Last Thursday I attended a pre-screening of the soon to hit theaters "Beyond the Epic Run". Annie had come down with the sickies, so Troy agreed to stay home with her while I went. I was calling all my friends last minute to get some company and was ecstatic when my good friend Laura agreed to ditch her hubby and her kiddo to come watch the movie with me. Totally last minute, what are good friends for?

We arrived about 15 minutes before the start of the film and were treated amazingly well by Jennings PR and Advertising. We were taken to meet Serge who completed the running in the film, and Oh my, he was quite the character. I asked him what advise he would give to anyone wanting to incorporate more adventure into their lives, he said that "You Just have to be willing to pay the price for your dream. I was willing to die for mine". Serge didn't die, and neither did his wife Nicole who followed him around the world for 25,000 miles on a motorcycle with all their gear.

Laura and I with Serge

After meeting Serge we ran into Simon from www.runcolo.com. I absolutely love his blog and read it religiously. He also has a super cool race forum, and his site is generally really top-notch, you should check it out. We hadn't met in person, but we kinda know a lot about each other because we stalk each others blogs, so it was great to sit with him and chat for awhile before the movie started.

The movie was a bit late to start, and I forgot to get some popcorn, but other than that it was a pretty awesome night. The filming for the movie was done by Nicole and so it's a bit home movieish, with a few fun shots. The editor did a good job of piecing together the clips into a story. What was caught on film that was a learning experience for me was the contrast of the different people around the world. All the shots of the couple with the children of the world were awesome. Serge, although he is an awesome and amazing athlete took care of himself a lot better than some of the other Epic running films I have seen recently. Despite a diet of pasta, coke, and his pipe, he seemed to barely fluctuate in weight, kept a very toned physique, and seemed to maintain a level of balance that I have yet to see in such Epic Adventure films. It was refreshing. Less suffering, and more travel. Less about the miles every day, and more about the total miles covered.

At one point Nicole said, "this movie is about a fast runner and a very slow motorcyclist". I loved that. The feat Nicole completed was no small task and rather than it being a film about a supported runner, it was very much a film about a couple that traveled the world, one on foot, one on motorcycle. They both supported each other. They both got Malaria (still battle with) and they both ended up hospitalized at one point. But, they would put the motorcycle in storage, heal up, and push on. It took them 5 years to cover 25,000 miles. What an epic journey.

The audience asked Serge (pronounced "Surge") if he still runs? He said "Just about 3 times a week for good health and good attitude, I have other things I want to do with my life". He is an alpine guide in the Swiss Alps, and they own a Breakfast Cafe. He was also asked about his mileage during the trip and he mentioned never running over 40 in one day, and taking the 7th day to rest and let his body recuperate. He had a sustainable attitude about the whole thing. This film was all in all quite refreshing, and reminded me that I too can chase my dreams...I just have to be willing to pay the price.