International ultrarunning legend John Kelly is well known in both the United Kingdom and in his home country of the United States. He has conquered some of the hardest trail ultramarathons in the world, including the Montane Spine and the Barkley Marathons.
His most recent win saw him set a new course record for supported male on the roughly 270-mile Long Trail through Vermont. He completed the challenge in 4 days, 4 hours, and 25 minutes, finishing on the 3rd of July, 2023.
The men’s supported FKT was previously held by Ben Feinson, who completed the route in four days, 11 hours, and 44 minutes in July 2021.
The Vermont Long Trail, which has been on Kelly’s mind for a while, has around 21,336m (70,000ft) and follows the main ridge of the Green Mountains from the Massachusetts-Vermont line to the Canadian border.
It is the oldest long-distance trail in the United States and later became the inspiration for the Appalachian Trail.
Quoted talking to iRunFar, Kelly said:
“The Long Trail had been on my list for a while, and this ended up being the year it worked out. It’s a beautiful area, a historical route, and has a history of FKTs to draw inspiration from. It also has an outstanding community. Ben Feinson, who previously held the men’s supported FKT, not only helped gather support and ran with me himself, he brought me homemade rice pudding!”
Kelly stated he hopes his run will inspire others to take on the challenge, citing he thinks that a sub-four-day record is possible.