05/06/2026
This was my 4th time attempting to film someone during a marathon but it was my first time documenting someone’s training leading up to the race.
I could talk all day about the challenges of solo filming something like this and what I’ve learned after 4 marathons - a lot of what not to do for sure.
But the biggest difference between the first 3 marathons and this one was that I spent 2 months with while she was training for this race. That gave me a much deeper understanding of her mindset and the challenges that she was facing as the race was approaching.
I saw when things were going well and where they weren’t, when an injury came up and how she handled it, what this race meant to her and her relationship with running, and how she was choosing to approach this race differently than the others that she ran before.
When race day finally came, I felt more invested in the outcome of this race than any other marathon or race I’ve covered before. Every mile she hit within her goal pace fired me up - and I was watching that tracker like a fu***ng hawk.
The last time I saw her during the race was mile 22 and she was definitely in the pain cave - see last slide - but she never stopped and she crossed the finish line at 3:37 - 8 minutes under her goal for the race. And holy s**t was I stoked. All I did was film the thing but I was so invested that I felt like I PRd too haha and seeing how happy she was when I caught up with her after the race was the cherry on top.
It was an incredible experience and one I won’t soon forget. Grateful I get to capture moments and stories like this one.