The History of the Barkley Race

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In this chapter, they discuss the history of the Barkley race and their decision to start accepting media requests. They explain that due to the limited venue capacity, they had to be selective about which media organizations they allowed in. They also touch on the commercialization of ultramarathons and how the slower time limit has had a bigger impact than the commercialization.

Lazarus Lake is a renowned ultramarathon runner and designer. His most famous creation (along with his friend Raw Dog) is the Barkley Marathons, an absurdly difficult 100-mile race through the Tennessee wilderness that only 17 people have ever finished in its nearly 30-year existence.

Tyler and Laz discuss what running 100 miles tells you about yourself that running 26 miles does not, why so many STEM professionals do ultramarathons, which skill holds people back the most, why his entrance fee is no more or less than $1.60, the importance of the Barkley’s opaque application process, how much each race costs to mount, whether he sees a decline in stoicism and inner strength in America, what accounting taught him about running, which books influenced him the most, who's going to win the NBA title next year, how he’s coping with increasing fame, the competition he’s most focused on now, and more.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.

Recorded June 29th, 2023.

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