Most ultramarathon tales highlight the athlete’s efficiency, however a brand new documentary from SportsShoes.com turns the lens towards the folks the runners depend upon most–these whose efforts usually go unrecognized. The Hidden Race: Crewing TDS at UTMB, launched final week on YouTube, takes place on the 2025 TDS race at UTMB in Chamonix, France, in August. It follows U.Ok. runner Darren Agnew and his crew chief and associate, Hannah Cawthra, to disclose the chaotic and transformative world of ultramarathon crewing.
Created in partnership with Hoka, the movie premiered throughout the U.Ok.’s Kendal Mountain Pageant on Nov. 22. It opens with SportsShoes.com’s personal definition of crewing: “the act of supporting a runner by offering important provides, bodily care and emotional encouragement at designated factors.” Over the 153-km ultra-trail race, one of many hardest on the UTMB circuit, the documentary reveals that crews aren’t just for elites; even for mid-packers like Agnew, that assist is significant.
Crewing tasks
For years, Agnew ran ultras with no crew, till Cawthra satisfied him to let her and a gaggle of their pals tackle the position. The movie reveals how crewing requires meticulous superior planning and group, plus a major quantity of emotional and logistical work all through race day. Alongside being a runner’s private cheer squad, crews deal with fuelling, hydration and equipment adjustments, whereas additionally always adjusting plans because the climate shifts.
Crews aren’t allowed at each help station, and a few checkpoints allow just one crew member–and Cawthra carried that full duty. However only one particular person can dramatically cut back a runner’s time within the help station, and that one acquainted face can supply a large morale increase, particularly when the race begins to take a toll.
Agnew’s outcomes underscore that affect. Between 2024 to 2025, with the assistance of his crew, he minimize practically three hours off his TDS time, leaping from 34:24:08 to 31:36:58, demonstrating how highly effective the assist of a crew may be on race day.
Watch the movie on YouTube right here.
