To ‘Spice Things Up,’ Barkley Marathons Organizer Adds ‘Predator’-Style Creature That May Hunt and Mutilate Participants, Hang Carcasses From Trees
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The Barkley Marathons is known for being tough—only 15 runners in the past 35 years have even finished the brutal 100-plus-mile ultra, which navigates an unmarked route in the mountains of eastern Tennessee, often through horrible weather.
Runners competing in this year’s event, which started yesterday, however, are in for a surprise that’s shocking even by Barkley standards: An extraterrestrial creature with superhuman strength, an extraordinary talent for camouflage, and a singular drive to hunt and kill other species for sport.
It is unknown how race organizers found and captured the creature, nicknamed “Steve.” At the time of publication, it had already found and slaughtered three Barkley participants, hanging their mutilated bodies in tall trees.
“Basically, we figured it was time to raise the bar, spice things up,” said Alan "Dutch" Schaefer, a Barkley Marathons spokesman, in a video interview. “We asked ourselves, Is the event tough? Well, obviously, it is. Could it be tougher? We decided it could.”
Schaefer wouldn’t comment on the creature itself, except to say that it is “not of this world” and that it is a tireless and remorseless hunter, impervious to most human weapons, and able to repair its own wounds. A team of handlers released the creature into Frozen Head State Park, site of the Barkley Marathons, sometime late last week, he added.
“Should make for an interesting race,” said Schaefer.
Asked whether organizers had a plan to contain or retrieve the creature after the event, Schaefer laughed and lit a cigarette.
