John Kelly Tackles the Virginia Stretch of Appalachian Trail with Blue Train Support

As John Kelly (aka the Random Forest Runner) chases an Appalachian Trail speed record, several VHTRC runners stepped in to support him as he made his way through Virginia.

Sharing the natural beauty of our trails with a world-class runner was a privilege, but the true gift was the inspiration and unforgettable moments we took away from it. Below are a few highlights from each of us.

What Have I Gotten Myself Into?!

Keith

John is going for the supported FKT, which means any and all help is legitimate. I quickly realized that our role as support runners wasn’t to pace him — John needs little help in that department — but rather to serve as mules: his on-trail crew, carrying water, energy and recovery drinks, food, trekking poles, jacket, emergency kit, iPhone, and even his headphones.

We generally followed closely behind, always ready to hand him whatever he asked for — a bottle, a baggie of food, his poles. The requests came as “Can I have [item] please?” A bottle or baggie would be ferried up and placed into John’s outstretched hand behind him, much like a baton in a 4×100 meter relay. And, like in a relay, his stride never broke.

I often carried his poles and learned to stay close enough to be ready when he’d want them, which wasn’t all that hard to anticipate. As we approached a hill, I’d tuck in right behind him, poles extended to his right, ready for him to take as he downshifted into climbing mode. At the top, I’d be there again, ready for the handoff back. By the end of our run together, John could simply open his right hand, and I’d place the poles in it without a word. When he was done, he’d extend them back with a quiet “thank you.”

Tracy

Since I ran with John on Friday night, I was able to connect with the crew and logistics team and I offered to come out on Sunday if they needed any additional support. After a few hours of sleep on Friday night (I got home at 4:00 am), I woke up to multiple messages letting me know that I was signed up to run with John again on Sunday with only one other runner who was planning on running with John all day long. Since I had already talked to other support runners about the daunting challenge of committing to an all day shift, I knew that the other runner would likely not be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for our night shift so most of the lift to support John would fall on me. I know my limitations, and immediately got to work reaching out to my trail runner friends to try to line up additional support (thank you to Larry for saving the day on Sunday!). But this trend of getting pulled in did not end there, as I quickly realized that if you offered support to anyone in the John Kelly swirl, they would take you up on it. This made me feel as though my time with John and crew was well spent as I know they appreciated all the help big and small.

Favorite Moment Overall

Tracy

Last minute on Tuesday (June 10), I was able to somewhat unexpectedly jump in for a 7.7-mile section with John and the Keiths (Knipling and VanGraafeiland) and I had to ask my hiking friend Dan to watch my dog. As we left Compton Gap, I noticed someone on the side of the trail cheering us on and quickly realized that it was Dan with my dog. I had a ‘wow, what a beautiful dog’ moment before realizing that it was actually my dog and I mentioned it. Despite the fact that John was clearly deep in the zone, he walked over to Freyja to get some pup love as I followed behind him in disbelief. Then when he was heading out of the Route 522 stop, he again came over to get more pup love from Freyja! I only wish I could explain to her how special that was, but it meant a lot to me that he took a moment for the furry girl.

Larry

I paced John along with Sarah and Will on Sunday night, June 8th. My favorite moment of the almost four hours I was with John was watching him re-tie his shoes about halfway through our section. I was running behind John, trying to keep up (I spent most of my pacing duty trying to keep up), when he stopped and calmly said “I need to re-tie my shoes”. He stopped at a convenient rock, sat down, and asked me to hold his poles. As he started tying his shoes, I asked him if he wanted me to tie them instead. Of course he declined … I mean, I never want anyone to tie my shoes when I’m sitting in an aid station trying to get back on trail, as I expect most any trail runner does either. But I was too out of breath and starstruck to remember this simple truism among runners. I stood there, shining my headlamp to help, while he patiently and methodically tied his shoes. He didn’t seem to be in any hurry and seemed totally focused on getting them tied correctly. That focus is what struck me; here he was, two weeks into his record attempt and over fifty miles into his day, and he was calmly focusing on this one task. And when he was done, he calmly stood up and started running again. He didn’t linger for a few minutes to rest. He got back to work.

Keith

We didn’t see many people on the trail — it was a Tuesday, after all — but everyone we did encounter knew exactly what John was attempting. Without exception, they yielded the trail and offered words of encouragement as our small caravan passed. The closer we drew to Front Royal, the more people we saw, and a couple of runners even jumped in with us as we approached US 522. By the time we reached that crossing, the scene bordered on a media scrum, complete with camera crews and rows of spectators.

But the most memorable moments came in the solitude of night. A family of four broke the quiet darkness, ringing cowbells as we approached a remote dirt road crossing south of US 522. Later, near the Jim and Molly Denton shelter, a group of thru-hikers — Quatro confirmed their status by their unmistakable thru-hiker aroma — stayed up late to cheer John on, lining the trail with their encouragement. (On the topic of smells, we learned that John hadn’t showered since Damascus, nearly 500 miles back. And yet, somehow, he seemed astonishingly fresh.)

Three Words

John and team use the What3Words app for navigation, and in one of the planning spreadsheets there are three words associated with every stop to help us find the right location. So we are going to keep the “three words” theme going to describe our experience.

Tracy: Humbling.Affirming.Connection

I think humbling is self-explanatory, I felt like I was in the presence of someone who is raising the bar for the rest of humanity. Affirming because it made me feel like all the time and effort that I put into ultrarunning is worth it, I chose a great sport as my passion. Connection because it’s all about the shared experiences and meaningful interactions with new friends and forever friends.

Larry: Assuring.Broadening.Humbling

Pacing John, or any runner of his caliber attempting an FKT, is not something I ever thought I was capable of doing. But Tracy helped John two days earlier, and she assured me I could help support him as well. Broadening, because despite being an ultrarunner for 14 years, I’ve only paced runners twice. I’m not sure why; maybe I guard my time on the trails too much. But I hope this experience will change that for me going forward. Humbling, because when John bolted out of the Dripping Rock parking area without a word, I was still fumbling with stashing the water and snacks I would carry for him; it was several minutes before I started up the trail at what felt like a 10K pace for me. By the time I caught up with John and the other two pacers, I was approaching exhaustion and I pretty much stayed that way for the rest of the three plus hours as I tried to keep up with John.

Keith: Urgency.Fortitude.Gratitude

Foremost is the pervasive sense of urgency. All the meticulous planning that John — a data scientist (hence the moniker “random forest”) — put into this attempt was daunting. His seven-tab spreadsheet brims with distances, elevations, minute-by-minute splits, detailed notes, weather, and contact information for scores of volunteers offering showers, laundry, physical therapy, and other support all along the trail from Georgia to Maine. His run embodies an ironic duality: although it’s an ultra-long effort, it feels like a 10K, where every single moment must be intentional and efficient. A rough section poorly executed can be a major setback. A bad day and the FKT is lost. Everything was carefully planned and then executed down to the minute with relentless urgency.

Fortitude. I ran about 20 miles with John. His movement was steady, metronomic, deliberate forward motion. It was neither fast nor slow; it simply was — consistent and unrelenting. A touch slower on the climbs, a touch faster on the descents, but not by much. None of it looked easy, yet it didn’t seem hard for John, either. There were virtually no breaks, apart from those preplanned at road crossings or the rare pause at a stream to dip his hat. Otherwise, it was the same powerful, rhythmic, unyielding stride.

Gratitude. John was, understandably, a man of few words out there — so unlike his loquacious daily video updates. He spoke only when spoken to, or when requesting something — drink, water, poles — sensibly conserving every ounce of energy and staying in his zone.

About halfway through our time together on the trail, I asked what might have been the singular burning question: “Why are you going northbound?” (A meaningful question, since southbound is almost universally accepted as the faster direction on the AT.) His answer came softly — so faint I had to ask him to repeat it: “Timing.” I turned to Tracy and said, “He said ‘timing’.” After the briefest pause, we both understood: timing that fit the schedules of his wife and four young children. Such was the depth of our conversations.

And while John kept his words few, they were always kind. Every request, no matter how small, came with please and ended with thank you. “Tailwind, please.” Or at the top of a climb, he’d simply reach back with his poles in hand and say, “Thank you,” and I’d know to take them from him.

Favorite Moment With John

Tracy

I came out to support John on three different days, but I only once briefly met him many years ago and I’ve never actually had a conversation with him. Since he was so deeply enthralled in what he was doing, I had no expectation to have any meaningful interaction with him. My favorite moment with John was when he was getting ready to cross 522 and he was thanking people as he headed for the road crossing and I saw him walking toward me and my dog. I was going to step out of his way since I was disoriented at first, then he made eye contact with me and I realized that he meant to be walking toward me. He gave my pup Freyja some love and then he looked at me and gave me the most heartfelt thank you that I have ever gotten in my life and it literally took my breath away. I got choked up by it as I watched him cross over to the AT and as he set off on the trail, I saw Quatro pause before he headed up the trail following John with a look of ‘this is what it is all about’ and I looked back at him thinking, yes indeed this is what it is all about and I felt that moment in the deepest depths of my soul. Then I walked over to Brittany (his crew chief) and told her that John thanked me, and she understood what it meant to me and we both had a moment together. Earlier in the day, we had been chatting about how neither one of us really had conversations with John (if you know, you know) and just those two words meant so much… it was a priceless moment that I will never forget.

Biggest Takeaway

Tracy

I am at a turning point in life and I needed this perspective-shift to remind me what is possible and what is truly important. All of us need people like John to elevate our thinking and expand our definition of what it means to be alive… and people like Quatro to remind us how special these experiences and moments are in life… and people like Larry, Keith Van G, Keith K, dog watcher Dan and crew chiefs Brittany and Randy and so many other people to share them with because they are always more meaningful when they are shared experiences.

Larry

My biggest takeaway is that I can help other ultrarunners more than I do, even runners who are far more talented than me. John and Tracy showed me that and I am thankful to them for this insight since I am always up for sharing the trails and supporting runners who are seeking big goals. In return, I benefit from the experience in ways that I may not initially anticipate but, ultimately, walk away a better person and a better runner.

Although we only ran a few miles with John, his goal of breaking the speed record on the AT left a lasting impression on all of us. From the outset, John made it clear that he wanted to connect with the communities along the trail, and we hope he found something meaningful during his time in Virginia. It’s evident, though, that the trail running community stretches far beyond state lines.

It’s truly inspiring to see runners and groups all along the AT support John and his crew as they make their way toward Mount Katahdin. Even if we never meet these people, we’re united by a shared passion for running - and by runners like John - who push the limits of what’s possible and elevate the sport for everyone. His journey is a powerful reminder of the strength, spirit, and connection within our broader trail running community.