Barkley finisher Greig Hamilton on how he finally cracked running's toughest nut

Photo: Sarah Smith

Greig Hamilton - Worsley Warrior and Barkley Marathons Finisher. Dirt Church Radio 274. 

Kia ora e te whānau! This week, Eugene and Matt have the distinct pleasure to speak with Greig Hamilton and let us tell you this has been a long time coming! In case you don’t know, Greig Hamilton became the first Kiwi finisher of the Barkley Marathons.

It was his third crack, having knocked off fun runs in 2019 and 2022. This year there were five finishers, including the first female finisher, Jasmine Paris. Barkley is a five-loop course in the Frozen Head National Park in Tennessee.

Greig is from Christchurch, he’s a two-time world champion in the Rogaine, and, by all accounts, one of the most self-effacing human beings around. However with the help of our sources we managed to crack the nut for a wonderful conversation – five years after we first asked him.

We talk about Greig’s beginnings in sport, how he was “abysmal” at running (then got better), adventure racing, the burden of an endeavour like Barkley on loved ones, the difference between suffering and enjoyment, and some details about the race itself.

This one was worth the wait. - Best Enjoyed Running.

Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Listen on your favourite app, or via the player above.

We’ve put this DCR episode into the AidStation podcast feed for free because the original DCR podcast you know and love will always be free. Paid subscribers get the AidStation podcast too.

Paid subscribers can read the rest of the newsletter, including Matt writing his reflection on a past proclamation, a Greatest Trail Ever you can’t run, and some sick suggestions in The Stoke. If you haven’t already signed up for a monthly or annual subscription, we’d love to see you in the AidStation crew!

Three Little Letters Part II: Re-thinking the DNF 

— Matt

Years ago I wrote an article for Kiwi Trail Runner titled “Three Little Letters”. The thesis of this article was essentially: If the  pressure at trail running events (more top athletes, social media presence, and “professionalism” in the sport) increased, would this increase or decrease the likelihood that an athlete would complete an event they lined up in?

My conclusion at the time:  “Sort of?” *with a shrug*.

There are a couple ideas from the article which stand out and are worth further exploring, but I’d like to focus on the final paragraph of the article:

So I would say to you, dear reader, push on. Unless you are physically unable to, or face the prospect of lasting harm, push on.  Balance in running is everything, both from a psychological and physical perspective. Being taken to the edge of what you can cope with is where we grow and progress. That sense of freedom, and self reliance is a major draw for those of us who seek to test ourselves. This process can be uncomfortable, distressing and at times painful. However, as Haruki Murakami said, “emotional hurt is the price we pay for independence”.

If I could travel back in time and push past me down a flight of stairs for the pretension and naivety of this paragraph, I would. Quoting Murakami? What a prick.