REI Presents: How To Run 100 Miles

In September 2017, I stepped up to the starting line of the Run Rabbit Run 100 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, alongside my friend Jayson Sime. The race is a 102.9-mile ultramarathon with 20,000 feet of elevation gain, which is no small feat for a couple of guys who don’t know what they’re doing.<br />
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Jayson had talked me into it, and if I were to be completely honest, I’d say we were there to test out his life philosophy, which is basically that you can do anything you dream up, as long as you put in the work and refuse to quit. That ethic has worked for him in almost every other area of life, despite growing up in poverty, one of six children with no father, and dyslexia.<br />
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In the six months leading up to the race, we figured since we weren’t naturally talented runners, the best thing we could do is work hard. So we ran 50- to 70-mile weeks all summer, and went through a full range of feelings: fear, regret, sadness, FOMO, hunger, thirst, exhaustion, pain, and joy. And gluttony, which is not a feeling, but what happens after you run 20 or more miles. The chart below is a representation of a training plan for a 100-mile race (but if you’re really looking to train for a 100-mile race, you should find a real training plan online or in a book).<br />
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How did the race go? You can watch our film, How to Run 100 Miles, to find out. No spoilers here.<br />
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Directed and produced by Brendan Leonard<br />
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Co-Directors: Hilary Oliver and Aidan Haley<br />
Editor: Aidan Haley<br />
Cinematography: Brendan Leonard and Hilary Oliver<br />
Animation: Brendan Leonard and Eric Bucy<br />
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Steamboat Springs Unit:<br />
Director of Photography: Forest Woodward<br />
Additional Cinematography:<br />
Aidan Haley, Brody Leven, Syd Jones, Jayson Sime, and Brendan Leonard<br />
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Original Score: Cleod9 Music<br />
Featured Performers: Ian McLeod, Peter Mulcahy, and Matt Sedivy<br />
Audio Post Production: Scotty Beam/Cleod9 Music<br />
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“Puppets”<br />
Performed by Atmosphere<br />
Written & Produced by Atmosphere<br />
S. Daley for Upsidedown Heart Music (ASCAP) & A. Davis for Ant Turn That Snare Down (ASCAP)<br />
Taken from the album When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold<br />
Used Courtesy of Rhymesayers Entertainment, LLC <br />
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Thanks<br />
Run Rabbit Run<br />
U.S. Forest Service<br />
Meghan Hicks<br />
Joe and Kathy Leonard<br />
Cheryl Sime<br />
Anders Norblom<br />
Kate Duch<br />
Paolo Mottola<br />
Syd Jones and Debi Sule<br />
Angie Lundstedt<br />
Brody Leven<br />
Christian Folk<br />
Luke Nelson<br />
Bodie Johnson<br />
Jessica DiCarlo<br />
Mr. Rider<br />
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