When I first heard about this film The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young, I was surprised by how aggressive, for lack of a better word, the title was. I am not a particularly active runner nor am I interested in the idea of running numerous miles, but usually the many movie titles I have seen about running and marathons have a positive connotation with the title and the story itself is supposed to be uplifting.

Once more about the marathon was revealed, the title made more sense. Usually, marathons are supposed to celebrate hard work and persistence, and while the Barkley Marathon does, it also focuses on survival. Which makes sense when you consider its origins: the 1977 prison break of James Earl Gray. In 55 hours, he only covered 8 miles through the rugged terrain. Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell thought he could do better and thus the Barkley Marathon was born.

For a race born during a prominent time, it is notoriously hard to get into. Not only is the opening for registration and how to register not well known, but an application must be filled out, from which you can get denied. While I am not an outdoorsy person, I do understand why such a race could be considered interesting. Not only is it about running, which you can train for, it is also about survival and having to expect the unexpected, which is less easily trained for.