On a cold morning in the rural mountains of Tennessee, a conch shell was blown and a cigarette was lit, marking the start of the 2026 Berkeley Marathon.
The famously secretive, and extremely difficult race is a fan favorite every year. The Valentine’s Day start is the earliest start date in the race’s history, which dates back to 1986. Most years, races are held in mid-to-late March or early April.
The 2026 edition officially begins at 6 a.m. ET and ends Monday at 6 p.m. ET.
The format of Berkeley is different from other ultramarathons. Each year, about 40 people start the approximately 100-mile race. To finish, participants must complete five laps of the course that winds through Frozen Head State Park within a 60-hour time limit. The course changes each year and participants cannot navigate using GPS. Typically, runners can expect elevation gain north of 60,000 feet.
Only 20 people have completed this race, with Brett Maun, Jared Campbell, and John Kelly completing it multiple times. In 2024, Jasmine Paris became the first woman to finish the race, but last year there were no finishers.
Things might get tough after the race. There are no live streams or FAT splits. Instead, the running community × and blue sky Feed from Keith Dunn, who is in the field and regularly shares updates and insights.
If you want to know more about the Berkeley Marathon, here’s an explanation. And John Brandt wrote: long story About the 2024 event.
Many people, myself included, learned about this race from the 2014 documentary. Berkeley Marathon: The race that eats up the young.
Theo Kahler is the next news editor. Runner’s World. He is a former all-conference collegiate runner at Winthrop University and earned a master’s degree in liberal arts studies from Wake Forest University, where he was a member of the NCAA’s top distance running team. Kahler has provided field coverage at major events such as the Paris Olympics, the U.S. Olympic Trials, the New York City Marathon, and the Boston Marathon. He ran a 5K in 14 minutes, 20 seconds, a half marathon in 1:05, 36 seconds, and enjoys spotting trails in the sky with airplanes. (Look for the colorful oval around the soccer field.)