EPISODE · Apr 1, 2023 · 57 MIN
A Barkley Marathons Finisher’s Approach to Achieving Your Dreams, with John Kelly
from Everyday Ultra · host Joe Corcione
The Barkley Marathons is known as one of the hardest (if not, THE hardest) ultramarathon in the world; only amassing about 17 finishers since the race’s start in 1986. It takes a level of grit, determination, and internal motivation to complete the 5-loop adventure in Tennessee. And today’s guest is someone who has finished it TWICE. John Kelly is an endurance athlete for La Sportiva, who is a two-time Barkley finisher, and is an accomplished mountain runner. On top of his finishes at the race that eats its young, he also has top ten finishes at Bandera 100K and Hardrock 100K. And outside of running, he is a family man and the CTO of Envelop Risk. Since John has been on multiple podcasts recapping his second Barkley finish, we decided to take a different approach on this episode, and chatted more about his approach towards goal setting, his relationship with suffering, finding meaning and fullfillment in life, and how to get better at anything. This is truly a special episode! Huge thank you to John for coming on the show! LINKS Check out Zach Bitter’s pre-made training plans: zachbitter.com/training-plans Check out Zach Bitter’s coaching options: zachbitter.com/coaching Join the Everyday Ultra Patreon Community: patreon.com/everydayultra John’s website to follow his journey: https://www.randomforestrunner.com/ Follow Joe on IG: https://www.instagram.com/joecorcione/
What this episode covers
The Barkley Marathons is known as one of the hardest (if not, THE hardest) ultramarathon in the world; only amassing about 17 finishers since the race’s start in 1986. It takes a level of grit, determination, and internal motivation to complete the 5-loop adventure in Tennessee. And today’s guest is someone who has finished it TWICE. John Kelly is an endurance athlete for La Sportiva, who is a two-time Barkley finisher, and is an accomplished mountain runner. On top of his finishes at the race that eats its young, he also has top ten finishes at Bandera 100K and Hardrock 100K. And outside of running, he is a family man and the CTO of Envelop Risk. Since John has been on multiple podcasts recapping his second Barkley finish, we decided to take a different approach on this episode, and chatted more about his approach towards goal setting, his relationship with suffering, finding meaning and fullfillment in life, and how to get better at anything. This is truly a special episode! Huge thank you to John for coming on the show! LINKS Check out Zach Bitter’s pre-made training plans: zachbitter.com/training-plans Check out Zach Bitter’s coaching options: zachbitter.com/coaching Join the Everyday Ultra Patreon Community: patreon.com/everydayultra John’s website to follow his journey: https://www.randomforestrunner.com/ Follow Joe on IG: https://www.instagram.com/joecorcione/
NOW PLAYING
A Barkley Marathons Finisher’s Approach to Achieving Your Dreams, with John Kelly
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Jun 19, 2026 ·240m
Jun 14, 2026 ·25m