“Unveiling the Nightmare: Inside the Mind of the First British Woman to Conquer the Infamous ‘Sadistic Torture Race'”

Ever thought about running a marathon and immediately questioned your sanity? Now, imagine tackling one that’s described as a “sadistic torture race!” Sounds like a “keep your sneakers at home” kind of deal, right? Meet Jasmin Paris, a remarkable British runner who dared to take on the infamous Barkley Marathon—widely known for its brutal conditions and psychological challenges. She not only survived this harrowing experience but made history as the first woman to complete it! In this article, we’re diving into the gut-wrenching details of her epic journey through what many are calling the ultimate test of endurance. If you’ve got a curiosity for pain—or perhaps just a healthy dose of schadenfreude—you’re in for a wild ride! Curious about how one survives such agony? Buckle up, because Jasmin is here to share the untold stories from the race that few make it through. LEARN MORE.

A British runner who was the first woman to complete a marathon known as the ‘sadistic torture race’ has revealed everything she experienced.

Completing a generic marathon is no easy task itself, which means that a race which features the words ‘sadistic’ and ‘torture’ should be ringing alarm bells in the minds of even the most seasoned of runner.

So what is said torture race, and what happens to participants?

Officially named the Barkley Marathon, the extreme race takes place every year in Tennessee and is well known for being absolutely brutal.

Jasmin Paris is the first woman to complete the ultramarathon (Instagram/@escoacorrere)

Entrants are expected to complete an unmarked 100-mile-long trail which includes 60,000 feet of ascents and descents, when combined this is twice the height of Mount Everest, and are said to get just an hour’s warning before the race will start.

With start times ranging anywhere between midnight and noon on the start day, runners get 60 hours to finish the entire thing.

The sheer brutality of the Barkley Marathon explains why only 20 people have been able to complete the race since its creation in 1986.

Entrants are capped at 40 each year, with 2025’s ambitious (or downright foolish) entrants setting off on their gruelling journey yesterday (18 March).

So what is it like to run the Barkley Marathon you ask? One person who can answer that is British runner Jasmin Paris, who earned the title of the first woman to complete the race.

After clocking a finishing time of 59 hours, 58 minutes and 21 seconds in the 2024 race, Paris sat down with LADbible to explain everything she experienced during her 60 gruelling hours running.

Paris went through an extensive training period in order to prepare for the race, but ultimately credited her ‘self-belief’ for giving her the final push to get over the line.

According to the runner, she found the hardest part of the race was loop four of five, when she realised she’d have to embark on the journey all over again.

“You’re really tired and still feel that you’ve got a real way to go and I ended up really struggling to eat on the fourth loop,” she said.

Paris after completing the gruelling race (Instagram/@escoacorrere)

“I felt really sick and inside, all my guts were really hurting. I just wanted to curl up on the floor in the forest and stay there so it was pretty hard to keep going.”

This would be Paris’ third attempt at the race, meaning she was fully aware of what to expect – including the fact that entrants have to go without sleep in the race.

This caused the 41-year-old to experience hallucinations.

“I saw quite a lot of people in black macintoshes,” she told The Guardian.

“They were climbing the same hill as me, always a certain distance ahead. And it was bizarre, they all had a sinister foreboding feel to them.”

“It’s the toughest thing I have ever done,” Paris added. “Afterwards I just dropped.”