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Why do people do this?
Documentary filmmaker Marius Anderson tries to answer this question about the reasons people choose to expose themselves to bitter Minnesota wind and temperatures in the annual Arrowhead 135 winter ultra race that begins in International Falls, one of the coldest spots in the United States.
The participants can race by foot, on bicycle or on skis to cover the 135 miles of trail that covers the northern Minnesota landscape.
“We filmed this in 2019, during a Polar Vortex, so it was even colder,” Anderson said. (www.40belowmovie.com)
“Filming this was very tough for a crew,” he said. Anderson researched to find filming equipment that would work in the frigid temperatures. He said the film crew paralleled the athletes. “Some racers do this with no sleep, especially if it is very cold. If you stop, you could become hypothermic, and it could be hours before someone comes by.”
He and his crew got by with very little sleep. “I rented a small cabin at Checkpoint Two, and we slept two to three hours. Everything was a kind of blur. You forget everything around you,” Anderson explained.
Anderson followed Bill Brad ley, a competitor from California who was making his eighth try,and Leah Gruhn. She and her husband, both scientists, participated by bicycle. Bradley raced by foot.
On camera, Bradley talks about some of the trials he has endured in his life. He lost his business and his wife, and he eventually started running marathons. As tough and grueling as they were, he considered them nothing compared to what he had gone through. So he has participated in extreme competitions all around the world, including races in the desert with temperatures of 135 degrees Fahrenheit. But he has not been able to finish the Arrowhead 135.
Overall, about a third of the competitors finish the race.
Throughout making the documentary, Anderson said he returned over and over to that question of why people do this. “And I found it is different for everyone,” he stated. “Some come back year after year, and treat it as a family reunion. Someone like Bill has a very different reason. And the reasons are all interesting.”
One racer’s answer as to why he does it was simple. “It separates you from being normal,” he said.
Anderson said he loves to watch documentaries, as well as make them. “It is very difficult oftentimes because people might act differently. My approach is to have a small film crew, sometimes just myself. There were so many moments when people forgot about me being there on this film, and that was great,” said Anderson. “But he struggles with the Arrowhead 135.”

Full story @ MonitorSaintPaul.com