frozen Head State Park, where the event takes place. But there’s one guy who’s cracked the code on how to broadcast what’s taking place in the race (pro tip: multiple cell providers), and of course he does so in the most enigmatic manner imaginable. Here’s our feature on Keith Dunn, the Barkley’s pitch-perfect PR guy:
10:35 p.m. EST: Damian Hall of the UK, who is allegedly on the start list (and who knows if he’s made it to loop two), is an interesting Barkley figure. Back in 2023, he paced the first chunk of the race with John Kelly, then fell off the pace and finished an impressive four laps. But did not pull of the full Barkley. Kelly and two others (including Aurélien Sanchez) finished that year. Surely, if Hall is still out there and Kelly is as well, he’ll stick as close to him as possible.
10:28 p.m. EST: So while we kill some time waiting to glean whatever we can from the 12 runners who are out there in the darkness, we thought we’d share this fun (totally made-up) story we did on April Fool’s day last year (which many took to be true and it found its way on Reddit):
10:20 p.m. EST: Looking at past results, one name of course jumps out over and over again: John Kelly. He’s finished the Barkley three times (only trailing Jared Campbell’s four finishes for the most all-time), and has attempted this crazy race nine times now. He’s got such a wealth of experience, and has also showed up to crew for others in years when he’s not raced. Surely he’s in that lead group on the second loop, out there in the darkness right now.
10:15 p.m. EST: Already, 2026 is shaping up to be among the toughest years ever. Just 12 of 40 runners have completed the first loop, which is the second lowest number ever (2024 had just 10 loop one finishers).
It’s surprising that Laz Lake has opted to return to Frozen Head State Park with such a brutal mindset for the second year in a row. After 2024, which saw a record five finishers, including the first woman to ever complete the race, the sense was that the race’s puppet master was effectively punishing the 2025 field with a particularly tough series of tweaks to the course and the overall timing. Weather also played a factor, as always.
It seems especially cruel that the race was moved up to February (with a Valentine’s Day start, no less). This area of the U.S. has been hit hard with winter weather this year, and it’s particularly unpleasant in the mountains overnight in February. That, coupled with the unusual choice to start the course in reverse for the first time ever seems as though it’s designed to make sure that there will be no finishers in 2026.
We shall see.
10:12 p.m. EST: Fun fact: there’s never been a year with zero loop two finishers. The Barkley has always continued for at least a solid day straight. Last year, arguably the toughest year ever, just four runners got through two loops, with just a single runner completing the three-loop “fun run.” And it was probably not that much fun.
10:10 p.m. EST: If there were betting odds on the Barkley (and there definitely should be), the line for over/under for finishers has definitely moved to, well, 0.
10:05 p.m. EST: And this is before the rain begins to fall…
10:01: p.m. EST: The weather is about to get real at Frozen Head State Park.
The forecast calls for on-and-off rain throughout the night, and heavy rain early Sunday morning. But it looks as though the first big dump of rain will hit at about 11 p.m. Frozen Head is right where the most rainfall is projected at that time, based on this radar image:
9:50 p.m. EST: It’s unclear if the lead woman is still in the race, or has tapped out. Earlier, the suggestion was that she was French, or at least French speaking. It could be Séverine Vandermeulen of Belgium. She’s an accomplished ultrarunner, and has some experience taking on extreme multi-day challenges. She’s the only woman to ever complete three loops of the Chartreuse Terminorum in France, which is modelled after the Barkley.
9:45 p.m. EST:
A fun game is trying to map the below nicknames (bequeathed by Keith Dunn at the gate) of nine of the 12 loop one finishers with some of the names we have semi-confirmation are on this year’s start list:
1 Chiseled Jaw Guy M 09:47:08
2 Knee Guy M 09:47:09
3 Old French Guy M 09:47:10
4 Midnight Guy M 09:47:11
5 The Path Finder M 09:47:12
6 French Guy 1 M 10:07:46
7 French Guy 2 M 10:08:10 Water Balloon Guy
8 Pale Guy M 11:40:27
9 Happy Guy M 11:40:29
9:40 p.m. EST: Lots of familiar names on this tentative list of starters. How many of these runners have moved on to loop two is thus far not known.
Big names include John Kelly, who is originally from the area and has become a Barkley legend. He’s finished the race three times, including in 2024. He raced last year and was part of the small group of final athletes, before they all tapped out or timed out due to the devastating conditions.
Aurélien Sanchez of France is surely in that lead group as well. He finished the Barkley in 2023.
9:35 p.m. EST: Here’s the unconfirmed list of runners who we think are at this year’s Barkley:
Aurélien Sanchez (France)
Sébastian Raichon (France)
Keith Knipling (US)
Max King (US)
John Kelly (US)
Séverine Vandermeulen (Belgium)
Cesar Condrati (Brazil)
Iain Bethune (UK)
Mathieu Blanchard (France/Canada)
Jeff Garmire (US)
Damian Hall (UK)
Emma Stuart (Ireland)
Megan Eckert (US)
Matt Bixley (New Zealand)
Allison Powell (US)
Paul Terranova
9:30 p.m. EST: Here’s what we know at roughly 15.5 hours into the madness that is the 2026 Barkley Marathons:
It started at 6:00 a.m. EST.
It’s the earliest point in the year the race has ever started. Typically, the Barkley takes place in late March-early April.
Of the 40ish starters, 10 women are racing this year. Just one woman, Jasmin Paris (2024) has ever finished the event.
Just 12 runners have now completed one lap of the Barkley. The rest have dropped out, or not completed the loop in the permitted timeframe.
9:27 p.m. EST: Here’s a key tracking tool for those of us who are obsessively following the Barkley: this Google Sheet by “Taka”, which attempts to piece together who is running the Barkley, and their splits.
8:47 p.m. EST: This is already a brutal year, with a very high attrition rate at around 28 runners (the exact number has yet to be confirmed). Historically, the average first loop drop rate has been lower.
8:23 p.m. EST: A little historical context. The fastest finisher of loop one, charted by year gives a good sense of how challenging the starting conditions are. This year, the runners started early (6 a.m.) but ran almost entirely in daylight. But it was cooler (although above freezing).
With the lead group finishing in 9:47:08, we’re looking at a historically slow Barkley right from the start.
8:11 p.m. EST: Most of the field has now dropped without completing one loop of the Barkley. That’s why this race is arguably the hardest endurance event in the world.
7:25 p.m. EST: Unofficially, there are now apparently just 12 runners still in the race. That means roughly 28 have dropped out without finishing one lap of the Barkley. That’s one high attrition rate for the first loop.
7:22 p.m. 15 countries and 15 U.S. states are represented, and 10 women are competing in the roughly 40-person field.
7:21 p.m. EST: 12 runners have finished lap one, and are all now out onto lap two. At least three have officially tapped out.
6:40 p.m. EST: 10 runners have now finished the first lap, including the lead woman. Who that is we have yet to confirm.
5:45 p.m. EST: Two more finished loop one: a “Pale Guy” and “Happy Guy with Red Shirt,” as named by chief Tweeter at camp, Keith Dunn, in 10:40:27 and 10:40:29.
4:45 p.m. EST: Last year, we cooked up a series of graphics in order to understand just how difficult the Barkley has been over the years. Last year was historically tough. We created a “brutality score”, with the higher number indicating peak difficulty at the Barkley. How will 2026 score?
4:27 p.m. EST: Seven runners are on loop two, including those nicknamed “Water Ballon Guy” and “another French guy.”
4:21 p.m. EST: Great quote by Laz:
4:20 p.m. EST: According to Dunn, two “French guys” came into came in 10:07:46 and 10:08:10. One strapped plastic bags to his feet to hit the creek for lap two. Looks like it’s Canada’s Mathieu Blanchard.
4:15 p.m. EST: We have an (unofficial, of course) time for the lead group’s first lap: 9:47:08
4:11 p.m. EST: We have nicknames for the first five to come back into camp after finishing the first loop of the Barkley. Here’s what we have to work with:
Chiseled Jaw Guy
Knee Guy
Old Guy
Midnight guy
The Path Finder
4:10 p.m. EST: Keith Dunn reporting from camp that at least five runners appear on pace to complete the Barkley at the end of loop one. A decent number thus far, but not a staggering amount. As he notes, it’s calling for rain (perhaps heavy at times) overnight and into the morning. This could destroy the field before the second lap is through.
This will be a very intense night.
4:06 p.m. EST: Here’s a vantage point from the base of the tower, looking down onto what runners have just endured. This photo was taken about 10 years ago, in early April. It’s much colder and barren today.
3:41 p.m. EST: Everyone in the field has got to the tower, which doesn’t mean we’re going to see a complete sweep for one loop completed. Remember, it was reported early on in the race that we already had one runner deciding to drop out.
For reference, hitting the tower is somewhere around 35-40% of one loop, depending on which direction you’re running.
2:05 p.m. EST: Sounds like about 19 athletes have now crested Rat Jaw and are searching for the book at the iconic tower look off area. It’s a brutal climb up to the top. Keith Dunn reported from camp that a group of nine runners (together?) hit that checkpoint in two hours, forty minutes. And another 10 athletes streamed through 45 minutes after that. No indication as to who they were. That’s basically half the field, moving along well.
10:50 a.m. EST: In classic Keith Dunn fashion, his tweets require a touch of decoding. Sounds like the first five runners to get to the tower at the top of Rat Jaw, a major checkpoint in the loop, are French speaking, so either French, Belgian or Quebecois. Maybe. This is why the Barkley is so much fun to follow: it’s a puzzle for both the runners and those trying to follow the event.
10:26 a.m. EST: France’s Guillaume Grima is in the field of the 2026 Barkley Marathons, following a recent DNF at Yukon Arctic Ultra.
Mathieu Blanchard, third place at the same Yukon Arctic Ultra is reportedly also in the field.
10:10 a.m. EST: Based on the license plates in this image, we can make an educated guess that among the roughly 40 participants, there are:
- 6 French runners (license plate with “F” + “Grand Est”)
- 2 Belgian runners (license plate with “B” + “Dinsdag”)
- 1 Norwegian runner (license plate with “N”)
- 1 Spanish runner (license plate with “E”)
- 1 Dutch runner (license plate with “NL”)
- 1 Swiss runner (license plate with red and white cross)
10:04 a.m. EST: Belgium’s Séverine Vandermeulen is confirmed as one of the roughly 40 participants in the 2026 Barkley Marathons. She is the first Belgian woman in history to take part.
I should have known there was an early start, judging from this picture. I was so confused as why she would be there, a month before the start. Consider me a moron. #bm100 #barkleymarathonshttps://t.co/xlxc3yn7AO
— Karen De Windt (@KarenDeWindt) February 14, 2026
9:57 a.m. EST: The only forecast worth following over the next few days: Frozen Head Weather Forecast, United States
9:49 a.m. EST: As secretive and mysterious as the Barkley Marathons are, one thing remains a constant: Keith Dunn. The guru of the Barkley Marathons, Dunn is known for sharing hints from inside the Barkley Marathons in the most cryptic way.
READ MORE: Meet Keith Dunn, The Mad Tweeter of the Barkley Marathons
9:32 a.m. EST: At the Barkley, to finish is to “win.” Just 20 different runners have finished the race in its 40-year history. Here’s the full list of Barkley finishers:
1995 Mark Williams 59:28:48 First finisher
2001 David Horton 58:21:00 New record
2001 Blake Wood 58:21:01
2003 Teddy Keizer 56:57:52 New record
2004 Mike Tilden 57:25:18
2004 Jim Nelson 57:28:25
2008 Brian Robinson 55:42:27 New record
2009 Andrew Thompson 57:37:19
2010 Jonathan Basham 59:18:44
2011 Brett Maune (1) 57:13:33
2012 Brett Maune (2) 52:03:08 Current record
2012 Jared Campbell (1) 56:00:16
2012 John Fegyveresi 59:41:21
2013 Nick Hollon 57:39:24
2013 Travis Wildeboer 58:41:45
2014 Jared Campbell (2) 57:53:20
2016 Jared Campbell (3) 59:32:30
2017 John Kelly (1) 59:30:53
2023 Aurélien Sanchez 58:23:12
2023 John Kelly (2) 58:42:23
2023 Karel Sabbe 59:53:33
2024 Ihor Verys 58:44:59
2024 John Kelly (3) 59:15:38
2024 Jared Campbell (4) 59:30:32
2024 Greig Hamilton 59:38:42
2024 Jasmin Paris 59:58:21 First female finisher
9:26 a.m. EST: The Weather will be a significant factor.
Each year, the Barkley’s competitors either thrive or get crushed by the conditions. Rain at the Barkley usually equals zero finishers. Although conditions aren’t terrible at the moment, the rain will begin on Sunday morning. Expect a brutal second loop for those who complete the first go-round.
9:02 a.m. EST: Apparently, one of the 40ish runners has already dropped out of the race, just three hours in. It should be interesting to see how many drops we see in the first loop alone, given that it’s a February Barkley.
7:02 a.m. EST: The campground, which normally hosts the Barkley Marathons, where the iconic yellow gate is located, is reportedly under construction. The race is therefore being held at a nearby park shelter, with a makeshift yellow gate.
The campground is under construction so the race is being run out of a park shelter. Here is the yellow gate. #BM100 pic.twitter.com/bAZAJpJW2t
— Keith (@keithdunn) February 14, 2026
7:00 a.m. EST: The first images coming out of the Barkley Marathons via Keith Dunn:
6:44 a.m EST: The conch was blown at 5:00 am eastern time, with the cigarette being lit at 6:00 am eastern, signalling the official start of the race.
The conch was blown at 5:00am. The 2026 Barkley Marathons begins in one hour. #BM100
— Keith (@keithdunn) February 14, 2026
How are you calculating the attrition rate? I don’t know the exact number of participants each year, but assuming 40 and using your number of finishers, I come up with about 63% completing loop on average, so 37% average attrition
Oh, and thanks so much for compiling all this here! I don’t use X or BlueSky so great to be able to monitor