Jasmin Paris, a runner from Midlothian, Scotland, became the first woman to complete the Barkley Marathons, one of the world’s toughest races. The Barkley Marathons takes place at Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee, USA, and only 20 people have finished the race since it was extended to 100 miles in 1989. The annual race consists of five loops of roughly 20 miles with 60,000 ft of ascents and descents – twice the height of Mount Everest from sea level.
Jasmin crossed the finish line on Friday, with 99 seconds to spare before the 60-hour cut-off. She explained that she wanted to test the limits of what she was capable of and inspire others. “But I’m glad that I kind of did it for women worldwide as well – not just runners – but any woman that wants to take on a challenge and maybe doesn’t have the confidence… The idea that I might have inspired them to believe in themselves… that’s huge, especially all the young girls – you know how hard it is to keep young girls in sports,” she said.
The 40-year-old faced various challenges on her way to completing the race and her arms and legs are covered in scratches from the brambles she had to push through on the route. “Brambles would get you and it was like having somebody cut you and that would happen loop after loop and it was like doing it back over the same scars,” she said. She added that one of the biggest challenges of the race was the isolation, as runners are alone throughout the race.
Jasmin’s achievement is admirable, and she already has her sights set on her next challenge, the Scottish Islands Peaks Race on 17 May, followed by the Tor des Géants in Italy in September. Nonetheless, completing the Barkley Marathons was “mind-opening” and inspiring and gave her the confidence to take on further challenges. “It was hard, but it’s done and maybe it’s given me a bit more confidence and I’ll do other things,” she said
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