Niche to Meet You takes to the high seas in search of the unconquerable.

LINKS:

• Join the Niche List (our monthly newsletter…er, Nicheletter)
• Find photos of Leslie’s time at the Barkley on the show page
• Have feedback or just want to say hi? Email us: hello@nichetomeetyou.show

EPISODE NOTES:

Somewhere deep in the Tennessee woods, there’s a race with no finish line — at least not one most people will ever reach. There’s no official website, no posted start time, and the course changes every year. Runners carry pages torn from books as proof they’ve completed each loop. And it all begins with the lighting of a cigarette.

The Barkley Marathons isn’t just an ultramarathon. It’s a ritual. A myth. A puzzle designed to break you — mentally, physically, spiritually. In this episode, we crack open a great American novel written in the 1800s, Moby Dick, as a map to discover a bizarre niche that even has its own captain Ahab, a man named Lazarus Lake. But whereas Ahab is driven by hate for the white whale, Laz and the runners of the Barkley are driven by something completely different. What we find in our quest is the same Ishmael found in his search for the white whale: it’s a meditation on suffering, identity, and the purpose of attempting the impossible.

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Lazarus Lake biography

ABOUT NICHE TO MEET YOU:

Niche to Meet You is an investigative storytelling podcast about the little-known niche interests. Our work has been featured on Nashville Public Radio and has been seen in the likes of The Guardian and the 1440 newsletter. Our stories introduce listeners to folks involved with things like Warhammer 40,000, Rubik’s cube enthusiasts and competitors, armored combat champions, professional Santas and Mrs. Clauses, and more. It's like if Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and Revisionist History teamed up for a Netflix special.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SHOW HERE.

SHOW CREDITS:

Senior creator/host: Leslie Thompson

Associate Script Editor: Chris Thiessen

Show theme by Abigail Flowers with this arrangement of the theme Produced & Arranged by Abigail Flowers, Chris Leidhecker, Kevin Gift

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

Episode mastering by Kevin Morris

Show artwork created by Rachel Hardacre

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