First Female Finisher Emerges at the Barkley Marathons

At the Barkley Marathons, renowned as one of the world's most difficult ultramarathons, where participants must cover 160km (100 miles) within 60 hours, the first female finisher has made history.

Held annually in Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee, USA, the Barkley Marathons requires runners to complete five laps of a 32km (20-mile) course, climbing and descending a mountainous terrain equivalent to twice the height of Mount Everest, making it notoriously challenging.

Jasmin Paris, a 40-year-old from Midlothian, UK, finished the marathon in 59 hours, 58 minutes, and 21 seconds, becoming the first woman in the event's history to do so.

Paris secured fifth place among the five finishers that day, marking the highest number of completions in the history of the Barkley Marathons since its inception.

A mother of two and a veterinarian, Paris had previously made headlines in January 2019 by becoming the first female winner of the Montane Spine Race, running approximately 429km (268 miles) from Derbyshire to the Scottish border in 83 hours, 12 minutes, and 23 seconds, smashing the existing record by over 12 hours.

Inspired by the 1977 prison escape of James Earl Ray, the assassin of Martin Luther King Jr., the marathon expanded to 160km in 1989. Since then, only 20 people have successfully completed the race within the 60-hour time limit, with a dropout rate of 99%, making it one of the most formidable marathons in existence.