![\"\"](\"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Kelly2-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhile Kelly\u2019s first Barkley finish in 2017 proved he could solve the race\u2019s complex puzzle, his 2023 performance represented a triumph of mental fortitude. \u201cI carried on and pushed through but for no other reason than I told myself I could,\u201d says Kelly, who became one of the world\u2019s premier ultrarunners \u2014 specializing in races that cover 50-200 miles \u2014 while also propelling a tech startup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A \u201cdecent\u201d high school runner, Kelly\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe most important thing is to keep moving forward,\u201d says Kelly, who shares his experiences with a swelling legion of fans on Instagram (@randomforestrunner).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy life is family, career and running. There\u2019s no watching TV or grabbing drinks with friends,\u201d says Kelly, who credits his supportive wife, Jessi Kelly \u201908, for learning and growing alongside him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In September, Kelly will tackle the Tor des G\u00e9ants, a 205-mile trail race in Italy, and he dreams of someday pursuing the fastest known time \u2014 \u201cFKT\u201d in runner parlance \u2014 on the 2,191-mile Appalachian Trail, a mark currently sitting at 41 days, 7 hours and 39 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThough that\u2019s not happening anytime soon,\u201d Kelly says. \u201cI\u2019ve got four kids and a demanding job with a startup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, for now, the rarified air of conquering the Barkley Marathons will have to suffice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daniel P. Smith is a free-lance writer.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n 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\u2019s Frozen Head State Park, the Barkley Marathons has been called \u201cthe race that eats its young.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the event\u2019s first running in 1986, only 17 people have finished the five-loop race. John Kelly \u201907, \u201908 MS has achieved the feat twice \u2014 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBarkley sets you up to fail,\u201d says Kelly, a six-time Barkley starter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Kelly\u2019s first Barkley finish in 2017 proved he could solve the race\u2019s complex puzzle, his 2023 performance represented a triumph of mental fortitude. \u201cI carried on and pushed through but for no other reason than I told myself I could,\u201d says Kelly, who became one of the world\u2019s premier ultrarunners \u2014 specializing in races that cover 50-200 miles \u2014 while also propelling a tech startup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A \u201cdecent\u201d high school runner, Kelly\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe most important thing is to keep moving forward,\u201d says Kelly, who shares his experiences with a swelling legion of fans on Instagram (@randomforestrunner).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy life is family, career and running. There\u2019s no watching TV or grabbing drinks with friends,\u201d says Kelly, who credits his supportive wife, Jessi Kelly \u201908, for learning and growing alongside him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In September, Kelly will tackle the Tor des G\u00e9ants, a 205-mile trail race in Italy, and he dreams of someday pursuing the fastest known time \u2014 \u201cFKT\u201d in runner parlance \u2014 on the 2,191-mile Appalachian Trail, a mark currently sitting at 41 days, 7 hours and 39 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThough that\u2019s not happening anytime soon,\u201d Kelly says. \u201cI\u2019ve got four kids and a demanding job with a startup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, for now, the rarified air of conquering the Barkley Marathons will have to suffice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daniel P. Smith is a free-lance writer.<\/em><\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":" John Kelly \u201907, \u201908 MS conquers some of the world\u2019s most challenging trail running races and discovers life lessons en route. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3441,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"views\/single-immersive.blade.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-immersive-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"backgroundColor\":\"gray_800\",\"subtitle\":\"John Kelly \u201907, \u201908 MS conquers some of the world\u2019s most challenging trail running races and discovers life lessons en route.\",\"displayCategoryID\":6,\"caption\":\"Photography by davidmillerphotography_ on Instagram.\"}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,10,8,9],"tags":[123,272,411,454,608,758,1019,1175],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"class_list":["post-3438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-best-bets","category-class-act","category-newswire","category-stories","tag-barkley-marathons","tag-college-of-engineering","tag-envelop-risk","tag-frozen-head-state-park","tag-john-kelly","tag-marine-corps-marathon","tag-running","tag-tor-des-geants"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":6,"name":"Campus Lens","slug":"campus-lens","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":6,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3438"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3438"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4997,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3438\/revisions\/4997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3438"},{"taxonomy":"_ncst_magazine_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_ncst_magazine_issue?post=3438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/magazine.alumni.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Kelly3-683x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBy Daniel P. Smith<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n