It's been less than two weeks since Gary Robbins came excruciatingly close to completing the infamous Barkley Marathons, but he's already thinking about his next attempt.

"The story doesn't end like this," the determined runner said outside his North Vancouver home Thursday.

The 160-kilometre race, considered one of the most punishing in the world, ended the morning of April 3. Robbins reached the finish line just six seconds after the 60-hour cutoff, but it didn't matter; he would have been disqualified anyway for getting lost in the fog of the unforgiving ultramarathon's mountainous Tennessee terrain and arriving from the wrong direction.

His body is still recuperating from the attempt, which, despite its disappointing finish, has been called one of the greatest endurance performances ever by a Canadian.

"I'm definitely run down. It takes a heck of a lot out of you to push that long and that far," Robbins said.

It was his second unsuccessful attempt at Barkley, but he made it much further than his first. And after much soul searching, he's decided it won't be his last.

"My wife and I have had lengthy discussions and we will certainly, 100 per cent go back for a third attempt," he said.

As of now, the race offers a chance to make history; it's only been properly finished 18 times by 15 different runners, and none of them have been Canadian.

But given that Robbins still can't feel some of his toes – from the nerve damage he suffered during the race – it's too soon to say when he'll make his next attempt.

"When I can feel all my toes, maybe eight weeks from now, that's when I'll think about if I want to put myself through this next year or if I want to take a couple years before doing that again," Robbins said.

The race is notorious for its borderline sadistic conditions. This year's began at 1:42 a.m., meaning the runners spent more time in the dark than in daylight.

The weather was uncooperative as well, forcing the participants to contend with rain and hail and fog, the latter being particularly troublesome given how difficult it already is to navigate the steep course.

Robbins compared the scene on the foggy first half day to a prison break.

"There were people scurrying about in the forest everywhere, really starting to freak out because one book into the race people were lost in the forest for extended periods of time," he said.

But the event is a test of mental fortitude, and Robbins somehow found the strength to power through. He endured so much and was so invested in the race that by the time he realized he'd lost his way on the final loop, rather than accept his defeat Robbins made his biggest mistake of the race.

Weak and exhausted, he reached a rain-swollen river and dove in, determined to keep going.

"I made a snap decision that was a really bad decision, especially as an experienced backcountry enthusiast," he said. "I regretted it as soon as it had occurred. I should not have done that as a father."

The rushing water washed Robbins about 30 feet downstream, but he made it to the other side safely, and he reached the end of the race not long after.

His heartbreaking finish was recorded by Canadian Running Magazine, which travelled down with him to cover the race. It shows him collapsing onto the ground at the finish line.

Robbins said he's seen the video a couple times, and it stings. He remembers the feeling as "one of the most emotionally charged, complex things that I've had to deal with outside of actual loss in my life."

But he's not giving up.

"I still intend to become the first Canadian finisher of that stupid race," he said with a laugh.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Scott Hurst