In the event you’ve ever proven as much as a race, not had the day you have been hoping for, and have been left questioning what it was all for, the brief movie “Thoughts and Sport with Lucy Bartholomew” is a wonderful reminder.
Australian ultrarunner and triathlete Lucy Bartholomew lined up on the 2024 Black Canyon 100k among the many many ladies racing for a Golden Ticket entry into the 2024 Western States 100, and issues didn’t go as deliberate. This movie is the story of Bartholomew and her crew as they expertise the highs and lows of an extremely expertise.
Bartholomew made a reputation for herself early on in her profession, together with ending third on the 2018 Western States 100. In 2023, she accomplished the uncommon double of ending each UTMB and the Ironman Kona triathlon in the identical yr. Along with her eyes set on a return to the Western States 100, she lined up for the Black Canyon 100k with a help crew made up of ladies she’d met by her working journey.
Within the movie, Bartholomew’s coach factors out that one wonderful thing about Bartholomew is her need to tackle these challenges. She has an instinctive pull towards working, and it simply so occurs that together with that need, she has what it takes to return out on high. However when issues don’t go as deliberate, she additionally has the attitude to see what is definitely vital.
Her experiences really feel relatable due to her relaxed perspective and skill to snicker by the powerful instances. Whereas she takes her races severely, she can be humble and keen to just accept that even at your fittest, you possibly can have every little thing go incorrect and easily not have it’s your day.
One of the crucial inspiring belongings you’ll witness her crew do for her is to acknowledge that what she goes by is difficult and that’s okay. In ultras, it’s usually the little issues that crew members and family members do that may make all of the distinction, and this documentary exhibits the distinction that help made.
A display seize from the movie “Thoughts and Sport with Lucy Bartholomew” about her effort on the 2024 Black Canyon 100k by Dylan Harris.
The movie additionally highlights the ways in which ultrarunning brings collectively folks from all areas of the world and the deep connections that individuals can develop thanks to those shared experiences. With nonetheless comparatively few ladies in ultrarunning, and particularly on the high of it, this movie exhibits the significance of supporting one another moderately than being intimidated by each other.
One thing very stunning about ultrarunning, and particularly Bartholomew’s outlook on it, is that it doesn’t must be a win-or-nothing expertise.
Bartholomew notes that the ultimate race result’s usually not what stands out, however as a substitute, it’s the entire little items of the expertise that she shares with others. And that’s the takeaway for many of us, too, that stepping as much as the problem, and even perhaps ending it, is value it due to the relationships we are going to construct with others and the issues we find out about ourselves.
Name for Feedback
On the finish of a race weekend, what are an important reminiscences that you simply take house with you?
How do you cope when races don’t go as deliberate?
