On the other side of the gate: Barkley, 2022

It had been almost a decade since my last visit to Frozen Head State Park. In 2022 I was so stoked to be on staff, helping Lazarus Lake organise Barkley Marathons 100. So good to be back after nearly a decade.

I was sworn to secrecy and couldn’t reveal anything about the race start until the conch shell was blown.

The starting line of the Barkley Marathons is unlike anything I have ever experienced. World-class athletes from all around the world toed the start line to compete in the world’s toughest ultramarathon. The conch shell was blown at 6:54am, and the cigarette was lit at 7:54am.

When I wrote my first post, two runners were still out on the course, on their fourth loop, with until 7:54pm to finish, and we had three fun run finishers. It’s fascinating to see these runners push their physical and mental limits against the terrain and the rough weather out there. I was so lucky to be there to watch it unfold live. So inspiring.

Laz went through a lot of cans of Dr Pepper during the race, and I think he got about four hours of sleep. It had been a long week. After loading the truck, Laz and I didn’t have the energy to drive back, so we crashed at Wartburg for the night. Then it was on the road to Bell Buckle to unload the truck, return the U-Haul, and hopefully make it to the airport in time for my flight to St. Louis. We unloaded all the race stuff from Barkley Marathons.

Working closely with Laz

A decade after I toed the line, I was on the other side of the gate, working as part of the Barkley staff. Working closely with Laz, it was fascinating to see the amount of time and effort he puts into organising an event like the Barkley Marathons.

From hanging the license plates to lining up the country flags on the barricades, Laz’s attention to detail was impeccable. He barely ate or slept during that 60-hour period, because he didn’t want to miss the runners. Staff and volunteers were working round the clock as well. Dave and Jim were around the start line to tap out runners at all times, while Keith was tweeting away Barkley updates, entertaining the rest of the world.

I felt so humbled to be surrounded by world-class athletes and their crews, who had trained so hard all year to be at the yellow gate. While the rest of the world was watching the race through tweets, I felt honoured and privileged to be on the sidelines, watching some of the top athletes in the world, and all the drama unfolding right in front of my eyes.

I also got to see friends I hadn’t seen in almost a decade, and we caught up on stories from the open road. The story about the naked meth head man is always a hit. I never get bored of sharing that one.

Along with Barkley chicken, I cooked up some tandoori chicken, Madras chicken curry, samosas, pulav and papadams, bringing a taste of India to the Barkley Marathons.

Packing up after Barkley is always bittersweet. Saying goodbye is hard. Everyone would stick around even after saying their farewells. I had a great time catching up with friends and making new ones. The yellow gate is truly a magical place, and I couldn’t wait to return.

The license plates

Hanging the license plates, collected since 1986, is a tradition at Barkley Marathons. First-timers, the “Barkley virgins”, need to bring a license plate from their state or country.

It’s like an art exhibition, and it’s fascinating to see license plates from all around the world. Each one is unique and has its own story. Every plate was handed down to Laz by a runner who once came to Frozen Head State Park with so many hopes and dreams.

Laz spends hours carefully hanging the license plates at the start line. They have to be equally spaced, with the right amount of sag, to make it all look perfect. It was great to see my license plate from India as part of the exhibit.