In between back-to-back-to-back marathon months – been working on the ‘mental’, attending local film festivals & lectures.

Reel Rock 10 – Thursday Sept 17^th

Sporting one of the world’s largest climbing communities, no surprise Reek Rock kicks off annually in Boulder.  $20 General Admission tickets at historic Chautauqua Auditorium – arrived early & snagged mid-section seats.  Series of films with a sense of humor & breathtaking scenery – well received this nite by the locals.   While I don’t expect to free climb El Capitan next year, found the festival & its collection of films super entertaining.

Trail Running Film Festival – Tuesday Sept 29^th

In only its 3^rd year, local trail runners packed in Boulder’s Dairy Center for the Arts – 8 films, 3+ hours of sit time.  Sat directly behind & 3 seats across from two guys in the Alaska Mt Marathon flic, titled “3022ft”.  Additionally, near half the girls from “She Wanted to Fly” attended tonite (filmed locally here in Boulder).

My fave film, “The Run for Colin”, followed a young man’s quest to set the PCT speed record – Mexico to Canada in under 60 days.  Ran 47 miles a day – EVERY day.  WOW, left super inspired!

Seriously considering running 5 days, 5 states, 5 marathons in March 2016…seriously 🙂

Jane Goodall – Thursday Oct 1^st

Free tickets gone in minutes, crashing the university’s website – count me one of the lucky ones.  Life is good 🙂  Impressive living in a community where a lecturing scientist fills an arena & disrupts traffic.  #faithinhumanity

To accommodate the public, lecture was moved from Macky Auditorium to Coors Events Center (CU’s basketball arena) – and those tickets went in 2 hours.  Largest lecture attendance in CU history – almost 9,000 – crowded into a basketball arena to listen to Dr. Goodall discuss a wide range of environmental topics/our species’ biggest threats: global warming, deforestation, ocean pollutants & use of GMOs in food & modern agriculture (a practice outlawed in Europe).

For Goodall, the legendary primatologist-turned-environmental rock star, who at age 81 travels 300 days a year to every corner of the planet, there is no cause too minor or local when it comes to conservation.

 

“You’re lucky,” she said toward the end of her 75-minute talk at the University of Colorado’s Coors Events Center. “You live in Boulder, where there really is concern for the environment. Where wonderful things are happening. We want that to spread around the world.”

 

Goodall’s lecture covered a wide range of topics, from her childhood to her years observing and living among chimpanzees in the Gombe Stream National Park of Tanzania, to her hopes for the future of a planet she believes must rescue itself from total environmental devastation.

Everest – Tuesday, Oct 6^th

Heard mixed reviews re: this Fall’s blockbuster film, “Everest”.  Based on a true story, knew ahead [that] half the May 10^th climbers would not survive.  What I didn’t expect however, was how drawn I still am to Everest.  Despite this year’s earthquakes & climb season cancellation (super disappointing), found myself mesmerized – almost jealous of the whipping wind, exposed skin & SNOW.

After marathoning St. Jude’s in Memphis – last of 2015 – expect to fill the holiday season with snowy 14er hikes/climbs, tenting & backpacking until my Hawaii run in mid-January.

“The mountains are calling and I must go.” – John Muir

Run Free – The True Story of Caballo Blanco – Thursday, Oct 29^th

Ended film festival season attending a newly released documentary on Caballo Blanco.  Soon after moving to Boulder, I remember reading about a memorial service held by the local trail running community – but did not understand the significance.  Complicated individual.  Micah True lived simply among Mexico’s indigenous Tarahumara Indians & spent his last days giving back to these people — promoting an ultra run thru the canyons of northern Mexico, raising funds to support his adopted people.  Left tonite feeling, inspired!

American Mountaineering Museum•  The feature-length documentary is about ultra-running legend Micah True.  Better known as Caballo Blanco – the White Horse – True, was the focal character of Christopher McDougall’s 2009 best-selling book “Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen” about the Tarahumara Indians of northern Mexico.