It’s Not That Hard!!!
Film Session(s)
Venue(s)
137 minutes, Australia, 2013
A lot of people like to run, but how does an average or occasional runner go from jogging the neighbourhood streets to running 100km through bush trails up and down mountains? This documentary proves that IT’S NOT THAT HARD!!!
Three runners of very different backgrounds attempt their first trail ultramarathon, the TNF 100 Blue Mountains in Australia – a spectacular course rated by Dean Karnazes (the ‘Ultra-Marathon Man’) as “the toughest 100km I’ve ever done”.
For months, the three runners undergo training and preparation for the race, helped along by the wisdom of other experienced trail runners, including elite ultra-runners such as Meredith Quinlan, Jane Trumper, Andy Bowen and Pat Farmer, a legend of the sport who ran from the North Pole to the South Pole in 2012.
As our trio mix with the committed and sometimes crazy community of trail ultra-runners, they soon learn that trail running ultramarathons are not all about winning, personal-best times or switching off and getting “into the zone”. They are about knowing yourself – both physically and mentally – exploring your limits, and having respect for nature, the environment and your fellow runners.
The documentary provides instruction on running technique, how to make time for training in life, equipment, the role of family and friends, nutrition and the mental preparation required to make the “seemingly impossible” possible.
The final concludes with the race itself, which is set in the stunning World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains on a course with over 4200m of elevation. A team of 10 camera operators, several of them ultra-runners themselves, journey into parts of the course only accessible by foot to show the race, through both day and night. They follow the main three runners through their first 100km race and catches up with all the other runners who shared their thoughts and experiences for the documentary.
IT’S NOT THAT HARD!!! comes from first-time director Ana Penteado, whose very first running race of any kind was the TNF 100 Blue Mountains (at age 36). After meeting others in the ultra-running community, Ana wanted to share all she learned about how to approach big challenges (and problems) not only in a race, but in life in general. In her words, “There’s a point in our lives that we think, well, I have probably already lived the best things of my life and it’s all downhill from now. However, long-distance trail running brought back the feeling that I can still achieve big things and actually reverse that situation and see there is no limit to what I can still achieve.”
Director(s): Ana Penteado, Dominic Cadden
Producer(s): Ana Penteado, Dominic CaddenAna Penteado & Dominic Cadden