Jasmin Paris became the first woman to finish a race that is designed to be extremely challenging. The Barkley Marathons covers 100 miles and people have 60 hours to finish it — but that's not the only challenging thing about it. The race consists of five 20-mile loops but the route is not marked.
Runners need to find books during each lap and tear a page from each, according to Run. The race, which is held in Tennessee's Frozen Head State Park, is mysterious, confusing, and extremely difficult — but Jasmin Paris, a woman from Scotland, told the BBC that she was "super happy that [she] achieved what [she] set out to do after the three years of trying."
Jasmin finished the race in 59 hours, 58 minutes, 21 seconds. Forty people took part in the race in Tennessee in 2024, but only five of them finished.
The race became a 100-mile race in 1989, and 20 people in total have completed it. Jasmin, 40, is the first woman to ever do so. When she finally reached the end of the race, she experienced "overwhelming relief," reported BBC.
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Finishing the race was a personal goal for Jasmin, but in addition to doing it for herself, she told the BBC that, in a way, she also did it for other women.
"I'm glad that I kind of did it for women worldwide as well — not just runners — but any woman that wants to take on a challenge and maybe doesn't have the confidence," she told the BBC, adding that she also hopes it's inspiring for young girls.
Jasmin is a veterinarian and a mom of two, reported ESPN. In 2019, Jasmin became the first woman to win the 268-mile Montane Spine Race in northern England, near the border with Scotland.
At the time of that race, she was still breastfeeding her daughter, Guardian reported. “I had to express during the race so it didn’t get uncomfortable,” she told the media outlet at the time. “At the first checkpoint, it slowed me down a lot and I had to hurry afterwards to catch back up.”
The Montane Spine Race is also incredibly challenging, but Jasmin explained that the Barkley Marathons is unlike any other race.
"You're totally on your own out there and most races will have checkpoints where they have, you know, some volunteers or checkpoint staff to feed you and give you a bit of a cheer and send you on your way. But this is not like that at all," she explained to BBC.
One of the creators of the race, Gary "Laz" Cantrell, previously said "we publicly state that this race is too hard for women and no woman can do it," reported USA Today.
