60-hour marathon! British runner becomes first woman to complete 160km monster

British runner Jasmin Paris made history on Friday by becoming the first woman to complete the gruelling Barkley Marathon in Morgan County, Tennessee.

Runners have 60 hours to complete what is arguably among the world's hardest foot races at 100 miles (160km) or five 20-mile loops around Tennessee's Frozen Head State Park.

Covered in scratches and exhausted, Paris very nearly fell to her knees as she crossed the finish line, sealing her historic achievement in 59:58:21.

It was a remarkable feat from the 40-year-old.

Paris joined an elite group of runners as she became one of the 20 runners in the race's history to complete the race.

"I only had like a few minutes to get up that hill. So, I ended up sprinting at the end of 60 hours of burning through the forest, which felt really hard," she was quoted as saying by the BBC.

"It still hasn't really sunk in that I've finally done it. This year I had a strong feeling in the months of training and run-up to the race that I could do it.

"Those final moments have redefined for me what I am capable of."

Paris became one of five runners who finished this year's edition of the Barkley Marathon with Ukraine's Ihor Verys winning the race. Other finishers this past weekend included American duo John Kelly and Jared Campbell and New Zealander Greig Hamilton.

The Barkley Marathon is one of the toughest ultra-marathons, with no finishers from 2018 and 2022 and a dropout rate of 99%. Last year, only three runners finished the race in 60 hours.

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Paris, who is a mother of two and a veterinarian in Edinburgh, took part in her third Barkley Marathon and stated that the challenge of the race was "mind-opening".

"I did it for me and I'm super happy