EP 10 - Jasmin Paris, first woman to win the Barkley Marathons
New female trail legend: Jasmin Paris wins the world's toughest race, the legendary Barkley Marathon
Yesterday, Friday, March 22, 2024, Jasmin Paris entered trail running history as the first woman to complete the legendary Barkley. The Barkley is an extraordinary race. Winning the race doesn't mean arriving first, but rather finishing the race. This shows that this race is unlike any other. Yesterday, Jasmin completed the 160-kilometer challenge with 20,000 meters of elevation gain in 59 hours and 58 minutes, 99 seconds from the fateful time limit.
The Feat!
This 2024 edition of the Barkley is truly unprecedented: a total of five participants finished—a number never before achieved.
The fastest was the Ukrainian Ihor Verys who finished the event in 58:44:59, ahead of John Kelly (59:15:38), finisher for the 3rd time, then Jared Campbell (59:30:32), for his 4th success, and Greg Hamilton (59:38:42).
But Jasmin Paris was the big winner, as she was the first woman to finish the race. And what's more, she was just 99 seconds from the time limit.
No one believes Jasmine's arrival.
She was last seen at the Tower, with less than 3 hours and 40 minutes to go. The runners ahead of her took more than 4 hours on this final section of the race. Her husband believes in her; she ran him in 3 on the last loop.
Less than 5 minutes from the end, she is spotted, on the last kilometer!
Jasmin gives it her all. The atmosphere is wild, with spectators cheering and screaming all the way to the Yellow Gate. Jasmin sprints and finishes in 59:58:21. Phenomenal!
On the edge!
But what is Barkley anyway?
The Barkley Marathons were born from the wild imagination of Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell. Inspired by the unsuccessful escape of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassin, James Earl Ray, in the 1970s, Cantrell conceived a race that would be the ultimate in physical and mental challenge.
It's not just the distance (160 and 210 km in 5 loops) or the elevation ( 18,000 and 24,000 D+, twice as high as the UTMB ) that make the Barkley an ultra-trail race apart. Its lack of markings, its unpredictable weather conditions, and its orientation aspect require skills well beyond simple endurance.
Since its first edition in 1986, the Barkley has acquired a reputation as an almost mythical race, if not the toughest race in the world:
- Registration for the race is unique. Only 40 participants are admitted each year. Since the Barkley doesn't have a registration website, applicants must find a way to contact founder Gary Cantrell.
- But getting in touch isn't everything. You have to write a cover letter to be admitted.
- If their application is accepted, they receive a letter of condolence, warning them that a very unpleasant time awaits them.
- When competing for the first time, runners must also bring a license plate from their home country, which will then be hung in the camp near the start and finish line .
- The rules are as unique as the race itself: participants must prove their passage at certain points by tearing pages, corresponding to their bib number, from books scattered along the course.
Jasmin Paris: An extraordinary sporting career
Jasmin Paris is no novice in the world of ultra-trail.
Before tackling the Barkley, she already had an impressive string of wins under her belt, including an overall victory at the Spine Race, a 420km event in the north of the UK in 2019. In 2016, she finished 6th in the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.
Jasmin is a 40-year-old British veterinarian, scientist, and mother of two . It was only at university that she took up running, with occasional jogs, "maybe 15 to 20 minutes, once a week. I didn't call myself a runner."
It wasn't until 2008, back near her hometown of Manchester, that she really began to run. The events followed one after the other, and with them, her first successes.
Her decision to compete in the Barkley was not taken lightly. After completing three laps in 2023, she knew she had the potential to finish, fueling her desire to return and complete all five laps.
His preparation for the Barkley was both physical and mental, incorporating specific training sessions for elevation and orienteering, as well as strategies for managing sleep and nutrition during the race.
Jasmine, an extraordinary woman.
Jasmine never stops running!
Not even on the day she gave birth, in November 2017, when she added eight kilometers to the odometer.
"I was pretty lucky with my pregnancy. I didn't feel too bad. Running is a very precious time, a moment just for me. With motherhood, I see this sport differently," confides the athlete.
To motivate herself to get back into shape after the birth of her child, Jasmin signed up for the Spine Race (429 km, 16K unassisted elevation gain). A few months later, in January 2019, she became the first woman to win this winter ultra-trail event.
An even greater feat, as Jasmin broke the male record by more than 12 hours... all while breastfeeding her 14-month-old baby. An inspiring performance, to say the least.
About running, she says:
“We just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and eating well. If we really put in the effort, we can achieve much more than we imagine.”
To conclude this story, let us remember that beyond her sporting prowess, Paris demonstrates that it is possible to lead a demanding career, a life as a mother and a passion for ultra-endurance.
Last anecdote, Lazarus Lake, the creator of the Barkley, has long maintained that according to his calculations, no woman could ever win the Barkley, given the gaps noted in ultra endurance events compared to their male competitors. Blah blah blah…
Obviously, he changed his mind in recent years, particularly in the face of the performances of the great Courtney.