Turbo Time

As a runner first, triathlete second, the majority of my 'cycling' is done statically in the warmth of my own home rather than along the country lanes of olde England. Whilst life as an accountant has proved a fine tuition in coping with mundanity, without the changing scenery and stimuli of an outdoor ride even I require some distraction. When there's nuffin' good on the box, one way to keep the boredom at bay (and feel inspired), I find, is to watch ultramarathon documentaries. Just as the world of ultra running has grown in recent years (it's still niche though, right?) so too has its standard of videography and breadth of coverage. Here are a few that I've been watching lately...in the aero position:

Running On The Sun - The Badwater Ultramarathon

Badwater was the first ultramarathon I came across to inspire my little ultra running mind. I find the event utterly fascinating. Here we see the ’99 race - sponsored by Hi-Tec (remember them) – with a plethora of personalities. It was a time, not so far back, but long enough ago where running modernities such as GPS, HRM and instant internet answers to "which - insert equipment type - should I get" were not readily available. Hats off to all the runners that took on ultras without peace-of-mind-parachutes. Hats back on again for those 50ºC Badwater temperatures.

Barkley 100

Just an incredible thing. Only a select few have ever finished all five loops of the 100 mile ‘course’. A relatively unknown event with an equally unknown entry system, raw ultra-running at its finest.

The documentary itself is first-class. Even if you’re not too crazy about silly running (then why are you here?) it’s a good investment of your time. The film introduces many of the entrants and the running lifestyles they lead. As veteran finisher Ed Furtaw puts it, the race is "purposely adjusted and created to be at the limit of possibility".

Depressions: A few moments from 30 miles in the canyon.

A brilliantly shot short film high up in the Grand Canyon as Rob Krar (Ultra Runner of the year 2013) runs and talks poignantly about his battle with depression and love for ultra running. His little yellow outfit is superb too.

Check out the scenery and join me in my appreciation/jealousy of American trail.

Yiannis Kouros - Forever Running

If you’ve never heard of Mr Kouros then you simply must watch this. He is the master. In layman’s terms, such is the dominance of his records, he’s the equivalent of receiving an iPhone for Christmas in 1988.

The documentary offers great insight into his life and just how odd…sorry, focused...folk are who achieve such feats. I tend to disagree with those who believe in ‘anything is possible’. It’s not. The seed for greatness, for all the training in the world is something sadly, you’re born with. Here we learn that at school Yiannis was long-jump champion showing signs of dominance at an early age. Should you require another example, then might I tell of how a certain Jason Statham (action hero extroadinaire) once represented England at this.

One similarity we do have between us – aside from being fine runners – is a love for DIY, I was surprised to find out. Though my girlfriend would demand I finish tiling that kitchen floor (skip to 8:10) before tying my shoelaces for a run.

Badwater Ultramarathon Documentary

Another Badwater documentary I know, but this one follows the story of a lone entrant (Akos) from training to finish line. It also spans a two hour turbo session, allowing one to concentrate more on pedaling than typing. What is also interesting here is the role of the crew (support team) and importance there of. The camaraderie is superb and the additional crew member (Karsten) Akos picks up at registration is just a delightful human being.

Ironman Wales 2014

Yes, that’s right, this is not an ultramarathon – well spotted. But it seems fitting to watch some Ironman action when atop the bike, given it’s the very reason I’m in the saddle. This was the event I raced last September, as shown on Channel 4. Unsurprisingly I do not feature, though £10 to anyone who can spot me. I’m wearing a green cap, if that helps?

Whilst many races now have some video record (three cheers for GoPro!) most remain quite amateur and I guess ‘you had to be there’ for them to be in any way engrossing.  If you were there, then I find them to be of great use in obtaining another runner’s perspective and plotting improvements for next year’s race (and who doesn’t enjoying playing ‘spot me’ with a friend). What I gleaned from watching this video was that entering the sea near the back and to the left was a bad idea. 

So, does anyone have any recommendations for me to add to my turbo training list?