Jasmin Paris completes Barkley Marathons ‘Fun Run’

Fell runner Jasmin Paris is no stranger to breaking records. The Edinburgh-based vet won the 2019 edition of the 268-mile Spine race outright, and also holds the women’s record for the gruelling Ramsay Round in Snowdonia. Her most recent achievement came at the infamous Barkley Marathons in Tennessee, where she just became the first woman in 10 years to complete the 'Fun Run' – three loops of the five-lap sufferfest.

Paris successfully completed three loops in a time of 39:49:56. The result meant she missed the 36-hour time limit for starting the fourth lap, but as she finished under 40 hours she successfully finished what organiser Laz Lake calls a ‘Fun Run’. The previous woman to achieve the feat was Bev Abbs in 2012.

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Speaking to her sponsors, inov-8, after the race, Paris said:

'My goal was to give it absolutely everything I had, and I feel I did that, so I’m happy.

'The biggest challenges were the navigation and the weather. I made some significant navigational errors, so much so it felt like I ran the full 100 miles given all the detours I took!

'After doing the first two loops in the same direction, I had to go the other way round on loop three. I was on my own and made some more significant navigation errors. I realised I wasn’t going to make it back in time to start a fourth loop so I focused on trying to get a Fun Run.'

Only 15 runners have finished the race in its 36-year history, the most recent being John Kelly in 2017. This year, there was, once again, no finishers.

To successfully finish the Barkley Marathons, runners must complete five laps within 60 hours. There's no official data on distance or elevation, but each loop is thought to be around 20 miles, with something in