achieving the impossible
You may know that I am an avid amateur trail runner and I’m obsessed with ultramarathons, especially the 100 mile distance. In fact, I’m training for my second 100 mile race in the fall, here in the Colorado mountains.
I thrive on inspiring stories of other runners. Last weekend I was following the Barkley Marathons, an extremely tough endurance event that happens in Tennessee every year in mid-March. If you’ve seen any of the documentaries about the Barkley, you know that very few people have the opportunity to race it, and far fewer people finish it. In most years, Barkley has had no finishers at all. The course (which changes slightly every year) consists of a 20+ mile loop that is run 5 times. It’s in a dense forest with briars, ledges, huge amounts of climbing and poor visibility. Oh yeah, and most of it is off trail. Runners are required to navigate using a map, compass, and their own memory. They have 60 hours to complete the 5 loops. It’s not enough time for the vast majority of entrants to finish.
This year, however, 5 runners completed the course, bringing the total number of finishers to 20 people. The Barkley has been happening since 1989…so that’s a whopping 20 finishers in 35 years. Until this year, only men had finished the Barkley. While women had started the race, no woman had made the full 5 loops. A small handful of women had completed 3 loops, and two had started, but not completed, the 4th loop.
But this year a Scottish runner named Jasmin Paris became the first woman to finish Barkley. She completed the 5th loop with only 99 seconds to the cutoff, sprinting the last kilometer or so up an incline after 60 hours of racing. If you haven’t seen her epic finish caught on video, check it out. Even though ultra/trail running is still a niche sport, and the Barkley is a lesser-known race, Jasmine’s incredible performance has caught the attention of the entire world.
There are so many things that make her finish one of the most significant athletic achievements ever. The race’s founder and director, Laz, has publicly stated that he didn’t think a woman would ever be able to finish the race. And though that sounds sexist, his statement isn’t without reason. The margin of runners who are biologically fit enough, fast enough, strong enough to cover the distance is incredibly slim. There’s the question of the role of testosterone. And while women’s performances in ultra running have been soaring in recent years, it was uncertain whether the Barkley’s difficulties were just out of reach for what women’s performances could deliver.
What was so incredible about Jasmin’s race is that she had literally just enough time to finish. Her first four laps were strong and executed well, but she struggled with her stomach before starting the 5th lap. And she was sleep-deprived, with just enough time to finish that last lap on a perfect day. Not only did she start lap 5 and persevere, but she literally ran the entire loop as fast as she was able, knowing that everything had to be timed perfectly in order to finish on time. For the spectators watching the minutes tick away, it seemed impossible that she’d make it. It seemed certain that she would reach the gate after the cutoff and miss an official finish by minutes or tens of minutes.
And yet…
With only a few minutes until the 60 hour horn blew, she appeared out of the woods and sprinted up the road to the finish. She touched the yellow gate at 59 hours, 58 minutes and 21 seconds…and promptly collapsed. In an interview taken shortly afterwards, she explained that her oxygen-deprived body was screaming at her to stop. But instead of slowing down, she picked up the pace. She figured she’d either collapse or reach the gate, and she was willing to take that chance.
For me, Jasmin is a living a symbol of achieving the impossible. Of putting yourself out there and going for it until you make it. This was her 3rd attempt at Barkley; the first year she completed 3 loops and the second year she started (but didn’t complete) a 4th loop. It took Jasmine 3 attempts at the Barkley, but she knew it would be possible for her…if not this time, then next time. She wanted it badly enough that she gave it everything she had. And in achieving the impossible, she inspires so many of us to take the chance.
If Jasmin can redline it to a Barkley finish after so many hours on her feet, I believe I can complete MY race…which will have aid stations with food and drink, marked trails, and plenty of other runners. I know it won’t be easy. It will even be rugged. But what Jasmine achieved shows me that we can all do so much more than seems possible.
This story goes far beyond running and races. What do you dream of that feels impossible? What if you believed it IS possible…maybe not right now…but with time and experimentation and data collecting and effort and inspiration?
What if nothing was holding you back from learning just what it takes to achieve that dream?
Check out Jasmin’s story. And then find that thing that has felt impossible to you, that you might have put to bed. Maybe it’s not impossible at all. It might just be the biggest adventure of your life so far, just waiting for you to put in the hours to bring it into being.
I have a few open spots remaining for 1:1 integrative change work. Curious? Click here to schedule a free connection call with me. And for more juicy life stuff, tune into my podcast, coming home (to yourself). As always, may your week be filled with self-love and rich insights. With love, Amy ♡♡♡