Runners

and walks stiff ly to the gate as his wife spoon-feeds himmashed potatoes. He touches the gate, kisses her, thenspeeds down the hill. Last year, both these runners madeit to the last loop but failed to finish. “It’s like hangingfrom a ledge by your fingernails – it hurts so bad, but youcan’t let go,” says Laz.At 6:45am, it starts to rain heavily. Kelly didn’t takeany rain gear. The morning creeps by.“One hour!” Laz shouts at 12:42pm.The rain eases up.“Forty-five minutes!”Still no sign of Robbins or Kelly.Laz is just about to call out 30 minutes when a cry comesfrom down the hill. A deathly pale figure is jogging up, aplastic bag wrapped around his shoulders. It’s Kelly! Thecrowd breaks into cheers, and as he runs in and lays bothhands on the gate, his usually impassive face breaks into asobbing grimace. Laz wipes something tear-like from hiseye and counts the pages. They’re all there. John Kelly isthe 15th finisher of the Barkley Marathons.There is no prize money for Kelly. There is no medal.But as Laz says, “Those who know what you did knowthat you did it.”After getting to the last book, Kelly says he checkedhis watch and saw one hour and 45 minutes left. Plenty oftime, he thought. He checked again, but now it read onehour and 20 minutes; he had passed out on his feet. In apanic, he realised he had to run not only to get back intime, but also to make sure he wouldn’t fall asleep again.When I speak to Kelly a week later, he is still sufferingthe dreaded Barkley hangover. “It’s like every physicalailment I’ve ever had all at once,” he says. He’s proud,but pretty sure he won’t be running it again. “I’d had thisgrand vision that I’d get my final page and I’d enjoy themoment and look down over my daddy’s farm. In reality,IgotmypageanditwasfoggyandIwassofargoneIcouldn’tseeathing.”At the gate, there’s still no sign of Robbins. “Fifteenminutes!” shouts Laz. Runners go up the hill in thedirection Robbins is expected, to cheer him along.“Five minutes!” shouts Laz. Robbins’ wife appearsdistraught.“One minute!” Everyone is looking up the hill when asound comes from the other direction. It’s Robbins! He’ssprinting up to the gate – but from the wrong direction.He’s drenched to the bone and throws himself at the gatebefore collapsing to the ground.“I got all my pages!” he cries.“He got all his pages,” repeats a voice in the crowd.“He got all his pages.”Lazlooksathiswatch.Itreads60:00:06.Robbinsissix seconds too late.Stilllyingontheground,Robbinsgaspsthathefoundthe last book 3km from the end, but he took a wrong turn.He thought if he could get back to the gate in time...Laz shakes his head; Robbins went off course. Forall his effort, he’s just another DNF. Even veterans areteary-eyed. The week after the race, Robbins will receiveseveral emails that he’ll describe as ‘wonderful andappreciated’, signed Gary Cantrell, not Lazarus Lake.For now, Laz gives Robbins a hug, and the notes of ‘Taps’begin. Unlike the previous 38 renditions, this time itsounds genuinely forlorn.``````↑At theend of therace, GaryRobbins liesbroken ashis wife criesover him``````←John Kellytouches theyellow gateto completehis fifth lap,becomingthe 15thperson everto finishBarkley.``````JULY 2018 RUNNER’S WORLD 63