The Source Material: Episode 2 - Runners and Crew

The Source Material: Episode 2 - Runners and Crew

From Hiker Trash Radio by Doc, Bleav

June 12, 2026 · 1h 25m · Season 11

About this episode

This episode features personal stories from participants of the Barkley Marathons, highlighting their unique journeys and experiences.

The second bonus episode of The Source Material, the complete archive from The Barkley: A Love Story. Forty people enter the Barkley Marathons each year. Every one of them has a story that got them to that yellow gate. In the days around the 2025 race, Doc talked to as many of them as he could find, before they went in, and after they came back out. This episode is the human tapestry behind the documentary. The first Zambian ever to run the Barkley. A substitute teacher from Australia on her third attempt. A man from south Wales who nearly died of rhabdomyolysis two weeks before race day. A daughter who learned about the Barkley at age five or six and thought it sounded wonderful because it was about books. A Navy SEAL Hell Week dropout who calls what he does now 'elective suffering.' And the crew members who waited at the gate for 16 hours with no information and no way to know what was happening out there. You may recognize some of these voices from the documentary. Now you get the full conversations.

People in this episode

Host: Doc

Guests: Zambian runner, Australian substitute teacher, man from south Wales, daughter of a runner, Navy SEAL dropout

Topics covered

  • Barkley Marathons
  • runner stories
  • documentary insights
  • human experiences
  • endurance sports

Keywords

  • Barkley Marathons
  • endurance running
  • runner stories
  • documentary
  • human experiences

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Barkley: A Love Story

Places: Zambia, Australia, Wales

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