Jasmin Paris Becomes First Woman to Complete One of the World’s Hardest Ultramarathons
After being the first female runner to finish one of the most difficult races in the world, Jasmin Paris said she did it for "women worldwide".
After the Barkley Marathons in Tennessee, USA, were increased to 100 miles in 1989, Jasmin Paris became one of just 20 individuals to complete the race. She finished on Friday, one minute and ninety-nine seconds before the 60-hour deadline.
Jasmin, a resident of Midlothian, Scotland, expressed her desire to push herself to her limits and serve as an example to others.
Twice the height of Mount Everest from sea level is covered in the yearly event at Frozen Head State Park, which consists of five circuits of around 20 miles (32km) with 60,000 ft (18,000m) of ascents and descents.
As she drew close to the finish line, the 40-year-old discovered she had just minutes to spare to finish within the 60-hour time limit, as she recounted to BBC News.
"I only had like a few minutes to get up that hill. So I ended up sprinting at the end of the end of 60 hours of burning through the forest, which felt really hard," she said.
The brambles she had to push through on the walk left her arms and legs covered in scratches.
"Brambles would get you and it was like having somebody cut you and that would happen loop after loop and it was like doing it back over the same scars," she said.
As she passed the finish line, Jasmin collapsed to the ground and expressed her "overwhelming relief" that it was finally over. However, she claimed that completing such a task was "mind-opening" and leaves you with lifelong confidence.
"I did it for me and I'm super happy that I achieved what I set out to do after the three years of trying" , said Jasmin.
"But I'm glad that I kind of did it for women worldwide as well - not just runners - but any woman that wants to take on a challenge and maybe doesn't have the confidence.
"The idea that I might have inspired them to believe in themselves… that's huge, especially all the young girls - you know how hard it is to keep young girls in sports."
Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell and Karl Henn came up with the idea for the Barkley course after hearing of a well-known escape from the area surrounding Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.
James Earl Ray, the assassin of Martin Luther King Jr, eluded capture for more than 50 hours, but only travelled about 12 miles (19 km). Reportedly, Mr. Cantrell indicated he could have run 100 miles in that time.
The solitude of the race was one of the major hurdles, according to Jasmin, who was born in Hadfield, Derbyshire.
"You're totally on your own out there and most races will have checkpoints where they have, you know, some volunteers or checkpoint staff to feed you and give you a bit of a cheer and send you on your way. But this is not like that at all."
Now that she has finished her historic race, Jasmin is already planning her next challenge: the Scottish Islands Peaks Race on May 17th, followed in September by the Tor des Géants in Italy.
She expressed her excitement about seeing the children, picking them up from school and nursery, and giving them a huge hug.