The 2026 Barkley Marathons delivered one of the most brutal editions in race history — and for the second year in a row, no one finished.

In this episode of The Running Story, Michael Doyle and Jessy Carveth unpack everything that happened at this year’s Barkley Marathons in Tennessee’s Frozen Head State Park.

They discuss:

• Why the February start made this year historic

• How cold rain, fog, and creek crossings shaped the race

• The shockingly low Loop 1 completion rate

• The lone “fun run” finisher

• The top women’s performances

• The mysterious reporting style of the Barkley

• Whether Lazarus Lake made the race too hard

• What 2027 might look like

Is the Barkley Marathons supposed to be nearly impossible — or has the balance tipped too far?

If you love ultrarunning, trail running, and deep race analysis, this episode is for you.

Read our feature on Keith Dunn:

⁠⁠https://marathonhandbook.com/meet-keith-dunn-the-mad-tweeter-of-the-barkley-marathons/⁠⁠

New episodes of The Running Story drop weekly.