Our very own George Banker sat down with unique runner and juggler, Barry! Join in as he finds out his “WHY”!

What is your why for running?

I guess the answer is because it is there, and I can juggle while running. I guess running came first, as I had to learn how to juggle. Before: Prior to my interest in juggling, I ran cross country. I went to the main juggling festival in 1989. Fortunately, then it was in Baltimore, Md., so I went.

That week was the first week I put the two together as I practiced a day or two before, for a brief time before they had a juggling race. I was just seeing if I could run and juggle and how fast I could go when I practiced earlier that week. I guess I figured I would just keep juggling as I ran, and so I did.

It was kind of my stage. Some of what I practiced in juggling I wanted to see if I could do it running and then maybe do something in a race or before the race starts. I guess it has been a pretty good stage. Lots of people have seen me juggle by now.  

 How did you start your juggling?

I guess it was about thirteen or fourteen years ago. I was on my way to playing tennis and somebody told me how to juggle who did not know how to juggle. After learning three balls, I learned some other stuff, but it would be years later till I started running and juggling, which was at the Baltimore Juggling Festival in 1989.

How long did it take for you to get the confidence to enter a race?

 The first race I did juggling was at the jugglers festival in Baltimore during the summer of 1989. I practiced a day or two earlier that week at the festival for a short time. It was just enough for me to realize I could run while juggling and I could do it and run my fastest. But I really needed to practice. I remember for the 100 meters I tried to run as fast as I could and dropped twice, coming in last. But, with practice, I could do it.

The first road race I did other than a couple 5K’s juggling was the Marine Corps Marathon in 1995. In 1989 there was a guy that was their Billy Gillen who was running with five balls, and I was just starting. It was clear he did not just start like me. For the next couple of years, I would practice 5 balls and some three-ball contortionist stuff while running. Maybe it got to where I was kind of like him and I did not know what to do with that, so I started doing races.

So, in 1994, I attended the Marine Corps Marathon to scout things out. Plan a strategy for the next year. It rained that year, so I likely would not have run, anyway. While running for a mile or two, I had the chance to ask Carlos Coffman (jumping rope) lots of questions. I remember him eventually asking me if I could just talk with him at the finish. I would see him again the next year at the 1995 Marine Corps Marathon when I was juggling.

After that I just signed up for races and started last. Starting in the back and staying towards the back, it is hard to screw up a race, so I would just do that. But things were very different in 1995, as races were just not geared toward slower people or jump ropes and jugglers. 

What are the skills do you need to be a successful juggler?

 I do not really know. I guess for me I must be in great shape since I run so much while juggling. It certainly helps that I have enjoyed practicing and learning stuff. When I was much younger and played sports, I felt I had expert hands and good endurance, so I figured that may make it easier to learn to juggle and run.   

What has been your most challenging situation while running/juggling?

 That is hard to answer. Some of the stuff I did years ago I cannot do now. I am starting in the back, which helps me figure things out. I do not have a guidebook or anything or somebody who did a lot of what I do before who I can ask, but being in the back helps me figure things out as I go and that may be part of a challenge I enjoyed.

Some places are hard to juggle in, so I sometimes would not juggle there. I cannot see cones sometimes and water stops can be slippery and sticky Gatorade because they can get on my hands if I drop stuff there. Now that I am older and have slowed down, I need to run some without juggling to stay ahead of the straggler vehicle.

When things get too challenging, I can stop juggling for a short time and that happens, and I need to do that now. I just have always tried to do the best I can.

Does it take a lot of mental concentration on your part?

I realized early the key is to have relaxed concentration. Where I do not tense up and breathe normally, but am just watching the balls in the air closely. It is important I am aware of my surroundings.

I hate to stop juggling when I am doing fine and can keep going and want to keep going, but it is good to stop juggling for a couple of seconds to check where I am. Make sure there are no cones around and stuff like that. 

What is your favorite costume?

Much of this is timing, and it helps if the costume is relevant, which I cannot control. Until the Capitals won the Stanley Cup Finals in 2018, D.C sports teams had not gone on a playoff run for ages.

Did not even play in the conference finals. People will get that I am juggling Capitals hockey sticks, but it is better if the team is winning and in the news. During the Stanley Cup Finals in 2018 I was in San Diego for a marathon, and I did that wearing a capitals jersey juggling three Capitals hockey sticks.

Then in 2019, the Nationals won the world series, so I was juggling Nationals stuff the next year, including in New York a couple days after winning the World Series. The hockey sticks are very light and do not hurt me when they hit my head, but being very light makes it very tough to juggle in the wind. So, on a windy day I would do something else, and if it is not windy, there may be parts where the wind slows me down or I have to just run some.

 Tom Brady juggling deflated footballs I thought would be good for a couple of weeks, but then it went into the next year with Brady’s suspension, so I kept doing it. I tried to bring it back when the inflation rate was very high in our economy, but it just was not the same. I think there was just too much to that joke and it was best to keep it simple. 

I have a Forrest Gump costume where I hit a table tennis ball with a paddle while juggling. Some people get it and think it is hilarious, but most people do not get it as the movie came out in 1994. 

So, there is a bit that goes into running with a costume, but it helps the most if it is relevant and people seem to get what I am doing easily and right away. Doing it well helps also making it tougher are the bad weather days. I cannot explain things to people while I run, so it helps to be simple and wearing a jersey juggling the sports props is easy for people to relate to. It is hard for people to read shirts, but a jersey is easier.

I juggled different props about 15 years ago. I wanted to learn how to juggle footballs, basketballs, baseball bats and hockey sticks. Basically, all the major sports. I also learned how to hit a tennis ball with a tennis racquet while juggling and did that for a couple of races. The problem is all tennis players dress the same, so it developed in Forrest Gump with a table tennis paddle, ball, and juggling.

What is the International Juggling Association?

That is the main juggling organization. They put on the annual festival, which is a gathering for the jugglers. It has some championships and competitions like running while juggling and I guess I just kind of got into that after I attended the 1989 festival.

Have you taken part in the World Juggling Championships?

Only a few people can take part in the main championships as it is a staged event where participants must really put in more time to take part. They have joggling (jogging and juggling) races there which anyone can enter. In fact, I entered 1989 after just testing things out to see if I could do it days earlier.   

What has been the longest distance you have juggled?

That would be a marathon, but I have done lots of marathons now. In fact, I did two in one weekend before several times. I recently noticed two marathons I have done, Marine Corps Marathon and the Dallas Marathon, have a 50K option.

To do the 50K I would have to go faster and do more the marathon without juggling so I just juggle as much of the marathon as I can now. I noticed from 2009 to 2012 I did the Richmond 8K, which was an hour before the marathon started. So, when I finished the 8K I got out of the finish area quickly and ran to the start of the marathon close by. 

I have thought of doing an outright ultra, but I just never did it. Usually, ultras have fewer people, and the course can be harder to navigate. Maybe runners navigate narrow or dirt paths that are difficult to maneuver on. So, I just stick with marathons.

Looking at my notes, 2012 was an interesting year. We got into the Marine Corps marathon just before Hurricane Sandy arrived. The New York Marathon organizers cancelled the race the following weekend because of damage from Hurricane Sandy.

Then the next weekend I drove to Richmond and did the 8K and then the marathon immediately afterward on Saturday. I drove to Harrisburg, Pa. and did the Harrisburg marathon the next day. Then Monday was Veterans Day Holiday, and I did a 10K that morning. It looks like 63.6 miles in about 50 hours. It was lots of running, juggling and driving. 

What were the objects did you juggle when you set the World Record in 2010 at the Chicago Marathon (5:05:41)?

I have a world record now. I am surprised you found this. It looks like it is some kind of record for a 5-ball marathon. I am not sure how it got in there, but it is a gracious gesture that it is in there. It used to be 4:40 at I think the Philadelphia marathon and now it is 5:05:41 at the Chicago Marathon.

I sure hope it stays in there even though it is going in the wrong direction. It is just not a good idea to juggle every step because of safety reasons (cones, potholes, water stops, other runners, the sun, etc.) but could an official disqualify somebody for juggling 26 miles with 5 balls? Seems kind of mean of the official to do that. So better rules would need to be set up, but there just are not people that do this to set up rules.

I checked my time in the 2010 Chicago Marathon, and it looks like it was 5:51:41 chip time and 6:27:46 gun time. I am going with that and not what you read on the Internet. I guess you cannot believe everything you read on the internet.    

What has been your best performance while juggling?

That is hard to answer. Could it be Tom Brady juggling deflated footballs or wearing Capitals or Nationals stuff after winning a world championship? Typically, if I do something very difficult juggling, I cannot go quickly or for very long. So, juggling cannot be difficult for a marathon, but I still like to make it a challenge and get through it. It really is more about finishing and juggling than the time. I have done some difficult tricks with three balls that I can do for 100 meters in about a minute, but simply cannot do a marathon. 

There is a marathon that comes to mind and that was the 2007 Chicago Marathon. I started in the back and did not finish. But Chicago was experiencing record heat, and the organizers cancelled the marathon when I was around mile 14 or 15, so I had to stop just past mile 16, I think.

They ran out of water and Gatorade and so I went into a couple of stores and bought Gatorade. Although I typically avoid running in the shade because of visibility and crowdedness, I made an exception that day. I was just trying to finish in the allotted time and keep juggling, and I felt I was going to do that when someone forced me to stop. It caught me off guard. I thought I would accomplish juggling.

But that race gave me a lot of confidence. I thought I would beat the straggler vehicle and juggle with no brakes, but someone forced me to stop. So, I figured I could do more marathons after that, and they would not be as tough as that because it would be much cooler. So that is the day when I really increased the number of marathons I have juggled.

What would you say to a younger Barry?

 I do not know. I am glad I run and juggle. It has been fun. I can do some things I did not do years ago, but I am slower and dropping more now. It would be different running behind somebody who also drops less. It would take the surprise at a bit. I really enjoyed surprising people as almost everyone knew not a thing about running and juggling till they saw me. I guess I just wanted to enjoy the ride, which I did.    

In closing, after 2007 in Chicago I did lots of marathons. A good chance for me to see things while doing two things I like. If there was a juggling club by a marathon, I would try to attend it. I have attended juggling clubs in places like New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Diego, and Nashville.

When I attend a marathon, I rarely do any juggling or running other than the marathon or related races there like a 5k the day before. I will try to see the city. I have been to all the MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL stadiums and have only a couple left for the MLS. 

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