What's it like to run the Barkley Marathons?

The Barkley Marathons is widely regarded as being the world's toughest ultramarathon, completed by only 17 people in its 35-year history. Author and ultrarunner Michiel Panhuysen knows firsthand how difficult it is, having competed in it multiple times, and his new book In the Spell of the Barkley (Bloomsbury, £15.29) offers some hard-won wisdom on "the race that eats its young". On this week's episode, Panhuysen provides some illuminating insights into the Barkley, its characters and the qualities required to succeed.

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