In the Spell of the Barkley: Unravelling the Mystery of the World's Toughest Ultramarathon

by Michiel Panhuysen

One man's account of the near-mythical ultrarunning event that is the Barkley Marathons

Welcome to the Barkley Marathons, a fever dream of an ultra running event set deep in the Tennessee woods, inspired by James Earl Ray's prison break, heralded by a conch blast and paid for in cigarettes and socks. Since the race began in 1986, just 15 people have successfully crossed the finish line having completed the full 100 miles. This is a race in which competitors haul themselves up mountains, through extreme weather conditions, beyond pain and exhaustion, mile after mile. Completed 60 miles? That's just the fun run.

Journalist and ultrarunner Michiel Panhuysen is a multiple-time Barkley entrant, having fallen under the spell of this most enigmatic of races – and its presiding philosopher-genius organizer 'Lazarus Lake' – in the early 2010s. On each occasion, the Barkley won. The Barkley nearly always wins.

In the Spell of the Barkley is a story of sporting obsession, exploring what drives individuals to challenge themselves at the limits of what is possible – and what it takes to succeed.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Sports, Adventure

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2021

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good synopsis of the history of the Barkley marathons written by somebody who has participated several times. The author, Michiel, also delves into the whys of ultra running and gives a real insight into what his own training for Barkley looks like. The book also features interviews from many of those athletes we have become so familiar with from following the Barkley.

[Dee Eliza Pea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good grief I love everything about this race, though I would never ever have wanted to try it for myself (not that I could…ha, I could never). And I loved almost everything about this book. I feel like Panhuysen gets closer to explaining the “why” of Ultra - more than other authors… and in particular explaining the ethos and mystique of the Barkley Marathon(s). Was there a little bit too much about all his other races and his re-emergent interest in climbing? Yes! Um, more about the Barkley please! Then again, you’ve got to expect it to a point. It is HIS book after all. I also felt there was something a little lacking in the prose and in some of the personal insights… why mention your personal life if you are going to be so opaque about it? The book is about you or it isn’t. In that same vein, I could have used more interviews with other Barkley veterans. As I understand it, it is a real community out there and I think hearing from some of the other players, including supporting ones (friends, family, crew) would have been cool. But, I was glad he ended with Jasmin after the 2022 race, who of course, has gone on to finish in 2024 becoming the first woman in history to do so. How prescient of Panhuysen (but also of Laz to have invited her in the first place) to end his book about this most extraordinary race with one of the most extraordinary athletes to have finished it.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and inspiring read on the most extreme ultra run in the world: the Barkley Marathons. Not something that I want to attempt, but I devour everything Barkley related anyway. I really enjoyed Michiel's stories of his attempts and his small bits about the other Barkley finishers. A good mix of telling of the Barkley story and personal stories of the author.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michiel weet de sfeer van het afleggen van lange afstanden fantastisch vast te leggen in dit boek. Hoewel ik geen ultraloper ben fascineert deze sport mij wel ontzettend. Lange afstanden wandelen doe ik wel graag in de bergen, wat eigenlijk de langzame variant is van ultramarathons.

Michiel, en anderen die hij beschrijft in dit boek, leveren absurde prestaties in deze relatief onbekende sport. Hij weet je genadeloos mee te nemen in de verslaving van het eindeloos lopen op vaak ruig terrein. De Barkley blinkt hierin uit en is en blijft de meest vreemde en bijzondere ultra die er is in zijn soort, met al zijn geheimzinnige regels en rituelen.

Ik volg deze marathon nu sinds een paar jaar via de tweets van Keith Dunn, en nadat vorig jaar maar liefst 5(!) lopers de finish haalde, waaronder Jasmin Paris, haalde in de editie van 2025 slechts één loper een 'Fun Run'. De Barkley bewijst maar weer eens dat het 'The Race that eats its young' is.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een vlot geschreven boek wat je meeneemt in de onwerkelijkheid van het lopen van ultramarathons. Ook ik ken de Barkley van die Netflix docu, maar dit boek belicht dit avontuur op een hele andere wijze.

[Sheska · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember, back in my late(ish) 20s, whilst sluggishly scrambling up Helvellyn’s steep wall to the summit plateau, I saw a man briskly race past my friend and me. Well, that’s putting us to shame, thought I, tentatively feeling for another foothold. We stayed at the summit long enough to take a few pictures, wolf down a quick snack, and then started on our much more high-spirited descent down Swirral Edge, in anticipation of putting our feet up back at the B&B. Only, what do we see? The same man doing his second lap around the mountain. He effortlessly breezed right past us and with a smile and a friendly nod was gone along the treacherous arête. It was amazing but it left us stunned.

At that time, I knew nothing of mountain running or ultramarathons and I only learnt of Barkley Marathons last year, when Jasmin Paris became the first woman to complete the entire race with seconds to spare before the official cut off. I binged documentaries and watched numerous interviews, having been absolutely blown away by the lore of Barkley and Jasmin’s astonishing achievement. So, when it came to picking a book with a sport theme in mind, this one was an easy choice.

Does the book deserve 5 stars? Probably not. But, by gods, did I love its topic and the author’s personal exploration of his compulsion. The chapter that dealt with lessons from Barkley toppers, really struck a chord with me. Dealing with anxiety and depression, the pervasiveness of negative thoughts can be a real challenge, one you learn to live with but rarely address. This reminded me of that optimistic but all too brief period of my life when I pushed myself to do things that were perhaps a bit too much out of my comfort zone, too contrary to my avoidant personality. My philosophy back then was take the first step before you can talk yourself out of it and see where it gets you, in other words – just do it. It didn’t last. Laziness and depression had prevailed but this book reminded me that things could be otherwise. For that I give it 5 stars.

P.S. If ever you need an inspiration just look up Jasmin Paris or Jared Campbell’s ‘conditioned optimism’.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ik had dit boek al even liggen, en omdat ik Mig eens heb horen spreken over de Barkley en ik deze race al jaren volg, was ik bang dat ik niet veel nieuws zou lezen. Wat een vergissing! Nadat ik alle UTMB pre-, tijdens, en post-race filmpjes had bekeken, leek dit boek passend bij de sfeer waar ik nog in zat. Ik las het bijna in een ruk uit.
In de ban van de Barkley is geweldig geschreven, een combinatie van feiten (zonder dat het "feitelijk " overkomt), portretten van Barkley deelnemers en Migs ervaring, met de Barkley en met ultralopen. Ik kan me alleen proberen voor te stellen hoe het is om zulke lange lopen te doen, maar de beschrijvingen van Michiel maken het heel concreet. Hij ontziet zichzelf daarbij niet. Een aanrader!

2021 Books #56

[Catie Markesich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came in skeptical about this book because I just love the documentaries (The Race That Eats It’s Young is my favorite, but Where Dreams Go to Die is also excellent), and I felt like the book was going to be sub par with those as a standard. While it starts off a little slow, I was proved wrong. There were many laugh-out-loud moments, and I learned a lot more about this race, despite being pretty obsessed with it (it’s my goal to at least apply for this race by 2029). I highly recommend it for those of you who are intrigued by this race or who are fellow iocumasochists (I just made that word up- it means someone who finds self-inflicted pain hilarious and enjoyable).

The author did include a couple of chapters that were mostly his experiences with ultras and his life that were not really linked to the Barkley other than by a thin thread and this felt a little disorienting, as someone who wanted Barkley Barkley Barkley. He has lived an interesting life though, and is very accomplished.

I did feel like the author’s choice of description of his experience at the Brushey Mountain State Penitentiary on page 54 was a tad problematic, as it could be read as possibly glorifying MLK’s assassin, despite likely and hopefully not intentional: “we reached the grounds of the Brushey Mountain State Penitentiary. The name James Earl Ray shot through me… it was a special moment: I was standing with the first finisher of the Barkley at the place where Martin Luther King’s assassin had climbed over a prison wall in 1977 and passed through the same terrain we had been running through for the past seven hours.” I feel like if you are going to write anything about the assassin of such an important historical figure, you should be very careful what you write- err on the side of being too explicit in what you mean. There have already been ongoing accusations that Laz was glorifying James Earl Jones by creating this race, which is not at all the case. Be careful. Don’t make an opportunity to give Barkley or Laz a bad rap unless it’s due!

Some quotes I loved:

“In the years that followed, he also added more and more climbs the course and replace sections of ‘candy ass trails’ (normally accessible trails) with stretches of barely penetrable undergrowth and saw briars.”

“‘The Barkley doesn’t care if you ran Leadville or Hardrock or Badwater or Trans-America. The Barkley eats at your will like no other, slowly, patiently, inevitably, until nothing is left.’” - Matt Mahoney

“Epic-failures” a common Barkley term - 😍🥳🤩🤩

Read about AT’s epic failure on page 44- so much laughing!!!

“To prepare for his first Barkley in 2012, Jared trained differently from the average runner, whose focus if often mainly on distance and heart rate zones. For him, it wasn’t about a running schedule, rather a focus on three elements: ‘Hours spent Bushwacking (HSB), Vertical Gain (VG), and the Inclement Conditions factor (ICF)’…just before his first Barkley, there was a weather warning…where he lives. A violent storm was predicted, with heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures. The government issued media warnings to stay at home and only go out in an emergency. To Jared, this seemed the ideal occasion for some heavy-duty night time training in the mountains.” YES JARED YES

[Jocelyn Chin · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun for me to read personally but also feels elitist at times. but i guess the whole allure of the barkley is also its aura of unattainability. occasionally the book gets real during the descriptions of suffering and the runners’ why’s. best part was jasmine paris at the end. at the time of the writing of this book she had just finished the “fun run” — 3 loops! (there r 5 loops totaling 100 miles with 60,000 ft of elevation gain — that’s two mt everests!) Paris actually became the first female finisher of the barkley EVER literally the day before my 100 miler this past march. can u believe it!! this race been around for 38 years, there have been 20 people who have finished it, and she is the first woman ever to do so!! i remember lying awake in bed before my ultra reading about her crazy close finish and feeling deeply inspired. super cool to hear a bit more about her process here. but most of the book was just this man talking about his own ultra journey. he’s dutch so most of his races were in the UK. he’s also a climber! ultras also lowkey ended his 27-year long relationship oop.

the barkley marathons are basically super iconic and something i love consuming material on but not something i’d ever want to do and i wouldn’t ever be fit enough to in the first place phew. this book is getting me back into ultra mindset tho which is good bc the weather sucks lately but now im just like oh great, cold & sleet & positive attitude training

[Jackie Scully · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into the mind of an ultrarunner and the joy of (and obsession with) searching for those physical edges. A lesson in why mental resilience is half the battle in endurance sports. I was gripped and tempted by the lure of the yellow gate.

[Runningt Kavanagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to the audio book version while doing training runs of 8 to 14 KMs on the journey to a half marathon. Hugly smaller event than the Barkley so it was really motivating to be listening to this. The narrator's voices were entertaining.

Since first hearing of the Barclay marathons a few weeks ago I have consumed everything I can find about the crazy event and the people involved. This story is about the author's Ultra events and his Barclay experiences.

[Brandon St. Croix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bit slow start but interesting when Michiel talked about his experience and loved hearing slight perspective from Laz

[Ben Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in some time. Inspiring and informative on one of the best kept secrets in the world. Long live the Barkley.

[Drew Boswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Panhuysen's memoir does indeed include his time running the Barkley Marathons, but roughly half the book has little or nothing to do with the Barkley, covering other races and other sports, like climbing. While it's instructive and interesting to read about his journey through extreme sports, the title leads the reader to think the book is more about the Barkley than it actually is.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I live about 45 minutes from where the Barkley is held at Frozen Head (almost) every year so I knew of the race and how extreme it was and what the location and its terrain encompasses but never knew much more than that. Michiel Panhuysen did a great job of letting readers get a behind the scenes, or behind the Yellow Gate if you will, look at just how extreme the Barkley is and what it takes to compete in it. I also enjoyed reading about some of the other ultra events the author described running in across the world in preparation for Barkley that I had never heard of before, along with stories and insight from other Barkley competitors about their Barkley races that he became friends with over the years. I am definitely not a runner, ultra or otherwise, and really enjoyed this book. Thank you for the ARC to read and provide feedback on!

[Herwin Thole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een ultraloop van honderden kilometers loop je niet alleen op fysieke kracht. Het mentale aspect speelt de grootste rol. Michiel Panhuysen geeft een inkijkje in wat een mens aan kan – en hoe hij zijn eigen wil om te stoppen het zwijgen oplegt. Ondertussen vertelt hij hoe hij gefascineerd raakte door de Barkley en uiteindelijk zelf ook meerdere keren aan de start stond. Vlot geschreven, vol boeiende inzichten. Honderd pagina's extra had van mij ook gemogen.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a disappointment. Eight of the fourteen chapters are about the author competing in other ultramarathons. There is a chapter about Barkley race director and co-founder Gary Cantrell, also known as Lazarus Lake or Laz which is interesting. The chapters about the author's other ultramarathon experiences are mildly interesting but this is supposed to be a book about the Barkley Marathon not the dozens of other races Panhuysen has participated in.

[Marcel · Rating 4 out of 5]

… really getting into his stride from chapter 6 onwards I thought.

At one point I was quietly thinking where Mig would see team Panhuysen - Dieteren’s northern half of the GR20 - Corsica tour (1985) and the climbing of the lowest of the Tre Cime feature on the BMs100 Richter scale ?

[Jenafer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved listening to this book! I loved the info about the Barkley and also the authors personal journey with ultra racing. Shout out to Jasmin Paris last month! I loved the last chapter that talked in depth about her.

[Lauren D'Souza · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new favorite in my genre of extreme sports nonfiction – I loved learning about the mysterious, challenging, and almost psychotic world of the Barkley Marathons, five 20-mile loops on an unmarked trail through intense mountain summits, with hot, rainy, sleety, hailing, muddy conditions that must be completed within 60 hours. It's incredible to learn about a tradition with such intense lore to it.

Here are some fun tidbits:
• The location and route was inspired by a famous prison escape of MLK's assassin in Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee
• There's no set start time - instead, Laz Cantrell (the race's founder) blows a horn to indicate one hour til start, and the race begins when Laz lights a cigarette at the iconic yellow gate
• Completing three 20-mile loops is just considered a "Fun Run"
• In order to show Laz that you correctly followed the trail, you must tear out pages corresponding to your bib number from a series of books that are scattered around the loop
• As soon as someone finishes the full five loops of the Barkley, Laz takes that as a challenge to adjust the route to make it harder, continually raising the bar for what it takes to complete it.

Of course, you read this book and wonder why anyone would put themselves through this ordeal. One of the Barkley slogans is, after all, "Meaningless suffering without a point." But the author falls under the spell of the Barkley (as the title of the book suggests) and becomes fixated on the race – but more specifically, on the mental and physical fortitude it takes to complete a race like this.

I loved seeing Panhuysen's journey from being a fairly casual road runner to a trail runner to an ultramarathoner to an ultra trail marathoner. He describes some of the most mentally taxing ultra-races he's ever done, the stories you have to tell yourself to keep going, and the external support you need from an encouraging friend, a warm meal, or a micro-nap to make it through. I can't say I would ever see myself doing this or even understand why people do it, but this book certainly made me appreciate how much of ultrarunning is a mental sport – where all you have to depend upon is yourself, your body, your mind, and your spirit - and how the Barkley is a race that will truly test every one of those components to their absolute limit.

[Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Like many people, before the documentary about the Barkley Marathons, I had never heard of this race. In fact, at the time of watching the doc, I don't think I knew ultramarathons existed. Having lived through the 00's, I remember when "extreme" sports meant riding your bmx bike off a high drop, or white water rafting, while screaming "eXXXtreme!" and drinking Mountain Dew. That's how it worked, right? Endurance running never crossed my radar, and I never thought to put it in that category. But after learning about the Barkley, how could you not? People have to be a bit insane to do this thing.

I didn't know anything about the author ahead of reading this book. After having read it, I still don't know much. I found this title by doing a search of audiobooks about running in Libby. (God save our libraries!) He seems to be an endurance junkie from the Netherlands who started out climbing mountains and progressed to trail ultrauns and then found out about the Barkley and became obsessed. He talks a bit about himself and then dives into a timeline of every race he ran in the past few years. Honestly this second part of the book is actually the best part. He talks about race summaries of others who have done the Barkley and that's really what I wanted from him here. He basically gives us that. But alas, since he has never finished the Barkley and only gotten to 3 loops once, he has more info to give about the other races he does. Which is fine! But not the topic of the book...

The book ends by going into brief detail about women's effort in the Barkley and how Jasmin Paris became the 2nd woman to complete the 3 loop fun run. This book was published before Paris did indeed become the first (and only woman to date) to finish the Barkley at all. Her finish, and the picture of her hitting the yellow guard rail, spit dripping, with only seconds to spare, has become famous in sports photography and put the Barkley back in the spotlight. Alas, this book was published too soon. But I can't wait for Paris' book.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't put this one down. By that, I mean I picked this one up as something to listen to while running, and ended up cleaning my house after I got home so I could keep listening. If you've seen the documentary about the Barkley Marathons, you know what to expect (and if you haven't, and like this kind of thing, go watch it on YouTube).

The Barkley is an ultramarathon that takes place each spring in the mountains of Tennessee, conceived by a race director who changes the course--and the rules--each year to ensure it stays virtually impossible to complete. Most years, there are no finishers, who must navigate 5 full 20-ish mile off-trail laps in rugged backcountry within 60 hours. Registration and logistics can't be found online. The few runners selected to compete find out via a "letter of condolence". And for some reason people still want to subject themselves to this crazy thing. (I am not one of those people, but I do love reading about them).

The author, a sports journalist from Belgium, is one of those people who do become enraptured with the idea of competing in an event where you will almost certainly fail. He attends his first Barkley in 2011 as a spectator, then returns to try--and fail--year, after year, after year. I appreciated his observations of ultra sports like this as an addiction, and perhaps there is something deeply primitive about (some) humans' desire to endure self-inflicted suffering.

Initially, my main critique of the book was how...masculine it is. I think the only woman mentioned in the first half of the book was the author's girlfriend. However, The final portion of the book delves into female side of the Barkley, the women who have performed well on it, though 3 laps is the furthest any have made it in the 60 hour time limit). I don't see myself ever doing the Barkley, but it's fun (and safe) to live vicariously through those who dare.

[Hunter Marston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was not exactly what I expected, and I mean that in the best possible way. Panhuysen is not just a journalist writing about the race as I assumed at first. He’s actually a dedicated ultra runner who has competed in the Barkley numerous times. The first thing that surprised about the book and the race me was how accessible he made the Barkley sound. The stuff of myth, it is notoriously mysterious and difficult to enter, and the race director Lazarus Lake (real name Gary Cantrell) has a reputation for not allowing reporters to cover the race. The book demystifies Laz by providing a great deal of background on who the man actually is. According to the author, who befriends him, Laz is just a guy who wants to get the best out of people and his athletes

The book contains entertaining diversions on the author’s ultra training outside of Barkley, such as 100 mile races in Europe, and interesting asides about the characters in the Barkley who have achieved a state of fame from their athletic feats. For instance, I never knew that John Kelly used to train by running 20 miles through Rock Creek Park on his way to work (where I run 5 days a week).

The book had a rather surprising (and anticlimactic) end: Panhuysen describes losing his obsession with running, despite - ironically - losing his longterm partner of 27 years to ultra running. But on the whole this book was thoroughly enjoyable and well written. It kept me company on a handful of long runs in the woods or out in the canyons of California.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

With thanks to the author, publishers Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, and NetGalley for providing me with a DRC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What an inspirational read! As a keen runner with 14 marathons under my belt, I feel relatively comfortable (famous last words!) at that distance. The ides of running an ultramarathon has always intrigued me, but after reading this the Barkley seems at a whole other level entirely. It's not just the distance involved, but the terrain, running through the night, lack of a clear course, and just the physical and mental strain that it puts on a runner that for most of us would make the challenge seem insurmountable. Hats off to those that take on this particular challenge, even more so as the vast majority of them fail to complete it, which is part of what makes the Barkley such an interesting prospect.

I also enjoyed reading about the organiser Laz, and the cool traditions around the race in terms of the entry process, the email successful entrants receive, and the gift or offering that each athlete is expected to bring to the race, all of which just add to the mystique of the event.

I purchased the audiobook version also, and it was a great companion to have along with me on a couple of my long runs!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the acceptance letter into the Barkley marathons reads, “My condolences. It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that your name has been selected for the Barkley marathons… It is anticipated that this enterprise will amount to nothing more than an extended period of unspeakable suffering, at the end of which you will only find failure and humiliation….” You know you are in for a wild ride.

When a runner drops out, taps is played on a bugle. Runners who make it through 60 miles of approximately a 100 miles under 40 hrs are given the honor of completing a “fun run”

Read this book to learn about these and other weird aspects of the “world’s toughest ultramarathon.” I really enjoyed it!

[Riley Sanford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this immediately after reading The Long Walk because I was interested in people who actually go long distances by foot without much rest. After the initial insight into the Barkley, I wasn't too interested in the author's personal life experiences. However, as I continued reading, he caught my attention more and more, and I ended up enjoying the more autobiographical sections. This was a world I didn't know much about prior to reading this book, and now I feel I have a glimpse into a life I wouldn't have seen if not for this book. It made me both grateful I'm not Out There, but also glad to know that someone is.

[Cody Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, fairly inspiring. I love how it ends with a little feature on Jasmin Paris (I had no idea that she was the first/only person explicitly invited by Laz). I love how the book was published last year with the message of "well, she didn't do it yet but she's a strong contender to become the first woman to do it" and lo and behold last month she did it.

This race is nuts. It was nice to listen to en route to my marathon this weekend, helping me recalibrate my level of actual suffering (and push through) while on a muddy steep trail in AZ.
But the American accents done by the narrator were.... distracting.

[Abizer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've heard of the Barkley Marathons you will know what this is about - the absolute nastiest trail race and some of the people who run it.

the focus is mainly on the author's attempts at completing it, and his background in adventure sports which paints a picture of the sort of people that attempt the challenge.

The last part is about Jasmine Paris's attempts at the Course.

Jasmine went back in 2024 and was the first ever woman to complete all 5 laps

If you are into running, trail running, or adventure sports you'll enjoy this book.

[Tal Taran · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best part of Barkley research is unreliable narration. When you have two descriptions that cannot both be true… there are three options:
1. I am purposely being misled
2. The runners falsely remembering the course due to hallucies
3. The runners themselves are confused and the picture they’ve built of the course is only partially correct and they are all operating under differing levels of misinformation.

[Renee Clemente · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent read, especially if you're a newcomer to the Barkley Marathons. Not a lot of new new information for me, but I did learn some about other races that I'd never heard of. I did love how he talks about Jasmin Paris at the end. I hope he smiled big when she finished this year.

The audiobook narration was good, but the guy's "Laz"/southern voice was so off the mark it made me cringe.