‘The Next Step’
Harlan Holmes, 38, a marathon runner from Bowling Green, Kentucky, is training for his third 50K, the “Pistol Ultra,” in Alcoa, Tenn. This race will bring him to an estimated total of 774.5 miles completed through three 50K’s, 20 marathons and 12 half-marathons.
“It happens with the support of a lot of other people, a lot of other friends, some of those that are running out there with you, others that are encouraging you from the sidelines, some that are just texting you during the race,” Holmes said. “It’s definitely a wonderful experience that brings communities together.”
Holmes goes on a morning run with his running friends on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at the Bowling Green High School track in Bowling Green, Ky. Holmes said that he completes most of his runs in the morning, with the runs typically averaging around six miles. “The motivation is there in the morning and at the end of the day, after work and life, I’m less motivated to work out, so I try to get it done in the morning,” Holmes said, “Number one, to race the sunrise. Number two, to get it done before I can make an excuse not to do it.”
From left: running friends Ryan Kanaly, Holmes, Maddie Holden and Sam Atwood have a conversation after their morning run on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at the Bowling Green High School track in Bowling Green, Ky. Holmes said one of his big motivating factors that keeps him running to this day is inspiring others to go out and run themselves. “There are folks that guided me into running and going from just a 5K casual thing to competitively running marathons up to the ultra marathon,” Holmes said, “But I didn’t do it by myself; I had some wise sages helping me out. And now it’s going full circle and doing the same to help others and inspire others to do it.”
Holmes started running 14 years ago when he was in his twenties. He said that his family has a history of heart disease, and this encouraged him to start living a healthier life.
“We had a health screening at work—I worked at a hospital in Nashville—and some of the results were kind of scary,” Holmes said. “So, I was like, ‘I really need to start exercising and getting in shape.’”
Holmes massages his calf after a morning run on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, at his house in Bowling Green, Ky. Holmes got into running in 2011. “My boss was a runner, and she ran in a large run group in Nashville, and I didn’t feel like working that day,” Holmes said. “I wanted to get out of my shift, and so I pretended to be super interested and enthusiastic about joining her run group so I could try it out. And I tried it out, and ended up enjoying it, and the rest was history.”
Holmes eats oatmeal after a morning run on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, at his house in Bowling Green, Ky. Holmes’ training regimen is to run 30 to 40 miles on a weekly basis, and depending on the workout, it is of importance to maintain a certain heart rate, pace, distance and time. “These training plans are longer than they actually need to be, because it takes into account for life happening, and you’re not gonna successfully get that 30, 40, 50 miles every week,” Holmes said. “You might get sick, or something.”
When not running and training, you can find Holmes working as a system administrator at the Graves Gilbert Clinic in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He said, for his job, that he maintains servers, the infrastructure for the laboratory system, “but 90% of it’s sedentary, sitting in front of a computer.”
For fun, he said he enjoys having a trivia night with his friend group at the White Squirrel Brewery in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He said that playing trivia is not a new thing to him. “I wasn’t always a runner, but I was always a big nerd,” Holmes said.
Holmes and his group of friends play trivia every Thursday night. “Having that third-space setting, away from home, away from work, in a different group; it helps out,” Holmes said. “It’s good to be around a group that does activities that stimulate other parts of my personality.”
Holmes laughs while playing trivia with his friends on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, at the White Squirrel Brewery in Bowling Green, Ky. Holmes said that playing trivia is equally as enjoyable as going on runs. “They’re both social activities, and it’s connected me with groups of friends that have enriched my life,” Holmes said. “So, I could say both of those activities and groups have given a lot to me.”
As the day of the race approaches, with it being on Saturday, March 22, 2025, Holmes said he will continue to train more and more. He said that the 50K race comes to a total of 31.0686 miles.
“You have to be ready for the event,” Holmes said. “You can’t really just run 31 miles on a whim. It’s maybe possible, yes, even for someone who’s done it before, like me, sure. But it’s setting myself up to get hurt or not enjoy it, have a terrible time and potentially never do it again. I want to have a good time.”
Holmes prepares his shoes minutes before the “Pistol Ultra” 50K race starts on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at the Springbrook Pool in Alcoa, Tenn. Holmes said that there are a lot of conditions to take into consideration, like the weather. “It takes a bit of luck,” Holmes said, “When you’re going that distance, when you’re going the marathon or beyond, you can train, you can prepare, but you never know how your stomach is going to be sitting that day, how the last meal you’ve had before the race.”
Holmes, left, and his running friend Korey Vaughn approach mile nine in the “Pistol Ultra” 50K race on Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Alcoa, Tenn. Holmes said that he prefers running alongside friends, as compared to running solo. “The other benefit to running with a group is the accountability,” Holmes said. “It’s cold out there in the morning, it’s cold outside and the bed is warm, but having that friend that you’re going to let down if you don’t go is what kind of nudges you to get up out there and do it.”
Holmes crosses the finish line at the “Pistol Ultra” 50K race on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at the Springbrook Pool in Alcoa, Tenn. Holmes completed the 50K race in six hours and 18 minutes. “I wasn’t totally as trained up as I normally am and I’m glad to just cover the distance,” Holmes said. “I’m quite happy with how it turned out.”
Holmes started the 50K at 7:55 a.m. on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at the Springbrook Pool in Alcoa, Tenn., and finished it at 2:13 p.m. at the same location. “The races are just the last few miles of the journey,” Holmes said.
Holmes with his “Pistol Ultra” medal around his neck at the 50K race on Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Alcoa, Tenn. Holmes said that he hopes to complete his next 50K in under four hours and 35 minutes. “It’s a lot easier to train for fall races than it is for spring races because you have to train through the winter,” Holmes said. “But overall, I was still trained up enough to cover the distance.”
Holmes’ running shoes lay on the pavement after the “Pistol Ultra” 50K race on Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Alcoa, Tenn. Holmes said that he hopes to complete his next 50K in under four hours and 35 minutes. “One of my close friends, she has a quote that says, ‘Just keep running. Just keep running,’” Holmes said. “I think what’s definitely going to help me is reminding myself, ‘Hey, this is nothing I haven’t done before. I just need to do it a little faster.’”
Holmes said he does not plan on stopping his training nor running. “I tell people, especially folks that haven’t seen me for a while, and they ask me, ‘Hey, are you still running,’” Holmes said, “And I was like, ‘Yeah, I won’t stop till the casket drop.’”
From left: friends Holmes, Vaughn, Tara Casey, Doug Frint and Tara Haynes eat dinner after the “Pistol Ultra” 50K race on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at the Blackhorse Pub & Brewery in Alcoa, Tenn. Holmes said that at his next big race, the 2025 “Hot Rod Ultra” in Bowling Green, Ky., he wants to run 100 miles. “That is definitely uncharted territory,” Holmes said. “It’s a matter of, ‘Hey, let’s try something that scares you.’ But all of my past achievements were, running-wise, trying something that scares me, and managed to do it. So, this is just the next step.”