The Scottish Jasmin Paris made history on Friday as she became the first woman to finish the Barkley, an ultra-trail challenge held in a harsh forest in Tennessee, United States.
This year, five runners completed the 160 km course (20,000 m elevation gain) which is divided into five loops to be completed in less than 12 hours each.
Since the first edition in 1986, only 20 people have managed to complete the course. According to the organizers, Jasmin Paris finished the challenge just in time in 59 hours and 58 minutes.
Paris, who is 40 years old, is no stranger to ultra-trail races. She finished 6th in the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in 2016 and notably won the grueling Spine Race in 2019, covering 420 km in the northern UK in winter.
The fastest finisher in 2024, Ukrainian Ihor Verys completed the Barkley in 58 hours and 44 minutes, followed by John Kelly, who finished for the 3rd time, Jared Campbell for his 4th success, and Greg Hamilton.
