this form not intended for use by miners BARKLEY MARATHONS 100 MILE RUN 55 mile fun run Put this down. Get away from it. You are holding a one way ticket thru the portals of Hell. One way in and only one way out. The Barkley is not the most imposing 100 miler. Only 2000' separate the highest and lowest points. Yet, somehow, year after year nobody finishes. Why? Because, eventually, everybody quits. Maybe it is the endless gut-wrenching climbs. Maybe it is the leg- wrenching descents. Maybe it is the sawbriers and blackberries. Maybe it is because the Barkley is truly man against the mountain. We don't have cute little glo-lights every hundred feet. If you can't find your way, you shouldn't be in the woods. No gourmet stands every half mile. You are lucky we put out water. The Barkley is not for the pretty boys. The Barkley takes away your speed and leaves you a struggling shadow of yourself. The Barkley runner must be tough. A thousand foot per mile elevation change exacts a heavy toll. He must be savvy. Finding your way with a map is easy if you know how. Knowing where you are on a remote mountainside at night requires no little skill. He must be self reliant. At the Barkley we provide a venue, and render it reasonably safe. The rest is between you, the mountain, and that little voice inside you that says " Mommy, it is too hard, I want to quit." There are reasons that the fun-run averages only 2 finishers a year. There are reasons that no one has ever finished the 100. To know the Barkley is to know humility...and fear. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: April 1, 1995 : packet pickup March 31 Starting Time: Saturday morning Time Limit: 55 miles, 36 Hours : 100 Miles, 60 Hours Location: Frozen Head State Natural Area Don't ask, if you can't find the park on your own, then you don't belong "out there". Average Weather: Temperatures 0 to 80 f. Possibly during the same race. Rain, snow, sleet, hail, hot sun have all occured in the past. Requirements: Rigorous requirements must be met: NO women. They are too soft. No children. They are too small. No Californians. This race is not cool. NO soccer fans. Soccer sucks. NO marines. They don't biodegrade. NO yankees. We don't want them buried here. NO wimps, worms, slugs, or weenies. They don't got what it takes. And most of all, NO Health Fascists. We encourage smoking during the race. Course Profile: Gently rolling, numerous downhills (27,000' in the fun-run alone). Very scenic. Trail Description: Varies. Some of it ain't for sissies. Recomended Clothing: Enough to get thru briers. You should carry emergency gear. (dry clothing, matches, etc.) Aid: Access to your car @ 20 mile intervals. Water @ 5-8 mile intervals. Fee: $1.55 and a pair of thick, warm boot socks. Entry Limit: 25 runner limit. Selection by whim. Your chances of finishing: You Will Not Complete the 100 Mile Run. You have about a 10% chance in the fun-run. ESSAY: ALL ENTRANTS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE AN ESSAY ON "WHY I SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO RUN IN THE BARKLEY".* * include discussion of all issues involving deorative wood shavings, unnecessary surgery, Tommy Lasorda, uninspected poultry, shampoo, duck costumes, reptiles, investment bankers, and unwanted hairs. ------------------------------------------------------------------ send entry to: Idiot 233 Union Ridge War Trace, TN 37183 NAME:_________________________________AGE:_____(in Mercurian years) ADDRESS:_____________________________________SEX: Y/N CITY:__________________________________ST____HAT SIZE:_____ FAVORITE PARASITE:_________________________________________________ Complete the following: You can never know too much about fungus, because..._________________________________________________________ *** read before signing *** I KNOW THE BARKLEY IS A GRUELING, GRIM, AND HAZARDOUS EVENT, WITH MINIMAL OPPORTUNITY FOR SUCCESS. I SWEAR TO OPERATE STRICTLY WITHIN SAFE PARAMETERS. RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY SAFETY IS ENTERELY MY OWN SIGNED ______________________________________________DATE_________ WITNESS______________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------- DEFFN: Fool- enters the Barkley Moron- enters the Barkley, expects to finish Idiot- enters the Barkley, thinks he will do the 100 Sissy- does not enter the Barkley