There may be one of the strongest fields ever assembled at the start of the Barkley Marathons, but that hasn’t stopped the race from living up to its ruthless reputation. More than seventy percent of the starters have already been eliminated – all within the first of five loops.

The 2026 edition of the Barkley Marathons began early Saturday morning, February 14, local time. Although the event is technically still in its opening phase, the field has already been decimated. With participants representing fifteen countries and fifteen U.S. states – including ten women – expectations were high for a competitive and possibly historic edition. Instead, the unforgiving terrain and relentless time limits have once again taken their toll.

Only twelve runners managed to begin the second loop. At the time of writing, that number has already dropped to nine. Meanwhile, seven athletes remain out on the course attempting to complete loop one, but they have exceeded the time limit and will not be allowed to continue.

Each loop of the Barkley Marathons covers approximately 30 to 40 kilometers, depending on navigation accuracy, and must be completed within twelve hours. Successfully finishing three loops earns runners the so-called ‘Fun Run’. Completing all five loops within the overall time limit crowns an athlete an official Barkley finisher – a distinction achieved by just over twenty runners in nearly four decades of the event’s history.

More information about the Barkley Marathons here.