Every April Fool’s, beneath the shadow of an abandoned prison, an out-of-work accountant flicks a lighter, and the world’s toughest footrace quietly begins. 

Lazarus Lake has been called everything from a hillbilly genius to an evil mastermind to “the Willy Wonka of the Woods.” His Barkley Marathons is widely regarded as the most difficult and ingenious ultramarathon ever devised. Set in the thorny wilds of Tennessee, runners hunt for hidden books in hills, hells, and hollers. In 38 years, only 20 runners have reached the finish line.

When journalist Jared Beasley sets out to find the man behind the myth, Laz puts him through a series of absurd tests, culminating in a four-mile race with no finish line. Only then does the real journey begin. A schoolteacher runs 450 miles without sleep. Ukrainian volunteers defy curfews and missiles to compete. A mother of two makes ultrarunning history at a yellow gate. 
 

The Endurance Artist peels back the layers of Laz’s twisted crucibles to reveal a surprising humanity. Embedded at the 2023 Barkley and the Backyard World Championship, Beasley paints a portrait of Lazarus Lake in full: social scientist, philosopher, and a failed runner who took one simple idea—that maybe fair isn't what's best for us—and turned it into an art form.