by Sabine
For runners, this winter is a very special one. There's next to no racing. We still have to practice social distancing. Some of us have to quarantine at home. Above all, workout motivation is waning.
Here comes the solution: Start your own trailrunning film festival at home. Which films? We have put together a TOP 10 list of trail- and ultrarunning films. Whether you watch them from your treadmill or from your sofa - they will bring back some adrenaline and excitement.
If you want to see more films, go an have a look at our
film archive.
You'll find hundreds of entries - from short films to full feature length
productions. Enjoy!
10.
Golden Trail Championships
2020 was a very special year. No Golden Trail Series - but at least a
Championship. In a way it was the race of the year.
Golden Trail Championship 2020 - A Strategic Battle - The Movie
9.
Via Alpina
The "Via Alpina" runs through the entire Alps from Trieste in the
east to Monaco in the west: 2650 kilometers with around 150,000 meters of
altitude. French runner Guillaume Arthus took on this epic adventure. In the
end, it took him a good 44 days - setting a new record on the way.
This film (French with English subtitles) is available on Vimeo
from EUR 3.99.
Via Alpina by
Peignée Verticale
8.
Rim To Rim To Rim Alternate | A Grand Canyon Adventure
The Grand Canyon R2R2R has become an FKT classic. The vast majority of canyon crossings take place on the well-maintained "corridor trails". At the bottom: two suspension bridges spanning the Colorado. It looks quite different about 30 miles further west: There are the north and south Bass Trails, both leading into the canyon from the respective rim. However, these trails date from the late 19th century and are nowhere near as well preserved as the corridor trails. Above all: There is no way to cross the Colorado on dry feet. At the end of 2018, Coconino Cowboys Jim Walmsley, Tim Freriks and Eric Senseman tackled this R2R2R alternate.
Rim To Rim To Rim Alternate | A Grand Canyon Adventure
by Jamil Coury
7. The Grand Round
John Kelly, Barkley Finisher # 15, found a new playground after moving
to the UK. After winning the Spine Race and after setting an FKT on the
Pennine Trail he asks himself: "What's next"? There are these classic "rounds"
- Paddy Buckley, Bob Graham, Charlie Ramsay ... and then there are hundreds of
miles between those rounds, that he wants to cover with his bike. He had
already tried last year - and failed. This year he tries again ...
The Gran Round by
The Run Show
6. Wall Run
Philipp Reiter and a team of German runners from East and West come together
to run 1400 km along the former wall that divided their country: The barrier
that used to separate people from one another. This barrier shows how
important it is to build bridges in our world, not borders. (German with
English subtitles)
Wall Run by
Salomon TV
5. The Human Bean
Australian filmmaker, activist and runner Beau Miles is known for his
self-experiments. The most recent of these experiments is based on a novel by
John Steinbeck. Beau Miles adheres to a special diet for 40 days: Beans only.
He eats his own body weight in beans. At the same time he is training for an
ultra marathon, the Lumberjack Ultra, which he also wants to complete
exclusively "on beans". Fortunately this video doesn't come with "digital
smell" technology.
The Human Bean by
Beau Miles
4. Running the Wainwrights
Last summer, Irishman Paul Tierney tackled a tough challenge: He crossed all
214 "Wainwrights", the 214 peaks in the Lake District National Park that
Alfred Wainwright listed in his books "Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells".
The map of the route in and of itself looks impressive. The bare numbers: 512
kilometers (318 miles), 36000 meters (118000 feet) of vert. It took Tierney 6
days, 6 hours and 5 minutes. Dave McFarlane has put together a very worth
seeing film - fellrunners like Nicky Spinks, Joss Naylor and Steve Birkinshaw
comment on Tierney's feat, and the landscape shots are phenomenal.
Running the Wainwrights by
Dave MacFarlane
3.
Out There: A Journey to the Barkley Marathons
This is the story of Belgian ultrarunner Karel Sabbe, who holds the world
records on two of the most epic trails in the world: the 4279km long Pacific
Crest Trail and the 3500km long Appalachian Trail. How did setting these world
records prepare Karel for a race as brutal as "the Barkley"? Out There is a
story of persistence, endurance and a passion for the great outdoors.
Out There: A Journey to the Barkley Marathons
by Fabien Duflos
2.
Finding the Limit: Big Backyard
The concept seems almost too simple: Runners have an hour to complete a
4.166667-mile trail loop during the day and a road loop at night. The loops
repeat until there is one runner left, so having a plan of not quitting almost
guarantees victory. - In 2019, dozens of runners congregate at Big's Backyard
Ultra, a last-man-standing race developed by the infamous Gary Cantrell AKA
Lazarus Lake. This race format has experienced a real success story and has
become a World Championship. "Finding the Limit" tells the story of the 2019
race.
Finding the Limit: Big Backyard by
Trailbear Films
1. Transamericana
“It has become so easy to live in different bubbles”. Says Ultrarunner Rickey
Gates. Rickey is able to run fast, but he often slows down in order to have
time for adventure and personal encounters. In 2017, after Donald Trump took
office, he embarked on a run across the United States - from South Carolina to
California. Not on the most direct route, not as an FKT attempt. Rather, he
wanted experience his country, a country that is torn in the middle. "How can
we even discuss if we don't know anyone who disagrees?" Just as he opened up
his microcosm with “Every Single Street”, in his “Transamericana” project he
opened up the macrocosm of his own largely unknown country. This film created
by Dean Leslie is a real masterpiece.
And finally there is one bonus film. I had finished the TOP 10 list when Billy Yang announced the release of his long-awaited film:
Zach Miller burst onto the ultrarunning scene with a stunning and surprising win at the 2013 JFK 50 Mile Race. Since then, he's gone on to race in some of the biggest international mountain ultramarathons in the world. His head-to-head race against Hayden Hawks at the North Face 50 is unforgettable. After a win at the CCC 2015 he came back the following year to get the UTMB right. Since then he returned every year with the aim to become the first American to win this race. His signature racing style is reminiscent of Steve Prefontaine: Going out hard, leading from the front - either to win the race or to crash and burn on the way to the finish line. What drives him? How are his roots back home in Pennsylvania influencing him and his running? And why is trying to conquer the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc against some of the best competitors in the world?
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