More than a few people have sent me their thoughts on the movie. I wanted to post a great review I got from a fellow runner since he took the time to do pen such a lengthy response. This is a sampling of much of the feedback I have received but I his response was in line with where I really wanted to go wit hthe movie, I was pleased it hit home with at least one person. Enjoy!
*I'm really not good at reviews, especially if I know the person involved. I like to see my friends succeed, so maybe I lose some objectivity. In that case, maybe just looking at this from an ultra runner's perspective would be better.
202 miles solo? The thought in my head alternates between no way and I have to try that! After a little introduction to get to know Dane the runner, the film jumps right into the subject at hand - the trials of having a green crew, unmarked course (only the maps) and the thought of managing 202 miles "solo".
Even though the journey starts out well enough, I really appreciate the honesty of showing how there where a number of miscues that resulted in added miles and wasted time. If you've ever ran a long distance and missed a course marker, you know that sometimes it takes all your energy and it's hard to get back in the game to finish. Dane seems to be locked in and takes things in stride and keeps his eye on the prize. It would have been easy to gloss over the bad to make it seem like it was a piece of cake to accomplish this goal. Instead we get a real look at how being involved with crewing a runner can be a hard job in itself.
Overall, I did truly enjoy the documentary. Listening to Dane talk about a pickup driver that almost hit him made me laugh and shake my head in a knowing fashion. Watching him almost stare into space and need to concentrate with everything he had to maintain a conversation when dead tired and needed to keep moving reminds me of how most of us look and feel near the end of a 100 miler, let alone 200.
So if you want a look into what going above and beyond what you previously thought you could do looks like and the people that support those goals, take a look at the film. If you have run 50, 100, or more miles you'll feel a connection to what's going on. If you haven't, you just might decide to find out what we have - you are capable of way more than you think!
- Ron Ruhs, Nebraska
