Ultra Fiord
"Finding Traction" in Chilean Patagonia
Anne-Marie Dunhill / 18.04.2015
The largest website for trail running in Chile, Trail Chile, hosted the Trails in Motion film festival in the exquisitely exclusive Remota hotel in Puerto Natales in the afternoon before the start of the 100 miles race. The owner of the website, Matias Bull, had worked incredibly hard in the lead-up to the festival to translate from English into Spanish all the sub-titles for the seven films that were to be shown for the first time in Chile. There were only 100 tickets available for the event and the room was packed.
The film featuring Nikki Kimball, “Finding Traction” was the first film that was shown to the race ambassadors and general public. Nikki is racing the 100 miles distance on the Ultra Fiord and she spoke briefly before the film started, thanking Matias for doing the Spanish subtitles as the production company had run out of budget before this could be done and she was wondering when it would happen.
The fifty-seven minute film was a roller coaster of emotions as the film portrayed Nikki’s journey as she attempted to become the “fastest person in history to run America’s oldest hiking trail, the 273 mile Long Trail in Vermont”, (USA). Her record breaking attempt, the equivalent of ten marathons in a row, was in support of the Vermont chapter of “Girls on the Run,” a nonprofit organization.
The audience was literally spell bound by the powerful images and storytelling and at several points in the narrative, stifled sobs could be heard in the room. In the film Nikki speaks openly about her battle with depression and why she runs. Her intention is to be a role model for future generations of female runners and she said that’s what matters more to her than winning. She said that she wants some young girl in the future to think, “I can do better than Nikki.” The audience laughed heartily when she also spoke out about the disparity in prize money between male and female racers in ultra running, saying, “Just because I have two ovaries means I get paid less? Come on!”
It was a privileged moment in an intimate setting at the end of the world to watch this beautifully filmed movie with Nikki Kimball present in the room. The film was so raw and honest that at one point this journalist wondered what it felt like for her to be so exposed among her peers: some of the best ultra runners in the world are here to run in either the 70 km, 100 km or 100 miles races. The standing ovation that she received at the end confirmed the power of the film and Nikki’s moist eyes during the brief question and answer session afterwards told us about her feelings towards the film as well.
The intensity was a suitable lead-in to what lay ahead as the racers took a leap of faith in to the unknown race route that no person has ever run before, on the inaugural edition of the Ultra Fiord race.
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