SGPT Interviews Jocelyn Outlaw - Barkley’s Fall Challenge

“It’s an incredibly and devastatingly challenging, soul crushing race but somehow, you leave every bit of yourself out there and are still smiling regardless of how far you make it.”

Those words are from long time SGPT athlete and endurance runner Jocelyn Outlaw. Check out this great personal interview and learn more about a unique race in the mountains of Tennessee.

SGPT: Tell us about yourself? Where are you from and where do you train?

JO: Thank you so much Coach! I’m from Toronto, Ontario, Canada and have been doing my run training in the city and through our trail and park systems that we have here. I’ve also been doing some training at my home gym, kettlebells and dumbbells, and working with a physiotherapist to build strength and address weaknesses while avoiding injury and illness.

SGPT: Did you have an athletic background growing up?

JO: I did have an athletic background growing up. I was a competitive figure skater starting to skate at age 3 and progressed up to competitive level and peaked at 18 years old. I was always running track and field (100m, 4x100m and long jump were my jam!), volleyball, basketball, golf, roller blading and anything hiking, or outdoors was a big part of my life.

Even into adulthood I was active with martial arts, which I studied hung gar kung fu for almost 8 years and Rince an Bhata Uisce Beatha, which is Irish Stick Fighting Doyle Clan Style, and now, since 2015, I’ve been challenging my limits with distance running and now ultra’s.

SGPT: How did you train for the Barkley’s Fall Challenge?

JO: Great question! I began planning for this year’s race about 11 months ahead. I looked over last years race training and made notes about the race, made some changes and came up with a solid training plan for the running portion. Then, I found some information in some books that I had to add some mental preparation to the plan, things to practice from day one that would help me to push through those tough and painful moments and began to experiment with nutrition early on.

That was my biggest failure from year one. I spent months training to build my cardio base and then built a 26-week plan with increasing mileage for every 3-week period and then a recovery week to help avoid injury. I added strength training and 25lb incline treadmill rucks to the mix and set to work. The trail system I used for training underwent some drastic changes over the summer with multiple floods that were devastating to the trail, but I found a way to work with that as well.

SGPT: Tell us about the event? Where was it and how was the course?

JO: The Barkley Fall Classic was held in Frozen Head State Park in Wartburg, TN as it is each year in September. The race is always one of the most technical races around and the course changes each year, so you never know what you’ll get until packet pick up the day before. There are a lot of knowns (you can get a park map from the parks office to see most of the trails but there are unmarked trails that are used just for the race), yet a lot of unknowns given you don’t know the actual distance, can’t use any form of GPS and you need to understand basic map reading skills.

This is truly the fun part of the event! This year included massive climbs right from the start up to 2700 ft and then back down to 2200 and then up to 3000 all within the first section. Then up and down elevation until the final ascent to 3000ft for the first aid station and then down Rat Jaw, the briar hill, with a descent of 3000ft to the Brushy Mountain Prison (interesting fact: that is where they held the man that killed martin Luther King Jr., James Earl Ray.

The race is based on his escape from that prison in 1977 and he was on the run in the park for 58 hours). We climbed the prison wall on ladders and then it was through the aid station 2 and up brushy mountain for the climb of our lives. Cut up from rat jaw (briars), we ascended another 3000ft to reach aid station 3.

It was 92F with blazing sun on that hill and I ran out of water right around the halfway point. I continued to climb and finally, after being told to turn around that I wasn’t going to make the cutoff, I refused to listen, I pushed through and finished that ascent to reach aid station 3.

That was where the course sweep and the Park Ranger told me I was pulled as I missed the time cutoff. We had to walk our way back down to the prison and there is no coddling at BFC…you walk in, you walk out. Even failure here makes you strong and forges you!

SGPT: What was the hardest part of the event?

JO: This year, the hardest part of the event was keeping a strong mindset during the heat and blazing sun on the climbs. Being from Ontario, we have heat but not sustained so late in the season, so my heat acclimation had already dropped down.

Compared to last year, the rapid elevation from the start really drained the energy in the tank quickly so that threw off my energy and nutrition a bit as well and I had no desire to keep solids down and was nauseous early. Tailwind helped a ton with that! Very grateful I had that to use. So really, the high heat very early in the day with time cutoffs and huge elevation changes from the get-go made it very difficult to keep pushing forward.

SGPT: What kind of trail running shoes did you use for the event? For training?

JO: I love my trail shoes! I used Altra Women’s Lone Peak 7 Trail Running Shoes for both training and the event. I bought a new pair of them about 10 weeks before the event, so they were broken in and didn’t give me any hot spots right before race day. Always take care of your feet! I also use Asics Women’s Gel-Kayano’s for my weight-based training and some running on the treadmill. I love my Altras though!

SGPT: Did you use double socks or body glide on your feet to prevent blisters? How did you prepare your feet?

JO: No double socks for me but I do always run with compression socks that have 20-30mmHg of compression as I find those are the best for keeping blood flowing properly when you’re on your feet for so long. I did use a bit of Body Glide on my heel and Achilles area of my feet as it provides great protection from blisters and strain.

Prior to the race I had a professional pedicure done to remove any rough areas and trim my nails down to avoid bruising and stubbing them in my shoes. I also had them dig out an ingrown toenail that was just starting to become an issue. Post race, they got a nice scrub, Epsom salt soak and massaged with cooling gel for a few days after.

SGPT: What is one thing you wish you would have done to get ready for the Barkley’s Fall Challenge?

JO: I feel that I could have done more training with higher elevations. Even with weighted rucks on the treadmill, it didn’t seem like it was enough. For next year, I will be adding that to the program and may even try to use some vacation time to head out west to the mountains to do some trails at higher elevations. I think a few practice races would have helped as well.

SGPT: Any tips for up-and-coming athletes that want to do a Barkley’s Fall Challenge?

JO: Do it!!! Just throw your name in the hat and go and do it. There is nothing like this anywhere. It’s an incredibly and devastatingly challenging, soul crushing race but somehow, you leave every bit of yourself out there and are still smiling regardless of how far you make it. There is always more to learn for the next one and it will always leave you wanting more.

You will learn more about yourself by attempting this race than you have anywhere else. Train hard for elevation. Train hard for cardio and don’t leave out your strength, mental training or your nutrition/hydration plan. This is a full package required to be successful at this event. The payoff is so great once you pull all those elements together.

SGPT: What good book are you reading now? Are you listening to any good podcasts or audio books you can share?

JO: I am currently reading The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest and Endure by Alex Hutchinson. Both are fantastic!

I also listen to Choose Strong podcast by Sally and Eddie McRae. Sally is one of the world’s leading female ultramarathon runners and she is amazing to learn from. I often have her in my ear on my long runs. She and her husband Eddie are hilarious!

SGPT: Many thanks for the interview Jossie. We greatly appreciate you sharing your knowledge and big effort at the Barkley’s Fall Challenge.

JO: Thank you so much, Coach, for the opportunity to share this experience with you! It was truly an honor. This is all just the beginning, and the planning has already begun for next year!

Jocelyn Outlaw (@jossrunstrails) • Instagram photos and videos