The 2008 Barkley Marathons Results

Photo of Brian Robinson's finish courtesy of Marcia Rasmussen

The Barkley Marathons took place this weekend at Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee. Here is a description of the race from mattmahoney.net:

The Barkley is considered one of the toughest 100 mile races in the world. It has 52,900 feet of climb (and 52,900 feet of descent), more than any other 100 mile race, more than the 33,000 ft. of climb at Hardrock, and more than the 45,000 ft. at Nolan's 14. Since the race began in 1986, only 6 runners (7 now) out of about 600 have finished within the 60 hour cutoff. The race consists of 5 20-mile loops with no aid except for water at two points. The cutoffs for the 100 mile race are 12 hours per loop. The 60 mile "fun run" has a cutoff of 40 hours, or 13:20 per loop. To prove you completed each loop, you must find 9 to 11 books (varies) at various points along the course and return a page from each book.

"Fly'in Brian" Robinson won this year's race in 55:47:00 setting a new unofficial course record. Here is what David Horton had to say about Brian in an email to the Ultralist earlier this evening:

"Brian is an amazing man and athlete. I am truly impressed by what he did at Barkley. He told me in an e-mail prior to Barkley that he had trained hard and was ready. When he says something, you can take it to the bank. Even more so, he is a credit to the human race. I am glad to call him a close friend. I am not sure I would have finished the PCT if he had not helped me.He deserves all the accolades that he receives. Don't forget that he hiked all three of the major long trails, 7400 miles, in 300 days, within one calendar year. I consider it an honor to be in one of the seven with Brian at the top."

Here are the unofficial results as compiled by Wendell Doman:

Loop 1
1 Brian Robinson 7:07:43
2 Byron Backer 8:03:15
3 Jim Nelson 8:22:20
4 Greg Eason 8:52:23
5 Carl Laniak 8:52:25
6 Andrew Thompson 8:56:35
7 Jason Poole 9:03:09
8 Todd Holmes 9:03:10
9 Dewayne Satterfield 9:15:15
10 Michael Graz 9:05:15
11 Heather Graz 9:05:16
12 Blake Wood 9:11:52
13 Andras Low 9:11:53
14 Joe Decker 9:17:24
15 Jon Barker 9:17:25
16 Wendell Doman 9:33:00
17 Hiram Rogers 10:33:24
18 John Tyszkiewicz 11:09:58
19 Eugene Trahern 11:09:59
20 Ed Furtaw 11:18:19
21 Bill Goodwine 11:18:22
22 Andrew Hackett 11:19:45
23 Leonard Martin 11:19:55
24 Sue Thompson 11:27:11
25 John DeWalt 12:04:33
26 David Hughes 12:17:06
27 Matt Mahoney 12:17:06
35 Starters

Loop 2
1 Brian Robinson 16:47:30
2 Jim Nelson 20:00:57
3 Byron Backer 21:53:37
4 Carl Laniak 22:14:44
5 Greg Eason 22:14:45
6 Andrew Thompson 22:14:55
7 Blake Wood 23:17:20
8 Jason Poole 23:19:46
9 Joe Decker 23:37:30
23 Starters

Loop 3
1 Brian Robinson 29:56:49
2 Jim Nelson 33:42:34
3 Byron Backer 36:28:29
4 Blake Wood 36:52:27
5 Greg Eason 38:15:57
6 Carl Laniak 38:15:58
7 Andrew Thompson 39:15:59
7 Starters

Loop 4
1 Brian Robinson 43:19:20
1 Starter

Loop 5
1 Brian Robinson 55:47:00 (unofficial result)
1 Starter

Congratulations Brian on an amazing accomplishment and also kudos to the 60 mile "fun run" finishers! To view all of Marcia Rasmussen's photos of the finish please click HERE.