James Runs Far

View Original

Beating the Barkley Marathons - An Interview with John Kelly

What sort of training, nutrition and kit does it take to complete the most difficult adventure race in the world? The Barkley Marathons!

John ‘Random Forest Runner’ Kelly is one of the 15 people to have ever finished the brutal challenge, since it began in 1986.

And we’re lucky enough to have him do an interview on JamesRunsFar.

In this article, John tells us:

  • The way he approaches failure and how we should all look at it

  • How he manages time between a family of five, a full-time job and taking on mega-challenges

  • Running training tips and the kit and nutrition he uses

This is the fourth and final interview in ‘inspiration month'. The other interviews included:

See this content in the original post

JamesRunsFar: Hi John. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me. First, could you give us an overview of your running background, please

John Kelly: I ran track and cross country in high school, but then took about a decade off in college and grad school.

I did keep hiking though, which is what eventually led me to trail running.

John Kelly has completed some of the biggest and toughest ultra-events in the world. And continues to challenge himself with adventures that he’s self-created like ‘The Grand Round’. Photo: Stasulli Photo

JRF: You’ve done Ironman triathlons and crazy, ultra-running adventure races like the Barkley Marathons. What’s your preference. And why?

JK: My passion is for the mountains and running.

I never enjoyed swimming (and wasn't very good at it).

The ultra-running community and atmosphere is also just a better personal fit for me.

JRF: What’s your proudest, endurance based accomplishment?

JK: I think it would be pretty ridiculous if it were anything other than Barkley.

JRF: You’ve written a lot about the way you approach ‘failure’ and reaching for huge goals. What’s the biggest lesson you’d like people to learn from that?

JK: Don't be afraid of failure.

And measure success not by the outcome, but by how far you've come.

Set a long term goal and then pick smaller ones based on how much closer their attempt will bring you to the big one.

If the attempt is a "failure" then so be it.

JRF: What’s your favourite challenge or race you’ve done?

JK: Again, would be pretty ridiculous to not say Barkley here.

The Grand Round and others I've done have also been incredible experiences though.

See this content in the original post

John is one of the few people to have completed the Barkley Marathons. Here he is with the creator of the event, the infamous Lazarus Lake. Photo: Leon Lutz

JRF: If resources like time and money weren’t a factor, what challenge or race would you love to take on?

JK: FKT’s (fastest known times) on long trails.

JRF: You’ve got 3 children, including twins, a high profile job, you do these huge challenges regularly and you write in-depth blogs. How do you fit it all in? And how do you prioritise your time?

JK: For one, by not immediately responding to everyone who sends me questions or a message! ;-)

I box those up until I have a good time window where I can knock them all out at once, preferably when I can't do anything that productive (like now, on a plane with no WiFi).

That way the small things don't disrupt my larger tasks and no moment is wasted.

I also don't really have any small personal things I do.

I spend time with my family, I work, and I run. That's it.

I don't go to the pub or watch the game or have any other hobbies.

Run commuting has also been huge, and has been almost all of my weekday mileage for years now.

JRF: What are your top tips for training for the readers of JamesRunsFar?

JK: The training you can do is much better than the training you wish you could do.

If you're limited on time don't waste half of it trying to get to the perfect location or creating the perfect workout.

Just run.

JRF: What food and kit do you use and recommend?

JK: La Sportiva, Ultimate Direction, Hammer Nutrition, and XOSKIN (all sponsors, but because I use their stuff, not vice versa)

JRF: You’re open and honest about the fact that you have a very sweet tooth. But what’s your favourite dessert?

JK: This Greek restaurant in Palo Alto called Evvia makes a dessert called galaktoboureko.

It is incomprehensibly amazing.

See this content in the original post

John Kelly loves running in the mountains in particular. And one of his big goals is to try and set fastest known times on some of the longest trails around. Photo by: @dmateuf

JRF: What’s next?

JK: The Spine Race

JRF: Where can people follow you?

JK: www.randomforestrunner.com

JRF: Thanks so much for taking the time to give us such great advice and insight.

See this content in the original post

What Did You Think Of This Article?

I would love to get your honest feedback about what you think about the articles on JamesRunsFar.com.

I can use your feedback to write blogs that what will help you achieve your goals.

Simply tell me what you think by filling in this 1 minute survey.


Save Time, Money and Effort by Claiming Your Free Training Plan Template

Join hundreds of other athletes who get amazing benefits, simply by providing your email.

  1. A FREE training plan template -  Which will save you time, money and effort when creating your plans

  2. The best training and racing advice from across the web - I send these articles out every month, exclusively, to email subscribers

  3. Early access to exclusive offers and deals - I send out the best discounts and offers to email subscribers first, before anyone else

See this form in the original post

What Should You Read Next?  

Read about ‘Mountain Man’ Matt Poulton’s epic challenge

Find out how I could Help You Improve Your Performance through coaching

Improve your performance with my tried and tested recommendations

See this content in the original post