lazarus lake

Races

Backyard Ultras Are Nutty—Enormously Popular. Here's Why.

Put on the map by the likes of Courtney Dauwalter and mastermind Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell, backyard ultras have no time cutoff and seemingly no end to their rise in popularity.

People

“I Broke Down Crying.” Team USA Won the Backyard Ultra World Championship By Being Vulnerable.

Down early and struggling, the Americans put aside their pride to pull off a stunning victory over Australia.

Races

“You Could See Something Happen to Them, Like a Spring Flower Waiting Through Winter.” How Two Bored Belgians Broke the Backyard Ultra World Record.

“I felt like the race would go on forever. But it also feels very fragile—when there are only two runners left, there is no room for error,” on-the-ground photographer Jacob Zocherman reports.

People

“A Level of Enthusiasm That’s Immeasurable.” Mark Dowdle Is Built for the Backyard Ultra

The former collegiate football and lacrosse player led Team USA to the win at the 2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championship.

People

I Went on a “Cigarette-Worthy” Train Ride to See Melting Glaciers with Barkley Marathons Mastermind Gary Cantrell…And Maybe Learned How to Save UTMB

Amid the madness of the Chamonix circus, Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell was arguably the most peculiar and perceptive figure to pass through town.

Profiles

Who is Lazarus Lake Really?

Don’t let his sometimes abrasive public persona fool you. The man behind the Barkley Marathons and Big’s Backyard Ultra, otherwise known as Gary Cantrell, is as odd and sincere as anyone in ultrarunning.

News

Backyard Ultras Are Nutty—Enormously Popular. This is Why.

Put on the map by the likes of Courtney Dauwalter and mastermind Lazarus Lake, backyard ultras have no time cutoff and seemingly no end to their rise in popularity.

News

The 2023 Barkley Marathons is Underway

News

Are You Ready For Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra This Weekend?

This weekend, on October 15th, watch 37 national teams compete to win the race with no finish line.

News

The Good, the Bad, and the Barkley

The Barkley Marathons got weird this year. We tracked down stories from seven runners, from virgins to veterans.

Trail Race News

How Jasmin Paris Conquered the Barkley Marathons “Fun Run”

The runner from the UK became the first woman since 2013 to complete three loops of the infamous Barkley course.

Buzz & Updates

No Finishers

The Barkley Marathons won again. Both 2018 and 2019 saw no finishers and some are starting to wonder if it's become an unbeatable race.

Buzz & Updates

No Finishers

Races

The Art of Suffering

What it takes to survive the infamous 100-mile Barkley Marathons in the unforgiving mountains of Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee. PHOTOS BY HOWIE STERN

Races

A Duel to the Near Death

Races

How Runners Are Training for the Barkley Marathons

The Barkley Marathons is perhaps the most legendary, mythic race in American ultrarunning. Here's how athletes are prepping for it.