BARKLEYBARKLEYBARKLEY!!!

[nadra's babydaddy]

Word on the street is there's a disturbance in the force centered around Frozen Head State Park!   
It's been about 5 years since there was a finisher.  Will this be the year??

For the "virgins", here are the cliff notes: http://www.mattmahoney.net/barkley/
We're on standby for the conch.  GOGOGOGO!!!! 

[nadra's babydaddy]

The race began at 0754 after a 0654 conch wakeup!!

Ideal conditions during the day, giving way to the usual onslaught of Barkley weather overnight.

We had a slew of fine folks finish loop 1 in 8:07 lead by most recent finisher John Kelly and the last runner to make it past loop 4/Appalachian trail speedwalker extraordinaire Karel Sabbe followed by several more trickling in <9 hours.

This is the best shot in quite some time at a finisher, with some solid veterans firmly in control at the front in the quickest clip we've seen in years.  Time will tell how much the overnight conditions equalizes things, but they've got at least a couple of good weather/daylight in which to bank some time.

[Fast Eddie]

Twelve hours into the 2022 Barkley Marathons (the time cutoff for the first loop), 27 runners out of approximately 40 starters have made it back to camp and started loop two.

The first runners to finish loop one were Karel Sabbe of Belgium, 2017 finisher John Kelly of USA, Albert Casas of Spain and Michel Dubova of USA. They came into camp together, after eight hours and just under eight minutes. Kelly was the first to start loop two, after only 10 minutes in camp. The other three began loop two shortly thereafter, by which time Courtney Dauwalter had arrived in camp.

[nadra's babydaddy]

30 runners have begun loop 2.  A new record!!! Sounds like maybe possibly the rain isn't as terrible as predicted...and good weather is forecasted for the remainder of the "race".   Could be very interesting!  We were due for a fast year *knock on wood*...it's no fun when basically everyone is out of contention after loop 1.

Now off to start a letsrun thread about how Eliud Kipchoge would do at Barkley...

[nadra's babydaddy]

OVERNIGHT UPDATE!!!

The course weather was up to its usual shenanigans, claiming many casualties including Courtney.  Nonetheless, Karel Sabbe & John Kelly had a fantastic loop, all things considered, coming in around 19:40.  Karel headed back out at 20:00 even and photos have been posted of him clearing Rat Jaw.  John Kelly took a 90 minute break in camp and apparently got some sleep.  Not sure how intentional that was, but he should be well rested for what's supposedly favorable conditions the rest of the way.  No one has ever started loop 3 at 21:30 and finished, but a "well rested" barkley pro in favorable conditions?...

In the middle of all that, Grieg Hamilton also came and went at 20:48, leaving 3 realistic hopefuls for a full finish.

Jasmin Paris set out on loop 3 just minutes before the 24 hour cutoff, leaving a finish pretty much out of the question, but with ample time to complete a fun run. 

GOGOGOGO!!!

[nadra's babydaddy]

 

Karel Sabbe (32:40) and Grieg Hamilton (34:54) have departed on loop 4!  John Kelly finished not long before the 36 hour cutoff and tapped himself out.   So we're left with a deja vu of 2019, but with more time and (knock on wood) better conditions predicted.  The 24 hour drumroll has commenced!

In other excitement, Thomas Dunkerbeck (39:27) and Jasmin Paris (39:50!) made it just barely under the wire for the Fun Run, including the first Fun Run by a woman since 2013.

Based on the math, Karel has a very realistic shot.  Grieg has an outside shot, but has almost zero margin for error.  No news is good news for the next few hours.  Into the overnight abyss we go!   

[nadra's babydaddy]

Sigh, yet again there are no finishers.  However that was the most entertaining recap of a failure I've ever seen! 

After seeking help from a trash can that he thought was a person, as well as from some passing motorists, Karel was given a ride back to camp by the Morgan County Sheriff.

A police car pulled up to Frozen Head at 5:00 this morning. The sheriff had been called for a "woman dressed as an Indian" who was scaring the village of Petros. It was Karel Sabbe, after getting lost during his 4th loop… and so the Barkley 2022 will not have a finisher.

Here‘s the Sheriff with Laz. He asked him for a photo.