Singletrack Max King Talks About Projecting The Barkley Marathons
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Feb 26, 2026 Max King, elite trail and ultrarunner with adventure-racing roots, reflects on treating the Barkley Marathons as a multi-year project. He talks navigation quirks, the value of collaboration versus solo tactics, foot-care and cold-exposure lessons, and how his priorities and sponsorships have shifted at 45 while chasing durability and adventure.
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Prevent Wet Feet By Reapplying Waterproof Lubricant
- Prioritize proactive foot care during wet, long events; reapply protective lubricants regularly rather than waiting until camp.
- Max used an olive-oil based product (Skin Doctor) but failed to reapply after an early wet section and developed painful maceration on lap two.
Working With A Group Beats Going It Alone At Barkley
- Collaboration at Barkley is often faster and more reliable than striking out alone because groups share local knowledge and hunt book locations together.
- Max stayed with a fast group (including veteran Seb) to avoid wasted time searching individually for hidden books.
Why Barkley Feels Like A Multi-Year Project
- Max reframed Barkley as a multi-year project after realizing accumulated course knowledge matters more than one-off brilliance.
- He notes book locations often remain the same year-to-year, so returning veterans hold a big informational edge.