Show:                   Dan Kelly: How I Came Third in the North Korean Marathon    
Venue:                  Just the Tonic @ The Caves, Venue 88                 
Time:                   4.10pm                        
Dates:                  4th-28th August (not 15th)   
Photographer:           Edward Moore

Hi Dan. Tell me about your 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe show.

In 2018 I went to North Korea to race in the International Amateur Marathon and came third. The show is basically the story of how…I use real footage/imagery to tell the tale from first finding out about the race, to training, to all the admin involved in getting there, and then the race itself, which finishes in the national stadium in front of 50000 North Koreans. An entirely true story, with some funny stuff thrown in.

Tell me about your previous Edinburgh experiences.

I used to work on a coffee van in Bristo Square for the whole month every summer, so I’ve experienced the festival many times from a coffee perspective I guess. Early optimism, mid-afternoon boost, and then still up at 2am thoughts swirling. I assume the performance cycle is much the same…?

Who inspires you?

Gotta be Kipchoge no?

How hard was it to get back on stage after the pandemic lockdown?

It was pretty easy to book it, then actually getting on stage was a bit of a shambles. First show back my dad drove halfway across London because I forgot a prop. Cheers Dad. Hoping to be more match fit come August…

Finally, ask and answer a question of your own.

But is it even possible to blend fact and funny, particularly with such heavy subject matter, in this case North Korea?

I’m banking on it.

Tickets:                      Dan Kelly: How I Came Third in the North Korean Marathon