On behalf of The Boston Run Show, Kelly McLay, Founder of Fitness International Travel interviews Barkley Marathon’s Race Director, Laz Lake ahead of his fireside chat at the upcoming Boston Run Show, March 1-2, 2025!
Lazarus Lake (aka Gary Cantrell) is the man behind the revered and feared Barkley Marathons. Known to many as one of the toughest races on earth, the route involves 5 x 20 miles laps and 66,000 ft of unmarked ascent in and around Frozen Head Park in Tennessee. It has been completed only 18 times by 15 runners since 1989.
Laz is as much of an enigma as his races, which also include the Last Annual Vol State and last-man-standing sufferfest Big’s Backyard Ultra. A serious ultra runner himself, Laz recently finished a 3,365-mile walk across the US and joins us exclusively to chat about what it takes to finish one of his races.