Karel Sabbe’s big finish at Barkley Marathons

Words by Micah Ling. Photography by David Miller.

“I can confirm that the Barkley Marathons is the hardest race out there,” says On athlete and Belgian ultra trail runner, Karel Sabbe. 

In 2023, Sabbe was one of three people to finish the course. By that token [March 2023] he became the seventeenth person so far in this legendary event to finish its inception in 1986, completing the looping, unmarked course within the 60-hour cut off time – a feat deemed almost impossible. [In March 2024, the number of people who finished the race rose to 20.]

Both feared and revered in equal measure, the Barkley Marathons U.S ultra trail race, is held each spring in Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee. It was first held with a rough-sketch 50-mile course. The distance was extended to 100-miles in 1989. The course is subject to change each year, and while it’s billed as five 20-mile loops, it generally works out as more mileage than you’d expect.

“Many people know the story of the Barkley Marathons,” says Sabbe. “And that’s why they’re obsessed with it.” For even the most accomplished trail athletes – and ardent fans alike – Barkley Marathons inspires a curious obsession, despite an almost guaranteed DNF for the majority of runners. 

The course comprises 54,200 feet (16,500 m) of accumulated vertical climb and descent. Brutal weather and fast-changing conditions; everything from mud, rain, fog and sub-zero temperatures, are part of its idiosyncratic charm. 

Barkley was founded by Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell, one of ultra running’s most legendary characters. Before ultra marathons entered the athletic mainstream, Cantrell would run enormous grid routes that he pieced together just for the fun of it. Teaming up with Karl “Raw Dog” Henn, they created the Barkleys route after hearing the story of the 1977 escape of James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin of Martin Luther King Jr, from the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.

When he was recaptured 54 hours after his escape, Ray had only covered about 12-miles (19 km). For Cantrell – who thought that time would’ve afforded Ray at least a 100-miles between prison and prisoner, those numbers didn’t add up. Fascinated by the kind of wild terrain that could slow down a desperate escapee from making ground, the concept behind the race was born. Even today the course always includes a section that goes through, or near, the now closed prison.

To call the Barkley circuit a course in the traditional sense, requires a generous stretch of the imagination. The loops are unmarked, they’re not on actual trails, there are no aid stations, and rules state runners cannot carry electronic or GPS devices. 

The field is limited to just 35 runners, and gaining entry is a herculean challenge in itself. Runners must complete an essay on why they should be permitted to run, and pay a $1.60 application fee. The only additional cost to participants is whatever Cantrell decides he may need that year, quite possibly a flannel shirt or some new socks. 

That’s all to say, nothing about this race is predictable. And that’s why, in the almost three decades of running the 100-plus mile version, Karel is only one of 17 people who have succeeded. 

“A lot goes through my mind on the race, and how I can make it happen,” says Sabbe. “It’s unique, and creates a story that inspires people in general – a challenging, inspiring story.”

Sabbe’s 2023 Barkley’s success is a double accolade, of sorts. He holds the “slowest completion time,” getting closest to the 60-hour cutoff without going over. His time: 59:53:33. 

Sabbe’s motivation to run Barkley Marathons was born of curiosity. He had already set the speed records on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in 2016 and again in 2023, and the Appalachian Trail in 2018, and decided it looked like an atypical next challenge, “It felt like something that would fit naturally within the certain types of adventure that I was looking for,” he says.

“Barkley has the appeal of longer fastest known time (FKT) attempts, but it’s more condensed, into 60 hours. You have the same type of challenges. You have to overcome limits. And I knew that people with strong FKT resumes were doing well [at Barkley Marathons].”

Rather than notes of congratulation upon entry acceptance, Cantrell sends out condolences. “I had some help from others who had made FKT attempts on the PCT. They gave me assistance with my essay, and with the application process. I’m really grateful for the people who helped me.” Sabbe received his letter of condolence just six weeks before the race in 2023. 

Local parlance deems Barkley debutants race “virgins.” And if you have any success at all the first time around, it’s easier to be accepted for another attempt. Luckily, Sabbe was accepted for a third time, after setting the “last man standing” record in 2019 and 2022, years in which no one finished the race. 

Sabbe found that the atmosphere on the course suited him well, “There was limited crew allowed, and not a lot of media, and none out on the course. It was just a cozy atmosphere with interesting, super nice people. I felt comfortable and at home from the start.”

There’s no one formula to being accepted for entry, but a history of FKTs and long, challenging ultra races, helps your case. “Gary is always looking for those who can finish the race. He knows that many of the finishers are PCT or Colorado Trail record holders,” Sabbe said. “He knew from my resume that I was one of the athletes who could possibly make it, and we connected well from the start.” 

The race can start anytime within a 24-hour window. Runners show up at camp, and wait. Cantrell blows a conch shell and racers have one hour to make their way to the start line. Cantrell lights a ceremonious cigarette, the Barkley-style start gun, and the race begins. Sometimes the conch is blown at 2 a.m. Sometimes it’s noon. 

For the 2023 edition, the race kicked off right around 10 a.m. “I couldn’t sleep well the night before,” says Sabbe, “by the end of the race I had essentially been awake for more than 70-hours.”

When Sabbe is deep in the pain cave, working to survive and be efficient, his mindset pulls him through.

“When you’re in the middle of the night, and you’ve been running in the dark for eight hours, you have thoughts of ‘I’m not comfortable,’ but I wouldn’t call it fear. You're just so focused. It’s probably comparable with free climbers who are doing something dangerous, but are focused and feel that nothing [bad] is going to happen. I have the same feeling. I just think, ‘I’m okay, nothing is going to happen.’”

Add suboptimal conditions and sleep deprivation to an already wild route, and things can get a little weird. But Sabbe prefers to only nap for a few minutes at a time, and never when he feels like he can fully relax. “I won't sleep at camp. I think that’s a waste of time because it’s too comfortable there. You’re also a bit excited when you arrive back at camp, because you’ve finished another loop, so it would take too long to calm down and sleep.”  Sabbe prefers to curl up for five minutes out on the course, and then be woken up by the elements. 

In 2023, the first three loops went as planned for Sabbe. “Things went reasonably well, but because it’s Barkley, things will always happen.” Later in the race, Sabbe suffered dehydration, and fell into a freezing river. “Nothing comes for free out there, but I pushed on. Partly due to my previous experiences, I had enough motivation and drive to go as hard as I could.”

“The fifth and final loop is always the most complicated,” says Sabbe. “You haven’t really slept in so long, and you’re totally alone. If more than one athlete is still on the course for the final loop, you get sent in opposite directions, so that you can’t help each other. Things become very confusing, and honestly, I’m lucky I made it to the finish line with no major problems.”

Going into his third attempt, Sabbe had a mindset of “this is it” – the last time he’d go for it at Barkley. “I failed twice. I learned a lot from those experiences. I finished the race [2023] with barely six minutes left,” he says. “Barkley has given me so much more than I would have expected when I signed up for the first time. I’m happy to close the chapter being the seventeenth finisher. I don’t feel the desire to go back anymore.” 

Only two and a half months after Barkley, Sabbe reclaimed his 2,650 miles (4,265km) Pacific Crest Trail speed record in a time of 46 days, 12 hours and 50 minutes. 

“2023 was a really big year,” he says. “I had to dig deep to do well at both [Barkley and the PCT FKT]. I set the record, and I finished Barkley, so I’m not going to do any races in 2024.”

But far from hanging up his trail shoes, Sabbe’s already looking ahead to 2025. “My first big project back will be running the entire length of New Zealand—over 2,000 miles. The trail looks amazing.”