John Kelly has a long list of records and achievements to his name in ultras and triathlon, with some of the highlights being: 2017 Barkley Marathons winner (one of only 15 people ever to have completed the race), 2020 Spine Race winner, the Pennine Way FKT (2021) and most recently Wainwright’s Round FKT to name a few. Some more about John in his own words: ‘I grew up adventuring through the dense mountains and forests around my family’s rural home in Tennessee, 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. Mountain running allows me to do both of those things at once; the longer and the tougher the terrain and conditions, the better. The closer to my limit I go the more I become aware of my own strengths and weaknesses – helping me improve not only as a runner, but in other areas of life. I’m a husband and father of four, and I currently work in the UK as the tech co-founder of a start-up.