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Nickademus Hollon – The Barkley Marathons Finisher – Run It Fast

Nick Hollon’s Top 10 Strategies for Finishing The Barkley Marathons

Last week Nickademus Hollon became the 13th person to ever finish The Barkley Marathons. The race is considered the toughest 100 miler in the world to finish.  Nick was joined shortly after his finish by Travis Wildeboer who became the 14th finisher of all-time.

Nick took some time to write down his top strategies to help the newbie or vet conquer this beast. You can read more about his Barkley adventure on his blog by clicking HERE.

Nick’s Top Ten Strategies to become #15

  1. Know the region, get out to Barkley 1-2 weeks before and run every Jeep road, Fire road and trail possible. You should be an expert in that regions topography.
  2.  Know orienteering. Spend time researching, reading, taking classes on using a map and compass. Barkley is at least 30%  (likely more) orienteering skills.
  3.  Practice steep uphill climbs while hiking, train at a level where your heart rate stays low and controlled.
  4. Train on running steep downhills and flat terrain after blasting your muscles from climbing. Many people forget but there is also 60,000ft of descent in Barkley, being a good downhill runner can make you a finisher.
  5.  Eat and run with the next loop in mind, that means consistency. No one cares if you run you’re first loop in under nine hours…what matters is whether or not you even made it to the third loop
  6. Help others during the race, its good karma: a lost virgin, a confused veteran, a hungry runner, a cold runner or even just a kind word in passing
  7. Nutrition at Barkley is different than other races, you’re working for 60hrs not 24. That means your body is burning mostly fats and proteins so consume these and get used to running and training with them as fuel instead of carbohydrates. Eat and run with the next loop in mind
  8. Master the power nap or a mediation technique. A well-rested mind and runner at Barkley is 100% stronger and faster than a runner and mind who has come in and out of the camp in under fifteen minutes. Remember your going for nearly 60hrs.
  9. If you are even considering quitting the race, get the hell away from ‘convenient’ spots to quit. The more pain in the ass that you make quitting, the more likely you are to continue.
  10. Finally, be in a finisher’s mindset.  When you read below how I survived loop 2, it wasn’t because of my gear or physical ability, it was because I was in the right mind-set.
Congrats once again to Nick on his impressive feat. You can follow his running adventures on his blog NICKADEMUS.

Posted in Race Reports, Running, Ultra MarathonComments (0)

Elite Marathoner Josh Cox’s 3 Tips for Finishing Your First Marathon (Video)

Elite marathon runner Josh Cox shares three of his best tips in this video for finishing your first marathon or half marathon.

Cox won the 2010 Las Vegas Marathon with a time of 2:25:06.

Posted in Marathon, VideoComments (0)



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