The Barkley course was the brain child of Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell and Karl Henn (Raw Dog). 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. Ray covered only about 12 miles (19 km) after running 54.5 hours in the woods hiding from air searches during the day. Cantrell said to himself, "I could do at least 100 miles," mocking Ray's low mileage. Thus, the Barkley Marathons was born. Cantrell named the race for his longtime neighbor and running companion, Barry Barkley. It was first run in 1986. Barkley died in 2019 at age 70.
What is the Barkley Marathons?
The Barkley Marathons is a foot race created by Gary Cantrell and Karl Henn, and named after a friend of Gary's, Barry Barkley (who died in 2019). This race was inspired from James Earl Ray's escape from the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in 1977 (he was in-prisoned there for the murder of Martin Luther King Jr). During his 54.5 hour escape, Earl Ray could only cover 12 miles. Cantrell thought he could have done 100 miles in this time, which gave him the idea to organise a foot race in this area. The first edition took place in 1986.