Apparently Jeremy Sanders (Running Dad) and I ran a race together a few years ago when I was just starting back to running and before either of us knew who the other was. I was happy to answer some questions from him and then actually meet him for real at Miner’s Lady 8 Hour over the weekend. He’s a great guy and I’ll look forward to our next time on the trails together.
interview
Training for Ultra Episode 38
It’s always good to catch up with Rob. In part of this episode we discuss my 2018 so far: Bandera, AT 4 State Challenge, TWOT 100, SCAR, and my crewing experience at Barkley.
Episode 38 – Amy Leedham Interview w/ John Kelly Update
Had a great time interviewing Amy Leedham. She’s a gifted trail runner and continues to improve. Also had a chance to catch up with John Kelly to hear about his 2018 races along with crewing the Barkley Marathons for Gary Robbins.
Everyday Running Legends Podcast
It was great to chat with Brodie not just about my 2017 Barkley, but about my full experience with the race going back to my first attempt in 2015 and some of my background that led me to it.
The Incredible Barkley finisher John Kelly
This episode is extraordinary. I am very blessed to have on John Kelly who is the 2017 Barkley marathon finisher. He has become the 15th individual to ever complete this infamous 160km race and we have the opportunity to relive his mental struggles, his defeats and of course, his victory!
WASLAT Podcast – 2018 Barkley
Quick chat with David Clark discussing this year’s Barkley Marathons results, some of the brutal conditions faced out there, and some interesting questions on how hypothetical changes would affect Barkley’s difficulty.
WASLAT 3.31.2018 Barkley Marathons with John Kelly, Greg Ellis talks about hip replacement. by We Are Superman Podcast/ Lactic Acid Trip
From David Clark’s radio show “WeAreSuperman’s Lactic Acid Trip” on #AM1300XtraSports: It’s Barkley Marathons Week and in studio with David is John Kelly, one of just a handful of finishers in the history of this iconic and insane race. The two recap this year’s Barkley that once again didn’t produce a single finisher.
La Barkley sans pitie
This one was nearly a year in the making, starting with the incredible photos that Alexis Berg took at the 2017 Barkley Marathons and then adding interviews with me, Gary, and laz. The editing and production here is incredible, and the result is a 20 minute film with portions that get me to relive the experience more than anything else I’ve seen to this point. (English with French subtitles)
La Barkley sans pitié
La course la plus difficile du monde se déroule chaque année dans les forêts du Tennessee. Vous allez comprendre pourquoi en regardant le formidable documentaire vidéo, ” La Barkley sans pitié “. Une production @lequipeExplore
Venturi’s Voice – Understanding Data
In something that’s seemingly incredibly rare for this blog, here’s an actual post on data science. This is a podcast I did that has absolutely nothing to do with running or triathlon. So for most people who visit my blog, sorry this probably isn’t of much interest. But this is what I do at QxBranch for most of that 90% of time that I’m not running around mountains.
Understanding Data Sets: Describing the advantages of data
In this episode Andy Davis talks to John Kelly, Director of Analytics at QxBranch. On the show they discuss the excitement around Quantum Computing. Andy asks about the skills a person’s needs for a career in Data Analytics. They also chat about the projects John is working on.
Endurance Junkie Podcast #93
Great discussion with Peter on my background, ultras, Barkley, Kona, and future goals.
John Kelly: Ultrarunner & Barkley Marathons Finisher – EJP 93
John Kelly is an ultrarunner with a triathlon habit. In April 2017, John became only the 15th person in history to finish the infamous Barkley Marathons. He finished in a time of 59h30m33s – only 27 seconds before the 60-hour race cut-off.
Territorio Trail – La Mistica de Barkley
I spoke with Neisa and Andrew from Territorio Trail on a beautiful day down at the reflecting pool in DC. I’m a little disappointed that my Spanish (my college minor) is too rusty for me to have an actual conversation in it, but probably better for most people here that it’s in English. 😉 They do an intro of me at about 41:30 (in Spanish), and then after a commercial / music break my interview (in English) starts at about 47 minutes.
Territorio Trail 22 de noviembre de 2017. John Kelly. Gran Trail Collserola. Mónica Aguilera. Marató dels Dements. Gema Quiroga. Yaiza Miñana. Dani Osanz. Manuel Martos. – Territorio Trail Media
JOHN KELLY. LA MISTICA DE BARKLEY MARATHONS. John Kelly llegó a Frozen Head el abril pasado como un perfecto desconocido. 59 horas y media después inscribió su nombre en la historia de los ultras convirtiéndose en finisher de la Barkley Marathons. Repasaremos con Kelly su trayectoria, en la que destaca la variedad de pruebas en …
Training for Ultra Podcast #15
Back on the Training for Ultra Podcast, but actually for triathlon this time: a recap and a quick discussion on Kona.
The Training For Ultra Podcast: Episode 15 – Tim Freriks Interview – w/ Zach Bitter, Yiou Wang and John Kelly – Training For Ultra Podcast
Great interview with elite ultra runner Tim Freriks. Zach Bitter does a race recap on his Javelina 100 miler. YiOu Wang talks about travel and background on her amazing running photo. John Kelly shares insights on his IronMan Kona finish. Fun episode!
Tri-Oraklet Podcast
I had the opportunity recently to talk to Lasse Stengård Jensen (all the way from Denmark) about Kona, triathlon training and how it fits into life, and just a bit about Barkley too. I hope to meet Lasse in person next year if I have the chance to represent Team USA at the Long Course World Championship.
John Kelly – #15th Barkley Marathons finisher – 2nd. fastest AG run in Hawaii by Tri-Oraklet
Ultrarunner John Kelly didn´t take up triathlon untill 2015 – but has already plenty of great results under his belt: He was 2nd. overall in Ironman Maryland 2016 – 3rd fastest run-split (including the PRO´s)in IM lake Placid – and 2nd. fastest AG-runsplit in Hawaii 2017. Oh and PS…..
Triathlete Magazine – Showdown: The Barkley Marathons vs. Ironman Kona
To be fair, this year’s Barkley involved a bit of (inadvertent) swimming as well. I enjoyed my chat with Sarah Barker for triathlete magazine, and appreciate the great job she did making sure things were accurate!
Showdown: The Barkley Marathons vs. Ironman Kona | Triathlete.com
John Kelly has a pretty strong mental game. This past April the 32-year-old data scientist became only the 15th person ever to finish the Barkley marathons-approximately 130 miles of thrashing through Tennessee wilderness- within the 60-hour cutoff. Exhausted and sleep-deprived at the finish, Kelly had the wherewithal to offer a plausible explanation for why he was wearing a plastic Walmart bag ala shrug.
Heel Striker 954 – John Kelly
A brief interviewer for Heel Striker 954’s blog, mostly focused on Barkley.
Heel Striker 954
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The Fat Black Podcast #212
Great conversation with Kristian Manietta on training, setting goals, and overcoming mental challenges in endurance sports. This one really isn’t a Barkley podcast or an audio race report, and dove into things that are much more broadly relatable.
FB #212 – John Kelly
This week I get to virtually sit down with John Kelly. The 15th finisher at the Barkley Marathon – which has been going for way more years than finishers of the event. It’s really the end point of ultra running. If you haven’t watched the Netflix doco do it.
Slate’s Hang Up and Listen – A Barkley Marathons follow-up
That time when two people in DC disagreed but then actually discussed like civilized human beings. Not all Barkley views are rainbows & unicorns, but enjoyed the chat! The Barkley portion starts at 34:52. The original segment in question was on the April 17 episode at 58:25.
Is Nike’s Upcoming Attempt to Break the Two-Hour Marathon a Marketing Gimmick?
Slate ‘s sports podcast on the NBA playoffs, breaking the two-hour marathon, and a Barkley Marathons follow-up. Listen to Hang Up and Listen with Stefan Fatsis and Greg Howard by clicking the arrow on the audio player below: In this week’s episode of ‘s sports podcast Hang Up and Listen, Stefan Fatsis and special guest Greg Howard of the New York Times are joined by ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz to talk about a slew of storylines in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Southeastern Trail Runner Podcast #18
Southeastern Trail Runner was a great place for a guy from the southeast to chat about a race from there as well.
SETR Podcast #18: John Kelly and the Barkley Marathons
The Barkley Marathons are infamous in trail running lore and this year’s sole (and 15th total) finisher John Kelly joins Clinton and Shannon to recount his grueling weekend.
Pace the Nation Podcast Episode 102
I went to a road running store in my cycling kit to talk ultras. Maybe we can all get along.
Episode 102 – Charles Barkley (John Kelly) | Pacers Running
We are joined by local runner John Kelly (@RndmForestRunnr) who just became the 15th person to ever finish the Barkley Marathons. John talks about the event and its history, and gives us a recap of his race. We also talk about his support crew, how he finds time to train for ultras and triathlons, google, …
aimx.ro – John Kelly a intrat in istoria Barkley Marathons ca al 15-lea finisher
I’ve seen a lot of stories in other languages, but this is the first where I don’t even understand what I’m saying. 
Read at aim.ro (in Romanian)
SportsCenter Segment on the 2017 Barkley Marathons
I gave up dreams of being on SportsCenter about 20 years ago, and those dreams had me as a pitcher for the Texas Rangers. It was an awesome, fun experience getting to do this, and even the rundown they had on the side was perfect. LeBron’s birthday is shortly after mine so I get an annual reminder that I’m older than him. But here, he had to wait. 🙂
This was also the first time in my life I’d ever worn makeup. I figured I should make the best of it so Jessi and I went out on a date after it was recorded. I certainly looked better than a few days earlier at least.
The flag they showed next to my name during the clip was MD, but if you look closely that’s a TN flag t-shirt I have on.
Watch on Vimeo
Bad Boy Running Podcast Ep50
This one was a bit different, and I wouldn’t have it any other way from our friends in the UK! It’s awesome to see so much support & interest there.
The Bad Boy Running Podcast: Ep50 – SPECIAL – John Kelly on finishing Barkley Marathons
In this BBR Special Jody and David talk to John Kelly, endurance athlete and the only finisher at this year’s Barkley Marathons. John reveals his journey from not running to competing at Barkley three times until he finally achieved his goal of finishing, how he trains for Barkley and the mind games you go through when you’re out on the course.
Babbittville Radio Podcast
It was great to chat Barkley and for a bit of a change a little triathlon with Ironman legend Bob Babbitt on Babbittville Radio.
John Kelly – Babbittville – Babbittville
John Kelly ran his first marathon in 2013 at the Marine Corps Marathon, blew up, and still ran 3:38. Just recently he won the infamous Barkley Marathons, which this year was approximately 130 miles long with about 68,000 feet of ups and downs. John’s story of falling asleep during the last of the five laps…
UltraRunning Magazine – Quick & Dirty: John Kelly, the Fifteenth-Ever Barkley Marathons Finisher
It was great to talk with Matt Flaherty not only about this year’s Barkley but some of the previous ones and what led me down that path.
Quick & Dirty: John Kelly, the Fifteenth-Ever Barkley Marathons Finisher
For this edition of Quick & Dirty, I chatted with John Kelly, the fifteenth ever finisher of the Barkley Marathons. To match the massive undertaking that is a Barkley finish, this chat is a bit longer than typical for the column, but Kelly’s approach and insight are fascinating.
The Intelligent Racer Podcast Episode 30
I enjoyed the discussion with The Intelligent Racer, and particularly getting to talk a bit more about training and triathlons!
John Kelley Barkley Ultra Running Interview – Intelligent Racer
In this episode of the Intelligent Racer Podcast we talk with John Kelly about being the 15th ever finisher at The Barkley Marathons. We also discuss his triathlon training / racing. Some related links for more information: John’s Blog: http://www.randomforestrunner.com The Barkley Marathons: http://www.mattmahoney.net/barkley/ The Barkley Marathons Documentary: http://barkleymovie.com Photo Credit: Keith Dunn What is a podcast?
GRL #160 – Barkley Marathons Finisher 15
Ethan and Kimberley know Barkley better than any of the people who interviewed me, and it was a lot of fun to be on their show and take some live audience questions.
Ultrarunner Podcast – Barkley Finisher Number 15
Eric Schranz from Ultrarunnerpodcast did some great research and I had a great time walking through my Barkley experience with him.
John Kelly Interview – Barkley Finisher Number 15
John Kelly joined me just a few days after his finish to talk about what it took to finish the Barkley Marathons. Here’s a hint: Massive amounts of planning, decades of course knowledge, his Aunt Brenda’s cookies, and the incredible ability to focus through a dense fog of fatigue.
Slowtwitch – The triathlete who conquered Barkley
For the record I’ll always consider myself an ultrarunner who does triathlons, not vice versa, but I really enjoyed this interview and getting to look at Barkley from a bit of a different perspective.
The triathlete who conquered Barkley
A week ago triathlete and ultrarunner John Kelly became the 15th person since 1986 to conquer the infamous Barkley Marathons – a ultra difficult 100 mile trail race in the Frozen Head State Park in TN. This humble Every Man Jack athlete talked to us about that experience and more.
East Coast Trail & Ultra Episode 29 – The Warmth of the Prison Tunnel
As always, an entertaining and fun chat with Ryan and Sean. This was one of my first interviews post-Barkley… hopefully I wasn’t still too sleep deprived.
Episode 29: The Warmth Of The Prison Tunnel
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So THIS is Fitness Podcast #32
I think this may have been my first post-Barkley podcast, and Darrell is a great guy that it was a pleasure to talk to.
Listen at sothisisfitness.com
WBIR – Celebration and heartbreak at the Barkley Marathons finish
Raishad came over to my parents’ house to interview me the day after the race. I’m still kind of in rough shape, and he probably caught me between naps, but it was awesome to get to talk to him and tell some of the story to the same news program that I grew up watching.
Celebration and heartbreak at the Barkley Marathons finish
MORGAN COUNTY, TENN. – On Monday afternoon, John Kelly joined one of the world’s most elite running groups by finishing the 2017 Barkley Marathons. The insane course is a 100 mile race up and down the steep cliffs of Frozen Head State Park in Morgan County.
WATE – East Tennessee native becomes 15th finisher of Barkley Marathons
Of all the people I’ve talked to after the race, it’s still one of the coolest things to me to see the local media interest and to get to talk to them.
East Tennessee native becomes 15th finisher of Barkley Marathons
WARTBURG (WATE) – It is a race that is notorious for how many people have not completed. More than 1,000 people have attempted to complete the Barkley Marathons, but on Monday, John Kelly, 32, became the 15th person to complete the race in Frozen Head State Park.
LHRL Podcast #38
This was my first podcast, actually before 2017 Barkley. And before I figured out how to keep my eyes focused. This was an awesome experience for me and these guys were great. I wouldn’t hesitate to chat with them again at any time.
