Go Death Racer

Directed by: Simon Donato, 2011, Canada, 24 minutes
Showing: Thursday 16th February 2012 - Trail Running night
Location: Pacific Cinemateque

Short synopsis:
For most people, running a marathon represents a bucket-list, once-in-a-lifetime achievement. For a growing number of hardy, masochistic souls however, marathons are only a warm-up for the real test of human endurance, the ultra-marathon. 'Go Death Racer' follows four Canadian endurance athletes as they prepare for, and race Canada's most famous and challenging ultra, the Canadian Death Race

Long synopsis:
For most people, running a marathon represents a bucket-list, once-in-a-lifetime achievement. For a growing number of hardy, masochistic souls however, marathons are only a warm-up for the real test of human endurance, the ultra-marathon. 'Go Death Racer' is a documentary about four runners who attempt to solo the Canadian Death Race, one of Canada's toughest ultra-marathons. At 125 km long with 17,000 ft. of elevation change, the legendary difficulty draws an international field of competitors annually, all looking to test themselves in Canada's most famous ultra. Documenting the pre-race preparations to the race itself, 'Go Death Racer' is a fast paced and high energy look at what it takes to tackle one of Canada's toughest ultra-marathons. Follow Turbo, Scott, Nicki, and Simon in a fast paced documentary where in the world of ultra-marathoning, finishing is winning, and everything else is a bonus.

DIRECTOR BIO:
Simon Donato is a geologist by day, and a self-taught film director and producer by night. A recent convert to the world of ultra-marathoning, he produced Go Death Racer in order to give audiences a candid look into this grueling sport. His next film goals are to create a feature-length documentary, as well as a number of webisodes showing the beauty and artistry of mountain running. In his spare time, he runs AdventureScience.ca and is actively training for the upcoming racing season.