Vahalla summer Barkley's Baby this weekend

Written By Mike Smith

Aug 6-7 Barkley's Baby - the finale!

Barkley's Baby- and finally, in its final year, we have Barkley's Baby. Fashioned after Gary Cantrell's Barkley's Marathons, our 10 mile, 5 laps course is complete with checkpoints to be found in the woods, lots of "off piste" running, brambles, bugs, mud, but no corn! this year. The event kicks off with the Reveal, when the checkpoint coordinates, the map and the description of the course becomes available. This will happen at 7pm on August 5th, with check in for the race to begin before that.

Then the next morning at 8am, the alarm will sound and victims will set off in pursuit of the elusive checkpoints ("books hidden in the woods") where each competitor will alleviate a numbered page (the number they've been assigned) from it, collecting them all to show they followed the course, to be presented at the conclusion of their lap. Complete the lap in under six hours, with the correct pages from the series of books, you get to head out for a second loop in the alternate direction. Keep going until you pass out, get foolishly lost or simply throw in the towel. Finish all five laps in under 30 hours, you get to claim yourself a vaunted finisher of Barkley's Baby.

This event coincides with the Valhalla Summer Gathering of the Clans, a club BBQ that begins at 2:01pm, one minute after the cutoff for going out on lap two (as beginning it before would be cruel for the competitors!)

If you have intentions of enjoying Barkley's Baby, please mail me your intentions in advance. Also, Barkley's Baby is the only Valhalla event that has an entry fee, either a 16oz.+ craft beer or a pair of running sock, large, non white.

—Mike Smith

Mike Smith

Co president Mike Smith has been involved with running since he took up cross country in middle school.  While never one of the top runners across the state, he did come away with a 16:35 xc PR before he stepped away from competing in his youth.  Shortly into adulthood Smith came back to the sport for good, both as a means for fitness and simply to keep active and resolve some unfinished business.  Looking to see if there was something left for him in high school sports, he became the head coach for his alma mater, Mascenic, and coached there for twenty five years before hanging up the head coaching position this past year.  His teams racked up ten Division 3 team titles (8 boys, 2 girls) and qualified and competed at the New England championships twice.  Not bad for a school of 270 kids.  When not coaching, Smith is often found running, talking about running, or wandering around the woods and trails of New England.

Previous

Be visible while running, 2023
Next

Last week for Jack Murphy runs.