Canadian ultra-marathoner still can't feel toes after gruelling Tennessee race

It's considered one of the hardest foot races in the world.

Runners in the Barkley Marathons are given a map, a compassand set loose in the Tennessee wilderness. They're expected to cover more than 210kilometres over three days.

In the 30-year history of the race, only 14 people have ever finished. And this year, Canadian Gary Robbins was almost one of them.

Here is part of our interview withGary Robbinsfrom Vancouver:

Laura Lynch: Do you have a death wish?

Gary Robbins: I don't have a death wish, but Idefinitely really appreciate being pulled to my outer limits and having to face things front on and really discovering a side of myselfthat you're just never going to see in day-to-day living.

LL: Give us an idea of what it was like for you after more than 25 hours trying to bushwhack through the wilderness.

GR: I had been facing hallucination issues for 24 hours and it became very difficult to rationally think my way through a map and compass. While I was running with another runner . . .I forgot who I was actually with.

I was following him through the night and I couldn't recall who in the world was in front of me. And I eventually said, 'I have no idea who you are.' And his response was,'I'll be whoever you need me to be. Let's just keep moving forward together.'

Coincidentally, 24hours later, on his final lap he forgot who Iwas. We spent 47 hours together and wecouldn't recall who the heck the other guy was.

LL: You said you were having hallucinations. Tell me what the hallucinations were?

GR: So you start constructing things in your mind in the forest that don't exist. Anything with two holes in it became a face. I would in my mind construe a face in leaves and foliage and everything around me.

Any time there were lots of rivers, I would think that Iwas hearing celebration or groups of people. It really started playing with my mind because Iknew Iwas in the middle of the forest and there was nobody out there, but my brain kept thinking it was hearing people talking.

I started vividly seeing numbers on trees. I would look at a tree and see the number 26 on it and look at another tree and see the number 88 on it. The mind does crazy things when it's sleep-deprived.

LL: How did you finish in the race?

GR: So Iended up getting lost. I lost about two-and-a-half hours of time just kind of going in circles in the forest. And Itimed-out on that 60-hour cutoff.

I ended up being, to the best of my knowledge, only the fourth person who's ever made it to the fifth lap in their first attempt.

And I've been told that there's never been someone who's made it to the fifth lap, not finishedand then not been able to return and eventually finish the race.

So,unfortunately, it's lining up like I'm going to do it all again in one year's time.

Click the link above to hear the interview in itsentirety.

In 2014, a documentary film followed runners in the Barkley Marathons. It's called"The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young." Check out the trailer: