JARED BEASLEY
Buy The Endurance Artist
In 38 years, only 20 runners have finished the Barkley. A brutal, secretive challenge set deep in the Tennessee wilderness, it has become known as the world’s most notorious ultramarathon. Dreamed up with a pack of Camels and a wicked sense of humor, the Barkley is less a race than a reckoning.
The man behind it? A volunteer basketball coach and father of three named Gary Cantrell – recognized by millions as Lazarus Lake.
In 2011, Laz doubled down on his experiments to find the limits of human endurance. He created an even crueler, simpler test – a four-mile loop with no finish line, where the last runner standing wins. Held in the woods behind his house, Big’s Backyard Ultra has since evolved into its own format, spreading to over 70 countries and drawing elite athletes and everyday dreamers into a battle of attrition against their own minds.
What Makes You Quit?
It’s not a question of can you do it, but “What makes you stop?”
Journalist Jared Beasley dives deep into the realm of the so-called “Leonardo da Vinci of Pain” to uncover the struggle, humor, and obsessive brilliance that drive Lazarus Lake's creations. Drawing from firsthand reporting at the 2023 Barkley Marathons and the Backyard Ultra Championship, as well as hundreds of hours of interviews, Beasley reveals how a once-aimless hippie – whose life goal was simply to stay out of jail – transformed into the face of extreme challenge. More than just a story of races and runners, The Endurance Artist forces us to reconsider our limits – and why we push them.
Jared Beasley is a narrative nonfiction author and journalist. Jared has written for The New York Times, Runner's World, Ultrarunning, Canadian Running, Trail Runner, Like the Wind Magazine, and UltraSignup News. His column, Detours of the Lost and Found, can be found each month in Ultrarunning Magazine. His 2019 book In Search of Al Howie was awarded the Kirkus star for literary merit and was chosen by Kirkus as one of the best indie books of the year. He holds a degree in theatre and literature from the University of Alabama.
