Barkley Marathon: Jasmin Paris becomes first woman to finish gruelling 100-mile race

British ultra-runner Jasmin Paris makes history by becoming the first woman ever to conquer the gruelling Barkley Marathons race in Tennessee. The achievement comes after Paris finished outside the time limit at last year's race.

The 40-year-old joined an elite group of five runners who completed this year's event including Ihor Verys, John Kelly, Jared Campbell and Greig Hamilton. Each runner navigated five 20-mile loops around the treacherous terrain of Frozen Head State Park.

Paris completed the race with a finishing time of 59:58:21 - a mere 99 seconds inside the 60-hour cut-off mark. Meanwhile Verys - a Ukrainian-Canadian runner - claimed the fastest time at this year's event, clocking in at 58:44:59.

Campbell - who completed the time in 59:30:32 - seemingly offered Paris the option to tackle the final loop in the slightly less challenging clockwise direction, as a display of sportsmanship. The incredible feat comes five years after Paris' groundbreaking victory at the Montane Spine Race in 2019, where she shattered the course record by an astonishing 12 hours.

The Barkley Marathons is the brainchild of Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell, who exclusively provides updates on the race via social media. The notorious course is renowned as one of the world's most demanding ultramarathons and sees participants face an estimated 16,500 meters (54,000 feet) of both ascent and descent.

Paris has two children and works as a veterinarian and research scientist in Edinburgh.