Green Runner is first woman to complete Barkley Marathons
A look back on Jasmin Paris’ incredible feat of endurance
As we cross the start line of 2025, let’s look back on one of the most impressive athletic performances of 2024. In March, Jasmine Paris – co-founder of the Green Runners – made history by becoming the first woman to ever complete the Barkley Marathons in Tennessee.
The Barkley Marathons are an ultra-endurance event where 35 competitors have to complete five sleep-deprived 20 mile loops of the Tennessee wilderness, scrambling up rocky inclines, trudging through streams and fighting their way through thick brambles. The route changes every year so no one knows what they’re in for – except a true challenge of endurance. Completing the event means running 100 miles and conquering nearly 60,000 feet of ascent and descent. There’s no time to sleep because if you don’t complete the loop before the cut-off time, you are not allowed to continue. Paris told The Guardian:
“It’s not the fact that it’s 100 miles that’s the problem – it’s about the terrain. Immediately after we set off we went up a slope so steep that at times my foot would slide back down, and I would have to go again. There were a couple of places we were climbing on our bellies. And this year, there was also a new section that used to be used for hillside mining, it was all covered in brambles so our legs got slashed to pieces.”
In 2022, Jasmin completed three loops (60 miles) of the course – a “fun run” – and the following year she managed to embark on a fourth loop, making her the first woman to do so since 2001. However, that wasn’t enough for her, and in 2024 she returned to take on the Barkley Marathons once more, this time becoming the first woman to complete all five loops of the course.
This is made even more impressive when you realise that no GPS, technological support or maps are allowed. Runners have a short amount of time to memorise a map and, to prove they’ve completed the course, they must collect the page that correlates with their race number from several books dotted around the course. There is no set start time for the race. When the founder – Lazarus Lake – blows a conch horn, the runners have one hour to get ready. The race then starts when the eccentric Lake lights a cigarette.
Jasmin Paris, from Manchester, completed the course in 59 hours, 58 minutes and 21 seconds, just 99 seconds shy of the 60-hour cut-off. After the race, Paris told BBC Breakfast:
“It still hasn’t really sunk in that I’ve finally done it. This year I had a strong feeling in the months of training and run up to the race that I could do it. Those final moments have redefined for me what I am capable of.”
David Miller, a photographer and witness to Jasmin’s fantastic feat called it the “greatest ultramarathon achievement of all time”. He describes how she touched the gate (Barkley’s equivalent of crossing the finish line) and collapsed with exhaustion.
Green Runner
As co-founder of the Green Runners – a running club that promotes and prioritises environmentalism – Paris thinks carefully about her carbon footprint: which races to attend, what gear to use, what to eat and how best to speak out about the issues affecting our planet.
Paris doesn’t claim to be entirely vegan but she does follow a vegan diet as much as possible. Unfortunately, many race organisers don’t provide vegan options so if she is racing somewhere without vegan food at the aid stations, she’ll take the vegetarian option. Green Runners says:
“Without knowing exactly what your body might need or what’s on offer at the aid stations Jasmin will pre-prepare plenty of vegan picnic food for the trip but she will eat what she needs at aid stations during the race, as long as it’s vegetarian.”
Speaking on The Running for Real Podcast, Paris stated that ““Ideally, a plant-based diet is the way to go” but many races don’t offer any vegan options at aid stations. Despite this, Paris completed the 2022 UTMB trail race with entirely vegan nutrition. Meat is off the table in her family’s house and they switched from cow’s milk to oat milk and dairy-free cheeses.
“Sport is a powerful medium for change, it unites people and brings joy. As runners, we appreciate the natural world and are perfectly poised to campaign for its protection. So, I think our most important change as runners should be to speak out with passion for climate action, and to inspire others to do the same.” – Jasmin Paris
About the author
Nicholas Hallows
Nicholas has been vegan since the early 2000s and worked for Viva! between 2017 and 2020 as a Senior Administrator and Web Content Assistant. He is a qualified teacher, specialising in Language and Literacy, and an accredited Proofreader and Editor. He is now a freelance writer covering topics including veganism, mindfulness and minimalism.
