"It's just kind of what I do."
A simple response to a question so often posed to Barry, who runs AND juggles. At the same time.
It's called "joggling," and a quick google search tells you it's a competitive sport. Barry though doesn't think of it as competitive, so much as entertainment. Barry's juggling journey started years ago when he'd juggle bean bags along the Twin Cities Marathon route. He remembers passing a man playing the sousaphone every year - at the same spot -- two and a half miles into the race. It wasn't until a few years later that Barry learned the man was Alan Page, a former Minnesota Vikings great, NFL Hall of Famer and Minnesota Supreme Court justice.
When he learned that, he changed his act.
The bean bags turned to footballs. And his running shirt became an Alan Page Vikings jersey. Number 88.
One year, Alan Page signed that jersey as Barry joggled past. This year, Barry got a photo with him. He didn't even put the footballs down. Barry made it to the finish line in just under six hours. He says he wishes he'd have more time to run and juggle, before the course closing bus catches up.
Even if he has to pause the juggling to stay ahead of the bus, Barry says he'll continue to run,
It's just what he does.