Beyond the Epic Run
| March 2, 2009 | Posted by Angela under Health & Fitness, Local Places & Events |
I had the pleasure of viewing the documentary film, Beyond the Epic Run, at the Bijou Crossroads last Thursday. I received a personal email from Annie with Jennings Public Relations & Advertising, who was promoting the film. They randomly found my blog and sent me an email with the details. So glad they did! I hadn’t heard of the film yet and the description sounded so interesting.
Serge and Nicole, a married couple, left their Switzerland home in February of 2000 to run around the world alone. I mean literally run around the world. Serge was on foot while Nicole followed on motorcycle. Serge was set off to run over 25,000 miles, on six continents and through 37 countries. It took them 5 years to complete their journey.
The film is an up close and personal view into their journey. They camped outdoors wherever they stopped. Serge was literally running around a marathon every 2 days. They ran into a war zone in Africa and had to take a detour. Right when they were planning on going through Iraq, 9/11 happened. They were advised to to take a detour. They caught malaria and almost died. Half way through their journey, the organization that was supporting them could no longer afford to support their cause. They were running to help children in poverty and that were in need. They ran into Hurricane Charly when in Miami. Serge’s mother passed away when they were in the Northeast USA. Everything seemed to go against them. Somehow, they found a power within themselves to continue their journey.
They met so many people from some many different cultures. One of my favorite scenes was when they ran into a family of 4. It was a man, his young wife and their 2 young children. They were on donkeys. All they had was the clothing on their backs and 2 live chickens. They had fled their village due to violence and they were literally living one day at a time with no place to call home.
Throughout the movie, you become more and more engaged. I was so touched and humbled by all their encounters. I cannot imagine doing what they did. Actually, I know I couldn’t. However, it does inspire you to do what you believe to be the unthinkable. Serge’s favorite comment is “Impossible is a stupid word.” He didn’t want to believe that he couldn’t do it. It takes an incredible amount of self confidence, faith and passion to do what he and his wife accomplished. I think a crucial part of this journey was their love for each other. That journey was not possible if they didn’t believe in each other. That bond was so important to their success and it just got stronger as they pushed on.
The film is being shown for free all across the USA. All they want to do is share their story with others in the hopes of inspiring people. That it definitely was. I hope that their message reaches more people than they thought was possible. Below is the trailer.
This is the default footer layout. You can easily add or remove columns in the footer.
Thanks for the great write up about the film!! So glad you could make it!