Hall of Inspiration: 5 trail running documentaries to watch
GRAB YOUR FAVORITE SNACKS AND BUCKLE UP FOR AN INSPIRATIONAL RIDE.
If in most of the stories we are used to watch on the television start with Once upon a time..., we believe that in ultrarunning, stories start with a What if....
In every trail or ultra runner, there is a reason for inspiration. Starting with the simple fact that we have fellow runners who put on their shoes in search of their best version. Others do it for the planet. Or to support a group of people that we often end up calling family.
Messages or stories that end up as documentaries, serving as (extrinsic) motivation so that we can also achieve our personal purpose.
An incredible work by producers, videographers, photographers and athletes who, often, with few resources, present us with true masterpieces.
🎥Some of these works are already part of a database - Hall of Inspiration, of trail and ultrarunning documentaries that already has more than 50 films and documentaries.
For this article, it was hard to choose. But, here are the 5 movie suggestions to watch this weekend:
One: The Most Elusive Man in North America
Two: Free to Run
Three: Starting Over: Sage Canaday's Return to Racing
Four: Ben Kimtai - Kenia a la conquista del Trail
Five: Long Shorts - Behind Courtney Dauwalter & Francois D'haene's Ultra-Trail Races at Hardrock 100 and UTMB
Grab your favorite popcorn and, with this said, here we go!
1. The most elusive man in North America
Dag Aabye is a septuagenarian Ultra Marathon champion who lives completely off the grid. Can two filmmakers track him down—and if so, what will they find?
2. Free to Run
After completing the TOR330 race four times, Stephanie Case’s next goal in sight was the TOR450, all while working behind the scenes to organize an all-women expedition in Afghanistan with Free to Run. These women include Zeinab and Zahra, who represent not only Free to Run’s ethos but the spirit of many other women in Afghanistan who believe in education and progress.
3. Starting Over: Sage Canaday's Return to Racing
Starting Over follows mountain-ultra-trail runner Sage Canaday over the course of a year as he grapples with a life-threatening illness, personal tragedy, and an uncertain future for his running career. Motivated by a love of trail running, the ultrarunning community, and the support of his partner, Sandi, Sage works to overcome these setbacks and make it to the starting line of a competitive ultramarathon, the Canyons 100K.
4. Ben Kimtai - Kenia a la conquista del Trail
Will Kenya manage to dominate the world of trailrunning? The endearing story of Ben Kimtai, one of the African pioneers to face the “assault” on the mountains outside of his native country.
5. Long Shorts - Behind Courtney Dauwalter & Francois D'haene's Ultra-Trail Races at Hardrock 100 and UTMB
There are many reasons to run an ultra-trail race, but are there many to run two of the hardest ultra-trail races in the world with only 6 weeks in between? Let the ultra legends Courtney Dauwalter and François D'haene take you onboard the biggest challenge of their lives as they take on the Hardrock 100 and the Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc®️ during the summer of 2021.
TELL US: Do you have any favorite video or documentary? Let us know!
And, since we are all about teamwork, let's build this together, please, feel free to give us suggestions on how to improve the Hall of inspiration or send us your favorite movies/documentaries to thejourneyrc@gmail.com.
This database was created with the goal of gathering in a single place most of the incredible and inspiring films and documentaries about one the greatest sports in the world - Ultra Running, whether related to athletes, races, self-adventures or FKT's.