Imagine a challenge where you have to complete a journey of 2,500km in two weeks under your own steam. A challenge where there is no giving up, no going back. A challenge where you are traveling through some of the most stunning landscapes on Earth – but those landscapes threaten to break your spirit – and possible break some bones as well. This is the challenge of Epic Camp, a gruelling training regime which takes 24 top triathletes on a mammoth journey from Cape Reinga in the far north of New Zealand to Cape Bluff in the far south.
The athletes featured in ‘Going Long, Going Hard’ are among the top triathletes in the world. They include former Ironman and Ultraman world champions; all of them have either competed or will compete in Ironman competitions. They are used to facing tough challenges – but when the challenge is completing a journey of Ironman proportions every day for two weeks, even the strongest are daunted.
The documentary gets inside the minds of these remarkable men and women. They reveal what drives them to pit their strength and endurance against seemingly insurmountable obstacles. They talk about their fears, their triumphs, their failures and their successes. They talk about losing friends; about conquering pain; about finding the balance between single-mindedness and selfishness in their bid for top honours.
One of the athletes talks about the potentially fatal skin cancer caused by constant exposure to strong sunlight while taking part in triathlon competitions; another talks about the pressure to succeed and to be ‘the best’; another talks about putting her relationship with her partner on the line as they both take part in the camp; and, heartbreakingly, a national champion talks about losing it all as his body is broken down by the constant training and competing, and how he came to terms with the loss of his partner, who was killed in a biking accident.
But it’s not all gloom – at one point, the wheels fall off the trailer carrying all the food; one athlete is reduced to peddling a bike several sizes too small up a mountain range in a bid to complete the camp; and throughout, there is an incredible sense of achievement as the athletes compete against themselves and against the landscape to achieve their goal.
The documentary features candid interviews with the athletes on the camp, but also with triathlon legend , former world champion Erin Baker who talks about the pressures felt by triathletes. It also uses tiny, high-definition ‘athlete cams’ to take viewers on the bike, on the run and into the water with the athletes.
Filmed in HD1080 with lightweight cameras the production team have been able to capture the fast-moving and exciting character of the camp; and the unchanging beauty of the countryside they pass through.
In the end, Going Long Going Hard reveals how those who take part in Epic Camp are changed forever.