The list of Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) documentaries is small (I wrote an article about it earlier this year that you should go watch).  Therefore, I get excited whenever anything new comes out that references OCR even if it is not the main focus of the documentary.  The newest documentary to reference OCR is one called “My First Marathon” that is now available for free on YouTube.

One of my friends, Bobby Ross from Stoke Shed, decided that just because the majority of things are on hold for 2020, his goals shouldn’t be.  Without training and with no preparation Bobby set out to attempt a marathon by running laps around a local park in Tulsa, OK.  The event raised money, more than $800, for Tulsa’s Greenwood Cultural Center, a local museum and cultural center providing educational and cultural experiences, encouraging intercultural exchanges and facilitating cultural tourism for the local African American community.

I don’t want to ruin the ending to but I’ll say I think the video came out very, very good.  It not only covers one man’s journey and is chocked full of good marathon tips but also dives into the psychology of distance running.  In my opinion Bobby nails the “why” of distance running.

It’s hard for me to be completely unbiased since I’m featured in the documentary along with a brief appearance of Conquer The Gauntlet Pro Amy Pajcic and my Strength & Speed teammate Josh Harding pacing Bobby, so here is a quote from someone else that watched it that’s never met Bobby in person.

“Stoke shed has a way of creating video content that is relatable and engaging. It has a way of making you consider your own internal motivation in a way that many people don’t think of in their daily lives.” 

-Ashley Samples

I’m not an expert on cinematography or editing, but I am close friends with someone that is that has worked on shows on both MTV  (Nikki and Sarah Live) and Comedy Central (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver) as an editor:

“Well done.  He’s good. He has great comic timing and the whole thing was well paced…he did a great job with the footage.”

-two time Emmy award winning editor Anthony Miale

As an unrelated party, he had no reason not to be honest and I valued his input greatly so I asked him.  I agree with him in that it has what feels like a high production value made by someone who knows how to keep your attention and build interest in a story.

Don’t just take my word for it though.  Watch it here.

5/5 Stars

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