New Book, The Endurance Artist, Is the First Authorized Biography of “Lazarus Lake,” the Creator of Ultrarunning’s Hardest Races: the Barkley Marathons and Big’s Backyard Ultra

September 16, 2025

Meet Gary Cantrell, an out-of-work accountant who came to rule the world of ultrarunning by inventing races where the world’s best athletes are destined to fail

Midway, UT (September 16, 2025) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – 80/20 Publishing announces the release of The Endurance Artist: Lazarus Lake, The Barkley, and a Race with No End by Jared Beasley in advance of the Backyard Ultra Individual World Championship on October 18. In The Endurance Artist, author and journalist Jared Beasley embeds himself in the backwoods culture of the Barkley Marathons and Big’s Backyard Ultra to shine light on their elusive race director, the man known as Lazarus Lake.

Lazarus Lake is Gary Cantrell and he might be the most famous race director you’ve never heard of. Internationally famous and a celebrity in Europe, the man called “Lazarus Lake” among ultrarunners is known as a cigarette smoking, bearded, “hillbilly genius” or “Leonardo da Vinci of pain” from Bell Buckle, Tennessee. Cantrell is the enigmatic creator of the most feared ultramarathons in the world, the Barkley Marathons and Big’s Backyard Ultra.

Though seen in documentaries and in the media, Cantrell is known to the world as intentionally inscrutable, dodging questions about himself, his past, and his intentions. Yet runners write essays for the chance to test themselves at his devilishly difficult and dangerous races, where they are almost guaranteed to fail.

Now, in The Endurance Artist, we see Cantrell the man for the first time. Beasley shines light on this elusive disruptor, revealing previously unknown backstory to his unorthodox races and his abrasive catchphrases. Through in-depth reporting and personal interviews with Cantrell and his inner circle, Beasley reveals how this improbable character has upended beliefs about human endurance, fairness, and what it means to succeed or fail–and has pushed the world’s toughest runners to superhuman achievements.

The Endurance Artist explores Cantrell’s infamous Barkley Marathons and his wildly popular Big’s Backyard Ultra. At the Barkley Marathons, the best ultramarathoners test themselves on the most difficult racecourse on Earth; over 100 miles of mountain rocks, roots, and briars and 68,000 feet of elevation gain. Beasley recounts the stunning 2023 race, where he was one of a handful of witnesses that saw a record number of runners complete the course. Beasley explores Cantrell’s backyard ultra concept, which has spawned 500 backyard copycats around the world, according to estimates by Outside magazine. This race format, exploding in popularity since 2020, attempts to push runners to their absolute limit by running loops every hour, on the hour, until there is just one runner standing. The results are astonishing, with a high school teacher, Harvey Lewis, demolishing an endurance world record by covering 450 miles without sleep. Backyard ultramarathons have revealed a human truth; we can push ourselves farther when we strive together instead of solo.

The Endurance Artist reveals the world of a recluse hell-bent on rewriting the rules and drawing out incredible endurance performances. Beasley uncovers a man who forces us to ask hard questions about our culture’s obsession with winning, fairness, what it means to succeed, and whether these ideas help us or actually hold us back from achieving our potential.

The Endurance Artist is an all-access pass to the world’s most extreme races and the mastermind behind them, a journey to witness firsthand the people, the assumptions, the egos, and the surprising humanity of one madcap genius. Excerpts are available for preview at 8020books.com.

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ULTRARUNNING TRENDS

The publication of The Endurance Artist is timed with the worldwide surging popularity of ultrarunning and trail running–and with Gary Cantrell’s 2025 Backyard Ultra Individual World Championship scheduled to start on October 18 in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. Ultrarunning has boomed 345% over the past ten years, with explosive 772% growth in the number of ultramarathon races, according to iRunFar. Recreational trail running jumped to 14.8 million participants in the U.S. in 2023, a one-year growth of 12% over the prior year, according to SFIA. Growth in these activities comes on the heels of an extended boom in marathon and half-marathon participation dating back to 2010 with a surge in 2016 after the publication of Christopher McDougall’s best-seller Born to Run and another jump during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today’s ultrarunners are past marathoners who are seeking new challenges and the enjoyment of running through natural, scenic terrain.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jared Beasley is an author and journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, Runner’s World, Trail Runner, Canadian Running, and Ultrarunning. His book In Search of Al Howie earned a Kirkus starred review for literary merit and was selected by Kirkus as one of the best indie books of 2019. Beasley lives in New York City. Learn more at jaredbeasleyny.com.

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
80/20 Publishing is a boutique publisher specializing in works that explore the world of endurance sports–from the science of training to inspiring stories. Built on the success of best-selling author and coach Matt Fitzgerald and his partnership with 80/20 Endurance, our catalog of guides taps world-leading experts, coaches, and writers to chart a course toward better performance, deeper passion, and a richer understanding of the human spirit. Learn more at 8020books.com.

MEDIA CONTACT

Beasley and Cantrell are available for interviews in print, podcast, and video and for events in selected locations. Media review copies of The Endurance Artist are available for a limited time. Excerpts from the book are available for republication in print and online with advance, written permission of the publisher.

Renee Jardine
Publisher
80/20 Publishing
renee@8020books.com