Unbreakable: The Western States 100

Running and adventure

Next month the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival will show 75 of the best adventure, travel and extreme sports films and runners will not be disappointed! There's a great spread of films and lectures that will get your heart rate up without actually taking a step! Be sure to wear your heart rate monitor and log this as training!

One that is sure to fill the cinema is Unbreakable: The Western States 100. The film tells two stories simultaneously. The first is the story of Gordy Ainsleigh, the founder of this iconic foot race. The race was originally for horses and their riders participating in the Western States Trail Ride. Gordy tells of how his horse wasn't fit enough for the race in 1974 and so he decided to do it on foot. At the time he was told that not only was it impossible for him to run it in under 24 hours but that it was impossible for anyone to run it in 24 hours! He finished with 18 minutes to spare.

The second part of the story is of the fascinating race of 2010 when four of the world's best ultrarunners lined up against each other. At the start of the race the outcome is almost impossible to predict and it doesn't get any easier as it unfolds. If you've ever had a bad patch in a marathon or any long distance race you will know that it is possible to come out of it and start to feel good again and you will enjoy watching and guessing who prevails, not only against the other competitors on the day, but against the legends who had run it before.

As a runner, you will relate to the stories that each tell. If you've ever come unstuck with your pace judgement, or been dragged along with a group who were running the wrong pace for you, you will laugh when Gordy tells of the problem he had with the horses. Due to lack of space on the trail he had to run at the horses pace in the early part of the race - either that or stand still whilst hundreds of them went past him!

The film isn't only about the race and the running. It's about magical places and runners' lives too. It's also, as the name of the festival suggests, about adventure. The footage of Kilian Jornet leaping down near vertical descents illustrates brilliantly his outlook on the mountains as his playground.

Personally I would have liked a third story running through it - the story of the women's race but perhaps we'll get that another time. That's enough for now though. I don't want to spoil it by saying anymore but I hope it gives you the same tingles down your spine as it did for me.

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