W-S Scavenger Hunt

$5 for TCTC members; $10 for guests (TCTC members get $5 discount off the price when you register with your TCTC login).
$5 less for participants under 21 years of age.

Please register in advance.  There will be no signup at the event.
Event capped at 160 people and 40 teams. 2-4 people per Team.
A waitlist will go into effect if the participant cap is reached.
If you are registered and unable to attend, please cancel your registration so others may get your spot.

• All team members must register for the event on Run Sign Up (more details under Registration).
• You must create or select a team when you register
• Teams can have 2-4 people
• Teams will have 60 Minutes to complete the scavenger hunt
• Books will be located outside and participants will not have to enter any buildings. 
• Printed copy of the clues will be distributed to each team at the start of the event, teams will have 15 minutes to review clues before 60 Minute timer starts
• TCTC Logo Stickers will be on the front of the Book
• Teams must tear out the corresponding page in the book to their Bib number
• All travel must be done by foot; no UBERs, LYFTS, or BIRDS, bikes, scooters, public transportation, etc. Running is encouraged, walking is allowed.
• Prizes will be given to the top 3 teams overall. Teams will be ranked based on how many pages they return with as well as the time on the clock. The team with the highest number of pages to return within the 60-minute window will be the winner. All members of the team must cross the finish line together. 
• At the 60-minute mark “Taps” will be played, any teams that check back in after the start of Taps playing will be disqualified for placement of awards and be considered to have only completed the “fun run”.
• Post run: participants 21+ will receive one beer from Incendiary after handing in pages. Soft drinks and water will be provided as well.
• More race day details will be explained at the event

Teams will have from 2-2:30 PM to check in at Incendiary Brewing to pickup Bib number assignment. In true Barkley Marathon fashion, we ask for teams to bring a certain item for their entry fee…this year we ask that teams bring a gently used pair of running shoes to donate to our shoe recycling box. Teams are more than welcome and encouraged to bring more than one pair of running shoes for donation. 

After 2:30PM, teams will be given an envelope which contains clues of where to find the books throughout the city. Upon hearing the blowing of the conch shell (or more likely a musical instrument of choice) teams have 15 minutes to open their envelopes and strategize where to go find the books at in the city. After the 15 minutes is up, there will be a lighting of the torch (sorry not lighting a cigarette 😉) to signify the start of the 60-minute scavenger hunt. 

All book locations will be within a 1-mile radius of Incendiary brewery, so you will not have to run/walk farther away than that. All participants on the team must travel by foot, participants are not allowed to use the assistance of a bike, scooter, car, ride services, or public transportation. 

The goal is to get as many matching pages out of as many books as possible and get back to the brewery before the 60-minute mark. At the 60-minute mark “Taps” will be played, any teams that check back in after the start of Taps playing will be disqualified for placement of awards and be considered to have only completed the “fun run”. It’s a competition of speed, strategy and time management…. “A race that eats its Young”.

The Barkley Marathons is an ultramarathon trail race held each year in Frozen Head State Park in Morgan County, Tennessee.

The Barkley course was the brain child of Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell and Karl Henn (Raw Dog). The idea for the race was inspired upon hearing about the 1977 escape of James Earl Ray, the assassin of Martin Luther King Jr., from nearby Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. Ray covered only about 12 miles (19 km) after running 54.5 hours in the woods hiding from air searches during the day. Cantrell said to himself, "I could do at least 100 miles," mocking Ray's low mileage. Thus, the Barkley Marathons was born. Cantrell named the race for his longtime neighbor and running companion, Barry Barkley. It was first run in 1986. Barkley died in 2019 at age 70.

The course, which varies from year to year, consists of five loops of the 20+ mile, off-trail course for a total of 100 miles (160 km). The race is limited to a 60-hour period from the start of the first loop, and takes place in March or early April of each year.

The Barkley is limited to 40 runners and usually fills up quickly the day registration opens. Requirements and times to submit an entry application are a closely guarded secret with no details advertised publicly.

 Runners of the 100-mile version run this loop five times, taking a counterclockwise direction for loops two and four, followed by each runner alternating direction on loop five, after the first-placed runner's choice. Depending on the start time of the first loop, either the second and fourth loops are run at night, or the first, third, and fifth loops are run at night. Runners who complete three circuits of the loop (60-miles) are said to have completed a "fun run".

The Barkley starts any time from midnight to noon on race day, with one hour till race start signaled by blowing a conch. The race officially begins when the race director lights a cigarette.

In addition to running, competitors must find between 9 and 14 books along the course (the exact number varies each year) and remove the page corresponding to the runner's race number from each book as proof of completion. Because of this, competitors are only issued odd numbers. Competitors get a new race number, and thus a new page requirement, at the start of each lap.

When a runner drops out of the race, a bugler plays "Taps" upon their return to the start/end point.

As of the end of the 2023 event, the full, five-loop race has been completed 21 times by 17 runners.

** Information Sourced from Wikipedia, to read more about the Barkley Marathon click this link - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barkley_Marathons

There is also a great documentary film on the Barkley Marathon that can be found on several different streaming services, just search Barkley Marathon.