Change into the Hokas, check. Put on bug spray, check. Bring flashlight or headlamp? Bring both. It's going to be a long day.
The cigarette is lit. We're off. Running a mile on pavement up to the trailhead.
Wait! There's the famous yellow gate! Take a photo! Some guy dropped his water bottle.
We're power hiking on singletrack now. Up, up, up, up. Switchbacks galore. This is the easy part?
Finally we crest the hill. Great. This is some of that glorious downhill Laz promised.
Up and down. Up and down.
Cool! We're crossing Sonofabitch Ditch. Take a photo!
Finally at Bald Knob aid station. Good, I beat the four hour cutoff comfortably. These AS workers sure are young.
Oh, look. There's John Price.
So this is Deja Vu Hill? Crap, we have to run around here twice. Chat with John.
So this is the famous Garden Spot? Very nice.
Up and down. Up and down.
Wow. This double track leading to AS 2 isn't bad. They weren't lying, some of this course is very runnable.
Oops. I'm pretty much out of water.
Arriving at Tub Springs AS still well under cutoff. Do I dare eat the Slim Jims? Why not? AS workers say go down that road, it will take you to the prison. Awesome!
Down, down, down. This is no road! A bulldozer has run through here and packed the dirt really hard. My quads are going to hurt tomorrow. Down, down, down.
Oh look, a paved road. Why are there ambulances here? A crossing guard tells me to go ahead.
Wait! Why am I going uphill again? Where is the prison?
Holy crap! It's Testicle Spectacle. Scenic side trip! More like scene from hell. Why are several runners laying on the ground wiped out? Gee, it's hot. We have to go way down there and back! A guy tells me it will take at least 50 minutes.
I can't stand up. Guess I'll have to slide down on my butt. Someone says to go to the right side on the edge of the woods where there's shade. That helps, plus you can grab onto trees to keep from falling over. Down, down, down, down.
Finally at the bottom. Get the bib punched. Turn around and head back up.
Oh, man. This is steep! Breathing heavy. Heart rate through the roof. Stop here and rest on this rock.
Can't walk. Use the trees to pull up. Stop here and rest on this log. Crawl on hands and knees.
I'm not going to make it. It's too steep and too hot.
I'm hours away from the start/finish line - and my car. Marie is an hour drive away. Cell service is spotty. I have to make it back or she'll worry about me.
Finally, back to the top of Spectacle! Take a break and chat with fellow runners. We've missed the cutoff. Crap!
Going down Meth Lab Hill now. This is great and the prison is down there! Down, down, down.
On pavement now running past houses.
On a highway now. Out of water! I sure hope there is water at the prison.
There's the prison. This is so cool.
And there's a water stop. Fill up with water and electrolyte drink. Yay!
Into the prison. Arrows pointing the way. Gee, this is creepy. Look, James Earl Ray's cell. Take a photo! Keep following arrows down to The Hole. Get the bib punched. Ask if I can drop here and get a ride back. Nope. The shortest way back is to take Rat Jaw. Damn, I guess I have to do Rat Jaw.
How do I get started up that first hill? Hmm, maybe I can grab those guy wires and pull myself up. Sure glad they told us to bring gloves.
Man this is steep! Crawl up the hill. Rest on rocks. Grab the discarded electrical conductors to pull up.
Here come the saw briers. Try to follow the path. Work with John Hord to figure a path up this monster. Man it's hot.
The path isn't very good. Getting cut by briers. Maybe if we go left. Up, up, up. Rest on a log. Crawl. Up, up, up. Rest. Crawl.
Hiram Rogers shows up. Says he's the course sweeper. Crap! That means we're last. He says we're moving pretty well and still have a chance to finish the Barkley Marathon. All we have to do is get to the watch tower and get our bibs punched and then it's a six or seven mile run to the finish.
We pick up two more runners and slog our way to the top. Finally we see the watch tower. Yay!
I crawl up onto the gravel roadway and lay on the ground. While I'm laying on the ground a park ranger drives by and says great job.
Oh, man. We have to climb the tower to get our bibs punched.
On top. The view is spectacular. Take photos and get off the tower.
Time to run. We've split up, but we're all running down to the finish line.
Hiram catches me. We discuss the real Barkley. He has done it. Turn on headlamp.
Run, run, run. There's Laz! Thank him. Run, run, run.
I'm going to make it! Walk some here. Save energy.
There's the finish line. Run! The crowd is applauding. People are yelling, go Jim!
There's Durb! Here's my finisher medal. How did I like it? Great! Will you come back next year? Yes!
