In March, when British ultrarunner Jasmin Paris became the first woman to complete the Barkley Marathons, she was still wearing the same shirt that she had worn 59 hours, 58 minutes and 21 seconds earlier, when she began the gruelling race. Gary Cantrell, creator of the Barkley, had declared this feat impossible for women, who were “simply not tough enough to do it.” The female ultramarathoner never doubted her abilities–and now her signed race shirt is up for auction on eBay.
The race top signifies the unwavering determination that Paris displays as a female ultramarathon, and it could be yours for a minimum bid of £5,000 (CAD $8,734).
In 38 years of what is known as the hardest race on earth, only 20 individuals have ever completed the Barkley Marathons. This was Paris’s third time taking on the course; she dropped out the first two times, but still returned to try again the following year. Through exhaustion and hallucinations, what prevailed was her drive to defy expectations and prove that women can achieve all that men can.
The auction will open on July 19, where the winning bid will go to the beneficiary, Street Child, to facilitate the provision of education to children in developing communities. Already receiving interest from ultra running enthusiasts at the chance to own such a meaningful piece of history, the minimum bid price has been set to £5,000.
What is the Barkley Marathons?
The Barkley Marathons is five loops of a 20+ mile course (distances vary; the race is thought to be about 120 miles, or 192 km) featuring thousands of metres of elevation gain, with a time limit of 60 hours. GPS watches are not allowed; each runner is issued a cheap watch set to “Barkley time,” i.e., the 60-hour limit. Runners must collect pages corresponding to their bib number from 13 books hidden on the course (they receive a new bib for each loop); missing pages mean disqualification. There is water available on the course, but no aid stations. Runners may only receive aid from their crew between loops, in camp, where they are on the clock.
