Joey Kelly

Joseph Maria "Joey" Kelly (born 20 December 1972 in Toledo, Spain) is a musician of Irish-American descent. Initially he was known as a member of the band The Kelly Family, but now appears primarily as an amateur athlete and participates in fun competitions.

Joey Kelly married former musician Tanja Niethen in 2005. The couple has two sons (* 2000 and * 2004) and a daughter (* 2006). As a member of the Kelly family, he plays electric and acoustic guitar and percussion instruments. Sports enthusiast Joey Kelly often participates in endurance competitions and fun events, such as TV total, Wok racing or diving.

Endurance

As of 2006, Joey Kelly has finished over 50 marathons and has participated in endurance competitions – including events such as Ultramarathon, Ironman Triathlon or Tough-Guy-Race. He is the only person to have finished in each of the available eight Ironman competitions in the years 1998 and 1999. As more of these are conducted today, this is no longer possible. He took part at the Ultraman competition in Hawaii, 1998 (10 km swimming, 421 km cycling, 84 km running in three days) and finished seventh, he reached the goal within the time limit, but was subsequently disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct, after kicking a prone volunteer in the head. In the Race Across America (RAAM) 2001, a long-distance bicycle race across the USA, he finished together with Thorsten Vahl as 4th of seven competing teams and in 2002 he finished in the winning 4 person mixed team, which included his wife. In 2008 he participated in the Atacama Crossing in Chile and finished the 250 kilometres in 6 days, 36:15:3 hours. He finished the six legs in fourth place, becoming first in his age group in one of the toughest desert races in the world.

TV total

• 2003: Silver (Single)
• 2004: Silver (Single) + Gold (Quad)
• 2005: Bronze (Single) + Gold (Quad)
• 2006: Gold (Single)
• 2007: Silver (Single)
• 2008: Bronze (Single)
• 2009: Bronze (Single)
• 2010: Silver (Single)
• 2014: Gold (Single)

• 2007: Gold (Single)
• 2008: Silver (Single) Bronze (Synchronous)
• 2009: Bronze (singles); Gold (Synchronous)

• 2006: Rodeo Winner

• 2008: Runner-Up

• 2009: Winner

• 2009: Winner

Miscellaneous

Joey Kelly has won the 'RTL Promiboxen' against Ralf Richter.

Social Commitment

At a fundraising race, as part of the RTL Fundraising Marathon he completed the route Berlin – Baġdād in eleven days on a bicycle, taking turns with extreme sports athlete Hubert Schwarz. The 40,000 € raised went partly into the RTL Fundraising Marathon and partly to the private aid organization CARE to be donated to a children's hospital. On 23 November 2006, he took part in another RTL Fundraising Marathon, setting a new world record on a novelty twin cycle, covering 135.3 kilometres of distance and 43,077 metres of elevation within 24 hours, rotating around their own axis 9.088 times in the process. The 50,000 € raised have been donated.

Joey Kelly is an officially appointed ambassador for the Deutsche José Carreras Leukämie-Stiftung (de) e.V.