John Kelly | Two Time Barkley Marathons Finisher

John Kelly is a two-time finisher of the infamous Barkley Marathons. One of only seventeen people to finish and one of only three people to finish more than once. In this conversation we discuss the 2023 race, the mentality that led to success, and what makes the event such a puzzle.
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[@Saul.2910]

Don’t think I’ve ever clicked on a video quicker than when I saw this in my feed

[@Freetrail]

lol, thanks!

[@idahoman325]

You have been accepted into the realm of dorkinesses 😅😮

[@elizaEl05]

John was right, Jasmin did get all the books but was over the time limit. 9 of the books were within the time limit. Great interview, thoroughly enjoyed it

[@djclass005]

I love how he uses Karel his finish to explain how every second counts! Shows how the guys there are not competitors, but all great athletes striving for that same thing allmost impossible goal! Great guy John!

[@michaelmccrossan7655]

Next year's participants should be worried, with 3 finishers this year I'm sure the race difficulty will be altered 😂

[@joshuapatrick682]

I am not a runner, I love the outdoors and do hike trails but do not run them. My curiosity with this is watching a bunch of the smartest and most driven people in the world try and outsmart a hillbilly from the hollows of Tennessee who has the edge in the long game and I think will be happy if his life’s work, the Barkley Marathons has a failure rate year over year above 50%. Its fascinating to watch.

[@13donstalos]

When John was talking about how sketchy it was presenting a UK ID w/o the accent, I couldn't help but think, "the fact that you look like you're 14 years old probably didn't help either" lol

[@TerjeMathisen]

This was a wonderful interview! I found the mention of how Barkley finishers tend to be highly accomplished intellectually as well to be very interesting: In my own sport (orienteering) we have seen a significant skewing in the same direction, with lots and lots of MSc/PhD degrees in engineering, pharma, finance etc, including 80%+ of the Norwegian national team. A few international elites have crossed over into ultra-running/skyrunning, like Tove Alexandersson, and immediately dominated there as well. I would love to see one of the Swiss elites try Barkley, they are very used to running in extremely steep hillsides, but most of them would probably run out of energy after a loop or two.

[@affluentforager5704]

That story about your friend passing you by is epically hilarious!!

[@mariflores223]

Great interview, Dylan! Thanks for having John on the podcast!

[@Freetrail]

Thanks, Mari!!

[@joshuapatrick682]

11:25 thats the dream..those of us on the outside can only stand in awe of that flexibility.

[@joshuapatrick682]

The media presence at this thing has gotten insane.

[@buckmanriver]

Nutrition plan "Tots from sonic, those were great."" Classic

[@TrailrunnerTroy]

Thank you - brilliant interview by Dylan. John Kelly, you are a exemplar of steely resolve, level-headed insight, graciousness and good humor.

[@michaelgohner6031]

It would be very helpful to split the interview in chapters, at least in the description. So I can deceide which parts I want to listen to. Surely, thanks for you channel and your interviews!

Thanks for this one Dylan. Was eager to listen to John's words after such a great BM 2023 edition! By the way Aurélien is an engineer and I read he very scientifically prepared the race for years and he knew before hand by heart Frozen Head Park by studying maps. And that's just a little part of what he put in his Barkley prep. Huge congrats to all participants and especially to Jasmin, Karel, Aurélien and John. So much inspiration for many of us and I do confirm we are quite a lot getting nuts about Barkley here in France. Keep up with the great job Dylan, always love the way you 'conduct' your interviews!

[@Freetrail]

Thank you, Stephane!! 😁

[@JBTRI703]

Excellent interview!!! John is always fascinating and brilliant. Thank you!

[@ap1873]

great interview! will you interview Jasmine?

[@slowjamcdub]

Wow John looks only around 19 years old. Anyone know his age?

[@CallMeShasta]

He's 38. Turning 39 this year (2023)

[@jeffreymyers52]

Let's fucking goooo this made my morning

[@Freetrail]

LFG!!!

[@999shaznay]

Nice shout out to his amazing wife Jessie. Great interview. New sub from the UK.

[@seaturtle7777]

With IRunFar and The Ginger Runner moving away from interviews, the Freetrail interviews like this are even more important. Thank you Dylan. Superb interview.

[@pruckner07]

What are the acronyms you guys mentioned when talking about the Belgian?

[@poci1211]

FKT? Fastest Known Time

[@whogon]

Ha! I'm related to John he rules! I still have to finish this video but he's a BEAST in the running world--running is already brutal enough but this stuff is even worse very impressive work!

[@jakejames6994]

Just been shopping to Asda in my wedding suit and vapour flys 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 You’re a legend mate keep up the great work❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@astreet339]

I’m retired motocross racer from Tennessee and I live about 45 minutes to an hour away from frozen head and I always heard Urban legends about the Barkley. But now that I found it this past year I am obsessed with it and I believe I’m gonna try my first Barkley next year.

[@matthewvanleeuwen9086]

Awesome performance and a great interview!

[@joebernall4116]

Damn. Freetrail on a roll lately! Great Episode!

[@ig2d]

Who was bib 1 this year?

[@Shevock]

Great interview. Great athlete.

[@timlentz3045]

Hell yeah!! Get it

[@lasted_leather]

“Acuity”

[@ozenfant_ozn]

what a legend!

[@bettinapoulos7891]

Fantastic

[@johnpiskorski7403]

He looks super young. The race that eats its young so true.

[@rizzomatt]

Carnegie Mellon! Impressive. My hometown.

[@Freetrail]

🙌🏼

[@rizzomatt]

@@Freetrail I went to Pitt. The CMU peeps were the really smart folks down the street.