Silverton 1000

Captain Barclay's most famous exploit took place between 1 June and 12 July 1809 at Newmarket, during which he walked 1 mile (1.6 km) in each of 1000 successive hours, to win an initial wager of 1000 guineas.

The enterprise quite caught the public imagination. The Times, which carried little in the way of general interest news, printed this report alongside an account of the campaigns of Marshal Soult in the Penninsular War (14 July):

The gentleman on Wednesday completed his arduous pedestrian undertaking, to walk a thousand miles in a thousand successive hours, at the rate of a mile in each and every hour. He had until four o'clock P.M. to finish his task; but he performed his last mile in the quarter of an hour after three, with perfect ease and great spirit, amidst an immense concourse of spectators. The influx of company had so much increased on Sunday, that it was recommended that the ground should be roped in. To this, Captain Barclay at first objected; but the crowd became so great on Monday, and he had experienced so much interruption, that he was at last prevailed upon to allow this precaution to be taken. For the last two days he appeared in higher spirits, and performed his walk with apparently more ease, and in shorter time than he had done for some days before. With the change of the weather, he had thrown off his loose great coat, which he wore during the rainy period, and on Wednesday performed in a flannel jacket. He also put on shoes thicker than any which he had used in the earlier part of his performance. He said that during the first night after his walk he would have himself awaked twice or thrice, to avoid the danger of a too sudden transition from almost constant exertion to a state of long repose.

One hundred to one, and indeed any odds whatever, were offered on Wednesday; but so strong was the confidence in his success, that no bets could be obtained. The multitude of people who resorted to the scene of action, in the course of the concluding days, was unprecedented. Not a bed could be procured on Tuesday night at Newmarket, Cambridge, or any of the towns and villages in the vicinity, and every horse and every species of vehicle was engaged. Among the Nobility and Gentry who witnessed the conclusion of this extraordinary feat, were:—

The Dukes of Argyle and St. Alban's, Earls Grosvenor, Besborough and Jersey; Lords Foley and Somerville; Sir John Lode, Sir F. Standish, &c. &c.

Capt Barclay had a large sum depending upon his undertaking. The aggregate of the bets is supposed to amount to £100,000.—He commenced his feat on the first of June.

During the 42 days of this exercise, his average time per mile increased from 14m 54s to 21m 4s, while his weight dropped from 13st 4lb (84.5 kg) to 11st (70 kg). If the report of the total wagers was accurate, they were equivalent to some £5 million ($US 8 million) in modern terms.

Captain Barclay

24, 48 & 72 Hour Run

The Silverton 24, 48 and 72 Hour Runs will be held on a 1 mile loop, located at the Kendall Mountain Recreation area. The event will be chip timed & each loop will have 250+ feet of climb and descent. map

Start Dates: The 72 hour will start on Sept 3rd, the 48 hour on Sept 4th and the 24 hour on Sept 5th.

Entry Fees before July 1st and without a goody bag will be $75 for the 24, $150 for the 48 and $225 for the 72 hour run. If you're interested in the swag, add $50 for the goody bag which will include a technical shirt, jacket, gloves, a beanie and some other donated goodies. After August 1st the price will increase by $25 per entry and $25 per goody bag. Official Rules

Distance awards will be 100 & 200 mile buckles. Overall male & female awards will also be giving out. The 1,2,3 & 6 day events will all end on September 6th with an awards ceremony taking place immediately after the conclusion of the event.

If for some unforeseen reason you go 300 miles in 72 hours (and we believe that this is totally impossilble), we will award you $5000 in prize money and will also have a custom 300 mile buckle made, just for you, with your name and total distance engraved on it!

In the 6 years that we have put on Across The Years (this event is a duplicate of ATY), we have only had two runners that have gone 300 or more miles, in just three days. The first was John Geesler who still holds the American Record for 48 hours, and Yiannis Kouros who has set numerous World records in countless divisions, including the 48 hour world record that he set at our facility in 2005. Yiannis ran 256.937 miles in the first 48 hours of a 72 hour event and then went on to finish with a total mileage of 323.424 miles

6 Day Run

The Silverton 6 Day Run will be held on the same 1 mile loop as the 24, 48 & 72 hour runs. The event will be chip timed and each loop will have 250+ feet of climb and descent. map

Start Date: August 31st

Entry Fee is $375 before July 1st and $400 after. If you wish to receive a goody bag, add $50 for the swag. After August 1st, the entry cost will go up to $400 and the goody bag will be an additional $25, for a total of $75 for all of the goodies. Like the other races, the goody bag will include a technical shirt, jacket, gloves, a beanie and some other donated goodies.

Distance awards will be 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 mile buckles - we believe that 600 miles is impossilble but feel free to prove us wrong! Also, overall male & female awards will be given out. The 1,2,3 & 6 day events will all end on September 6th with an awards ceremony taking place immediately after the conclusion of the event. Official Rules

All six day runners will be automatic entrants into the 1000 mile challenge. There will be no additional cost to continue on in the 1000 mile challenge but the amenities and aid will drastically change at this point. At the end of the six day event, you will have the option to continue on with the 1000 mile challenge or to stop and be content with your current distance. Note though, you will only be able to continue on with the challenge if you have already finished at least one mile for every hour in the last six days. We'll be keeping track!

1000 Mile Challenge

The 1000 mile challenge will be run on the same one mile loop as the other runs and will also be chip timed. Like the other runs, each loop will have 250+ feet of climb and descent, which makes for a total of 235,000 feet of climb and descent for the 1000 miles. map

Please note - you must complete a mile every hour in this event, or you will be disqualified. Official Rules

Entry Fee will be the same as the six day event, which is $375 before July 1st and $400 thereafter. For additional details as to what is included, see the details listed above in the six day event.

A 1000 mile trophy, along with $5000 in prize money will be awarded to the first overall finisher. All other 1000 mile finishers, if there are any, will receive a very unique finisher's award.

Experience the ultimate endurance challenge. Run or walk one mile in 1000 consecutive hours on a 1 mile course that will traverse around the base of Kendall Mountain in the small mountain town of Silverton, Colorado. In a new twist on the infamous 1809 challenge to Robert Barclay, Silverton 1000 participants may complete as many miles as they choose each hour until they reach 1000 miles.

Participants will set up camp near the Kendall Mountain Ski lodge at 9300 feet elevation and wear a timing chip around their ankle. Runners must cross the timing mat at the base of Kendall Mountain, climb 250+ vertical feet around a one mile loop at the base of Kendall Mountain at least one time each hour. Participants will endure the elements of the San Juan Mountains around the clock as they fight sleep deprivation, heat, rain, snow, and the accumulated fatigue of traveling at least 24 miles per day. If a participant fails to complete at least one mile on the course in any one hour, they will be disqualified.

Completing just one mile per hour for 1000 consecutive hours, it would take 41 days, 16 hours to complete the Silverton 1000. Assuming it would take 20 minutes on average to complete the one mile loop, one would expect an approximate maximum of 1 hour and 20 minutes of sleep at any one time (by completing a mile at the beginning of hour 1 and the end of hour 2).

What to Expect

For those of you, who have run in one of our other races like Across The Years, you already know what this event will be like. For those of you who haven't, feel free to look at our picture archive here: www.acrosstheyears.com

We'll have a large tent, almost identical to the one that we use at ATY, set up for this event. The big difference is that it will also be used as the start/finish area. The course will actually run right through the tent. All aid station amenities will be located inside. Similar to ATY, once you cross the mat, our chip timing system will immediately display your split and total time on a large screen that you'll be able to see as you run through the area.

All 6 Day and 1000 mile runners will be able to set up personal spaces inside the large tent. We will do our best to heat the tent for the first 6 days - no guarantees after that. There will also be no guarantees as to just how quiet it will be inside. If you want a quiet place to catch some sleep, you may need to find a different location. All 24, 48 and 72 Hour runners will get spots on a first come, first serve basis, with 72 and 48 hour runners having first priority.

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