I recently went to the Calgary showing of the Trail Running Film Festival. The event is touring across North America and Europe and includes eight short films. The submissions were very unique and I came away from the event feeling incredibly inspired.
All of the films were interesting, but there were three that were particularly memorable for me.
Brian Reynolds: The Leadville Trail 100
This film was about a one Mr. Brian Reynolds and his experience participating in the Leadville Trail 100 ultramarathon as a double amputee.
The Leadville 100, also known as the “Race Across the Sky” takes place in Colorado and was first held in 1983. It has since become one of the most popular, and challenging, trail runs out there.
Brian entered the lottery for the race, expecting it would take several years to win a place. Imagine his surprise when Brian’s number came up in the first year!
The film documents his experience competing in the race. It was truly inspirational to see his constant positivity and determination to do his best as a representative of other amputees that are pursuing running.
Despite countless falls and the resulting injuries, he managed to reach the halfway point before being forced to throw in the towel. I will remember his resilient mind set when I am coming across those difficult times in the race. Whenever I take a tumble (pretty well guaranteed to happened), thinking back on Brian’s experience will help motivate me to get back up and keep trekking.
Well Worn Life with Dani Reyes-Acosta
Instead of focusing on completing a specific ultramarathon, this film focused on the overall mindset of mountain athlete, land cultivator and storyteller, Dani Reyes-Acosta.
Dani took the audience through some of her daily routines while describing her take on living life to the fullest. She lives an independent and self-sustained existence in Colorado, partaking in various mountain sports, including running.
Although I do not see myself living the same day to day life as Dani, I did appreciate her approach to life. Focusing on maximizing her enjoyment of this life through sheer determination. Dani puts in hard work and recognizes the blessings in life.
When I think of this film, I will remember to stop and smell the roses. I am so lucky to have the opportunity to participate in Sinister 7 and I am going to make the most of the experience. No ragrets!
Girls Run Ultras
This film explored the story of the all women’s running collective Girls Run NYC and their experience participating in the Black Canyon Ultra Marathon. This ultra includes both 60k and 100k options where participants travel along the Black Canyon Recreational Trail in Arizona.
Although their group had little to no experience with ultramarathons, the group decided to seize the opportunity and dedicated months training for race day. As a newb to ultrarunning that decided to just “go for it”, I definitely related to this story.
One of the women made a comment about failure that stuck with me. She spoke about how not enough of us put ourselves into a position to fail. We tend to choose the safe route that guarantees completion of the task, but doesn’t necessarily allow for growth.
Failure is often viewed as a worst-case scenario, when in reality it can be a sign of self-improvement in progress. Considering this viewpoint has given me a new perspective on competing in Sinister 7.
For me, failure in this race would be a DNF. I have taken all possible steps to prepare for the race and am going to give 1000% of my effort to make sure that doesn’t happen. So, instead of being scared of a potential DNF, I am choosing to focus on all of the work that I have put in. I have already experienced success by completing all these months of training.
But for real I do BADLY want to finish… 😅
Attending the film festival was a great decision. I came away with a feeling of gratefulness that I am able to experience this race and a sense of pride that I have chosen to pursue this goal. In short, I am super pumped!
