WARTBURG, Tennessee — A trail race known for an exceedingly difficult course that tests the resolve of even the toughest athletes ended Thursday with no runners able to finish, reports say. Run Outside Online reports John Kelly, who has completed the race three times in the past, managed to finish loop three of the race at 3:40 a.m. in 39 hours, 50 minutes and 27 seconds when he decided he’d had enough. A second runner, Sébastien Raichon, dropped out soon after and a third runner, missed the 40-hour cutoff, WATE Channel 5 reports. It’s the first time no one has completed the race since 2022 and comes just one year after five runners finished, according to I Run Far, including the first woman finisher, Jasmin Paris. The Barkley Marathons requires runners to complete five, unmarked 20-mile loops through rough terrain at Frozen Head State Park, Run Outside Online reports. The race is defined by its quirky founder, Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell, who keeps the race’s start date and time secret until it’s about to begin. It’s usually run in March or April. The route changes every year. Runners are not allowed to use GPS devices and must use a map and compass to navigate, I Run Far reports. Only 35 to 40 runners are allowed to compete. They prove they’ve completed sections of the course by collecting pages from hidden books along the route. The five loops must be finished in less than 60 hours. Since it was founded in 1986, only 20 runners have completed the race. The course record is held by Brett Maune, who finished in 52:03:08 in 2012.