Kilian Jornet's "A Fine Line - Summits of My Life" - DVD Review

I just had a chance to watch A Fine Line, the first film in Kilian Jornet's Summits of My Life series, and all I can say is WOW. Stunning photography of the Alps, wonderful behind-the-scenes views of Kilian and his fellow mountain warriors, and deep emotional context as we experience the death of Stephane Brosse, the 3-time World mountaineering champion who died on a traverse attempt with Kilian in June, 2012.


A Fine Line official trailer. from Summits of My Life on Vimeo.

Within the first few minutes, the cinematography explodes onto the screen and gives you an close up view of Kilian's minimalist alpine style set to a delicious original score by Zikali. I kept doing double-takes seeing him at 12,000 feet, running through the snow with little more than what I wear on a California winter day. Where's all the heavy gear?!? Not his style. Or more importantly, not his way. And soon you see his minimalist style isn't a racing technique as much as it is his way of life. Did you know he did the whole UTMB course in two days just a few weeks before his first win, eating only berries and drinking water along the course? Yeah, I know. Amazing.

Kilian is a child of the mountains, and he and his fellow alpinists have a great way of explaining how this differs from running for the sake of running. "On the track, there is no risk so we time ourselves to get a benchmark. In the mountains, it is different. We try to become one with the mountain by finding new limits. It's an emotion, from the heart, very connected to risk." From each voice, their soul is authentic...it is not a "better than you" sort of thing. It's a mountain thing. And you can see why even though he has won every major trail running race out there, he has set his sites on much bigger summits.

(Kilian Jornet's Summits of My Life goals)

My favorite quotes come near the end, where just before Stephane Brosse has his accident, they are both blissfully playing with birds and wind among the mountains. "You have to go look for happiness in life, find it in the things that make you feel alive. Life is not something to be preserved or protected, it is to explored and lived to the full." And with those words, there is not a hint of regret for his friend and hero meeting his end, only that he can't be there to share the next one. Stephane Brosse's closing words on happiness bring the film an intense closure.

Truly an epic film. Definite buy it, or become a friend of Summits of My Life for the full package. You won't regret it!

- SD

[Note - the DVD is encoded in PAL (a European format) instead of NTSC (an American format), so it may not work in your typical American DVD player. You may need to stick it in your PC or something. You can also downoad the film directly from the Web site.]

Profiling HURT (DVD Review)

Profiling HURT is a new documentary DVD that follows ultrarunners through Hawaii's grueling HURT 100, arguably one of the world's most difficult 100-milers. It's a great taste of the people, spirit, and challenge behind this monumental challenge, and it's already become a staple in my DVD library (now getting plenty of 5am cycling trainer use). I would highly recommend it.

Profiling HURT (FINAL) from Barry Walton on Vimeo.

Ultrarunner Mark Gilligan (known to many as the co-founder of ultrasignup.com) is the energetic and self-professed bordeline-attention-deficit-disorder athlete at the center of the story. We catch up with him training for his 2nd HURT 100 after a great 6th place debut the previous year. He soon ropes in his rookie friend, Scott Guild, and we follow them through a season of training and reflection. Much of their day-to-day shows the kind of drive and dedication that 100-milers must have to tackle such a huge adventure, whether it's running flights of stairs daily in his office building, taking a 4am 40-mile fun run with friends on a freezing beach, the endless food and caffiene abuse, dealing with injuries, and a positive attitude that pervades everything. The HURT 100 is his great white whale, his fixation that allows him to take his training to the limits of injury and mental exhaustion just for the challenge. I chuckled at many of the scenes, realizing how many people must see me in a similar shade of insanity. All this for a belt buckle?

The HURT 100 course, beautifully captured by film maker Barry Walton, is staggeringly difficult. There are roots, mud, and vertical at every turn, heat that barely subsides in the night, and rarely a section long enough to actually run. I found myself pausing the video on many occasions and just shaking my head...how in the world are these guys doing this?!? The aid station volunteers, manned by the always-smiling Hawaii Ultra Running Team (HURT), are like angels in the hills. It really gives you an appreciation for this well-respected race.

HURT from Barry Walton on Vimeo.

You can check out more at the Profiling HURT Web site, or buy it at Ultrasignup.com. I think you will like it!

- SD

DVD Review - Bicycle Dreams

You know a DVD is good when you immediately hit "play" as soon as the end credits are rolling. That's exactly what I did with Bicycle Dreams, a new documentary film by Stephen Auerbach that chronicles the 2008 Race Across America (RAAM). The footage and editing are brilliant, providing a unique view into the minds and souls of those crazy enough to try and ride 3,000 miles across the US in 12 days. I think it's interesting to any athlete, but for endurance athletes this movie is a "must see".

What drives a person to want to sleep one hour every 2-3 days and ride straight through from San Diego to Atlantic City? To push themselves so hard that they can't envision the faces of their wife and kid just one car back? And what happens when tragedy strikes half way through the race and forces crew and riders alike to question the very core of why they engage in such risk? This has it all, with plenty of quotables that you can take with you. Just check out the trailer and see for yourself.



I've watched it three times now, and it just keeps getting better. You can pick up a copy of one from their Web site, bicycledreamsmovie.com. 

SD