ASICS have launched an inspirational short film which sees international teams attempt to circumnavigate Mont Blanc in the hours between sunrise and sunset on 21 June 2016, the longest day of the year.
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The 20 minute film, created by sports production company Epic TV , follows the highs and lows of teams from Africa, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Central Europe, Oceania-Pacific, East-Asia and two from the Americas, as they race against nature’s clock and each other.
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The film captures the blood sweat and tears as the eight teams, each comprising of 3 amateur and 3 expert runners, attempt to circumnavigate the daunting Mont Blanc Massif crossing France, Italy and Switzerland. In addition to being on the course for more than 20 hours and battling conditions including snow, driving rain and wind, the athletes also faced harnessed climbs, injury and dramatic last minute changes to the course.
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The challenge was captured on camera and has been turned into an exciting film which follows the inspiring stories of the group of runners as they take on ‘nature’s toughest challenge’.
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Filmed using a diverse mix of techniques, including drones, motorbike mounted cameras, paragliders, helicopters and runners the video gives viewers a close up and personal experience of this grand challenge.
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Getting into the minds of the athletes, the film gives viewers a unique insight into the inspiring stories of both the amateur runners – including American student Kelsey Landrum who battled back from being told she’d never run again – and expert athletes like Olympic medallists Ryan Hall and Deena Kastor, as they all take on a once-in-a-lifetime challenge.
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The runners – each running 2 legs of the 140km course – were pushed to their physical and mental limits with just 15 hours, 41 minutes and 35 seconds between sunrise at and sunset.
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In an epic finish cheered on by a huge crowd in Chamonix town centre, Team Europe North – featuring one amateur and one expert each from the UK (Matty Hynes, James Rory MacDonald), Sweden (Jonas Buud, Anna Sofie Nelsson) and the Netherlands (Erben Wennemars, Chris Berendse) – finished the global race in 14:50:00, an unbelievable 51 minutes ahead of the sunset.
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‘ASICS Beat The Sun’ will be shown on ASICS’ YouTube channel, across its social platforms, on selected airlines and via the video creators Epic TV on its digital platforms
You can watch the film below
#BeatTheSun