The Ultrarunner

By Daniel P. Smith

The Barkley Marathons begins when race director Lazarus Lake lights a cigarette, an odd start for an event demanding lung capacity. A quirky 100-mile (or so) race inside Tennessee’s Frozen Head State Park, the Barkley Marathons has been called “the race that eats its young.”

Since the event’s first running in 1986, only 17 people have finished the five-loop race. John Kelly ’07, ’08 MS has achieved the feat twice — one of only three competitors holding that accomplishment. On March 16, the Tennessee native completed the infamous event, which features an unmarked course, no aid stations, naps in the wilderness and 12-hour limits to complete a loop. He clocked in at 58 hours, 42 minutes and 23 seconds.

“Barkley sets you up to fail,” says Kelly, a six-time Barkley starter.

While Kelly’s first Barkley finish in 2017 proved he could solve the race’s complex puzzle, his 2023 performance represented a triumph of mental fortitude. “I carried on and pushed through but for no other reason than I told myself I could,” says Kelly, who became one of the world’s premier ultrarunners — specializing in races that cover 50-200 miles — while also propelling a tech startup.

A “decent” high school runner, Kelly’s running ceased after he aced a P.E. running class during his freshman year at NC State. After that, his physical activity mostly came from intramural softball and shoveling snow.

In 2013, however, Kelly resumed running and completed the Marine Corps Marathon. A disastrous experience induced by shoddy training, Kelly convinced himself he could improve at the 26.2-mile distance. A year later, he qualified for the Boston Marathon.

Around the same time, Kelly discovered ultrarunning, a niche, though fast-growing, sport that requires long-distance running, often on trails in mountainous terrain. Initially lured into ultrarunning by curiosity, exploration and an opportunity to disconnect, Kelly says ultrarunning has morphed into an avenue for self-improvement. The sport has shown him how to redirect time and energy away from things he cannot control, compelled him to shed his introverted tendencies and taught him to favor progress over perfection.

“The most important thing is to keep moving forward,” says Kelly, who shares his experiences with a swelling legion of fans on Instagram (@randomforestrunner).

The 38-year-old Boone, N.C., resident balances his professional ultrarunning career with fatherhood to four children ages 2-9 and his job as an executive and tech co-founder at Envelop Risk, a cyber underwriting firm established in 2016. His trick? He outsources tasks that require too much mental capacity. For instance, a coach devises his 60-70 miles per week training plans, incorporating training into family activities, like running to a family outing at the zoo.

“My life is family, career and running. There’s no watching TV or grabbing drinks with friends,” says Kelly, who credits his supportive wife, Jessi Kelly ’08, for learning and growing alongside him.

In September, Kelly will tackle the Tor des Géants, a 205-mile trail race in Italy, and he dreams of someday pursuing the fastest known time — “FKT” in runner parlance — on the 2,191-mile Appalachian Trail, a mark currently sitting at 41 days, 7 hours and 39 minutes.

“Though that’s not happening anytime soon,” Kelly says. “I’ve got four kids and a demanding job with a startup.”

So, for now, the rarified air of conquering the Barkley Marathons will have to suffice.

Daniel P. Smith is a free-lance writer.