John Kelly

ABOUT:

I grew up adventuring through the dense mountains and forests around my family’s rural home in Morgan County, TN, constantly trying to keep up with my older brother and cousins. That grew into a love of exploration and a drive to continually challenge myself with goals that push my boundaries and that have failure as a probable outcome (without that possibility a goal is just a task). Mountain running allows me to do both of those things at once, and La Sportiva has helped me push further with fewer distractions from the real reasons I’m out there.

PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Apr 2017 | Touching the yellow gate to become the 15th finisher of the Barkley Marathons, the moment that completely reset my belief of what was possible for me
Feb 2018 | Receiving not one, but two! jars of apple butter from Dennis Herr after completing the first-ever sub 24 hour run at The Wild Oak Trail 100 – 112 miles with over 30K feet of elevation gain3.
Jan + Jul 2020 | Kissing the wall of The Border Hotel in Kirk Yetholm to win The Spine Race in 88 hours in January, then returning in July to break a 31 year old record on the route in 64h 46m
Aug 2020 | Hobbling up to the summit cairn on Ben Nevis to check off the last summit of The Grand Round, a project I created myself that built upon my passions and pushed me to my absolute limits over 5 days of mountain running and cycling
Each time I get to share these moments or stories of them with my unbelievably supportive family and the incredible ultrarunning community and see that passion for exploring the mountains spread just a bit further

Honorable mention: November 2018 - obtaining the record for the slowest swim ever in a sub-9-hour Ironman

Q+A:

Who is your favorite running partner?

Before we lost her to cancer last year my dog was my favorite partner. Part of the reason I love being out there is to disconnect and have some time to just reflect and explore. But going into remote areas it’s always good to have some company for added safety.

What is your go-to hype song?

In high school I used to get hyped up to The Kids Aren’t Alright by The Offspring. To this day I can still feel the adrenaline start when it comes on.

What was the first La Sportiva product you tried?

Mutants, after another brand of shoes completely fell apart at my first Barkley Marathons attempt. 

Which charity/advocacy organizations do you support or belong to?

There are a number of organizations I support, but something I’ve long been passionate about is helping disadvantaged kids get a better start in life. Blueprint for All is a charity in the UK dedicated to that, and I was thrilled to be able to raise about $25K for them in 2020 through some of my running projects.

RESTING HEART RATE:

The most important number to me is actually how much does my resting heart rate vary – this is a huge indicator for me on whether I’m overtraining or sufficiently recovered. If I am well-rested and going into a race it’s usually in the 36-38 range.

Banner photo: © Steve Ashworth