We had to post this from the man who runs the Barkley. And the Baby Barkley. This is an event we love.
"well, folks, i think i might as well go ahead and brake the news right now.
this is the time to collect that refund before it is too late,
and avoid what we are calling the heeram-rawdog atrocity.
me and durb, two guys known for our soft hearts and gentle nature,
have lost the argument over the 2019 BFC course.
it is going to be a nightmare.
your worst nightmare.
at a super secret meeting,
held in the dark recesses of a moonshiner's cave
in the remote outer reaches of goby,
heeram and the dog revealed the hellish ordeal they have devised for your mild discomfort.
me and durb fought hard for you.
we pointed out how many BFC'ers have left a piece of their soul out in the brushy mountains on the easy courses of the past.
we argued to no avail.
heeram laughed until he held his sides,
and big tears rolled down his cheeks.
raw dog said nothing.
but, how many of you have ever heard raw dog speak?
i did see a little smile at the corners of his mouth.
the least worst news is that there will still be a decision point.
anyone not suffering from some mental defect
is going to choose the marathon
(and pray they can finish that)
and it is no more of the cushy 23 mile version.
this year the marathon will be all 26 ugly miles long.
those who have done the marathon before;
do you want 3 additional miles of that?
and the 50k....
if you choose the 50k;
may your god have mercy on your soul.
worst of all,
i suspect that these courses are longer than advertised.
(not as long as most of you claim the previous courses were,
but longer than advertised none the less)
you have two choices:
1) withdraw now and save yourself a humiliating and debilitating DNF
2) put your affairs in order, say goodbye to your loved ones,
and train like you have never trained before.
sweet dreams;
laz"