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Photo c/o Like The Wind Magazine: It’s not How to Run, it’s Why We Run |
The tagline and spirit of Like The Wind Magazine (c/o) |
Like The Wind magazine is a new find for me and I love everything about their ethos. It isn’t another run-of-the-mill sports magazine with training tips, kit reviews and advertising, it’s different. Unique. It brings real runners stories and journeys to life with honest anecdotes and inspiration tales, and combines this with incredibly striking illustrations and photography. I wasn’t surprised to see they were holding an event to showcase the release of the Spine Race movie, it’s exactly what they’re about – sharing incredible runner’s stories first hand.
So to the race, and the film…
Last Wednesday evening I crossed the city and found The Proud Archivist on the banks of Regent’s Canal, a combined gallery, bar, restaurant, cafe and event space and the setting for the film screening. When I arrived I knew immedietly that I was at the right place as the bar area was crowded with runner lookalikes cladded in lycra, backpacks and trainers. I grabbed a homemade lemonade and we were taken to our cinema for the evening before being introduced to Simon, the brains behind Like The Wind and our host. We then sat back and watched the epic race unfold.
The Spine Race – 268 miles from South to North along the entire Pennine Way, starting at Edale in the Peak District and finishing in Kirk Yetholm, Scottish Borders. It’s a non-stop, self-supported race that takes place over 7 days in January and challenges anyone to test themselves and compete in truly demanding Winter conditions. The film captured the best bits of the runners’ journeys – their physical and mental ups-and-downs – and the organisers’ planning and support. It truly baffled me why anyone would want to put their bodies through this extreme challenge, a constant battle of mind over matter with little sleep and for the most-part a lonely expedition.
After the film, we were given the opportunity to chat with one of the race finishers Damian Hall, who is also author of the Pennine Way National Trail Guide. He is a great storyteller and one of the runners that the film team focused on and followed closely during the race. He finished 3rd this year, just ahead of the first lady, Beth Pascall, who from a female runner’s perspective is out-of-this-world awe inspiring.
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A view of the Spine Race route c/o Summit Fever Media |
Before watching some funny outtakes of the film, we also chatted to the team of two from Summit Fever Media who were behind the camera and got an insight into their race journey. It was so interesting to hear their stories of how they followed the runners and captured the best footage for the documentary and it made the film we’d just watched even more inspiring.