The Barkley Ultramarathon: Tennessee’s White Whale
The story of an unconquerable race.
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Leslie with Carl and Laz at the 2025 Barkley
(photo by Jacob Zocherman)
Somewhere deep in the Tennessee woods, there’s a race with no finish line — at least not one most people will ever reach. There’s no official website, no posted start time, and the course changes every year. Runners carry pages torn from books as proof they’ve completed each loop. And it all begins with the lighting of a cigarette.
The Barkley Marathons isn’t just an ultramarathon. It’s a ritual. A myth. A puzzle designed to break you — mentally, physically, spiritually. And yet, every year, people show up. They train for months or years, knowing full well they will almost certainly fail. Why? That’s what we want to know here at Niche to Meet You.
To do that, we crack open a great American novel written in the 1800s as a map. Leslie travels to Frozen Head State Park to meet the racers, crew, volunteers, and creator of the Barkley himself, the Captain Ahab — the mysterious and mischievous Lazarus Lake. But whereas Ahab is driven by hate for the “White Whale”, Laz and the runners of the Barkley are driven by something completely different. What we find is more than a race: it’s a meditation on purpose, suffering, identity, and attempting the impossible.
Whether you're an athlete, a dreamer, or someone who’s ever found meaning in the things that don’t make sense, this episode is for you.
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SHOW CREDITS:
Creator & Reporter: Leslie Thompson (IG: @leslieeilerthompson)
Associate script producer: Chris Thiessen
Mastering by Kevin Morris
Show theme by Abigail Flowers, produced & Arranged by Abigail Flowers, Chris Leidhecker, Kevin Gift
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
Show artwork created by Rachel Hardacre
