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.

Show Notes

Guests Featured

















































Richard ShannonZambia: first Zambian to run the Barkley Marathons
Isobel RossAustralian at her third Barkley attempt
Elizabeth BespalovIsobel's daughter, crew member, learned about the race at age 5
Ben WernickSouth Wales, ran despite near-fatal rhabdomyolysis two weeks prior
Chris FisherFormer Navy SEAL Hell Week, on 'elective suffering'
Kelly Halpin3D model of Frozen Head, trained with nightmares about topo lines
Brian RalphKelly's crew, the Indy car pit stop analogy
Tomo IharaFrom Japan on his sixth Barkley attempt
John ClarkTen years working toward this start
Kris RugloskiFirst-ever DNF, at the Barkley
Dena CarrRunner, pre-race conversation

Key Themes

  • Who the Barkley selects for: the application process as first filter

  • Elective suffering: the philosophy connecting SEAL training, ultra running, and the Barkley

  • Crewing at a race with no information, the unique anxiety of waiting at the gate

  • How people arrive at the Barkley from completely different corners of the world

  • The post-race reckoning: pride, disappointment, and the immediate question of whether to come back


Standout Moment

Elizabeth Bespalov: 'I first learned about this race when I was maybe five or six. I'd fallen asleep in the car and when I woke up, all I heard was that the race was about books. And I was just enthralled because I loved books. I was like, this is the best race ever, mom.'


Series Context


Bonus Episode 02 of 06. Follows Ground Zero at the 2025 Barkley Marathons. Next episode: 99 Seconds - Jasmine Paris.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Comments & Upvotes

Listen On

Also In Season 11