Most ultramarathon tales highlight the athlete’s efficiency, however a brand new documentary from SportsShoes.com turns the lens towards the individuals the runners rely upon most–these whose efforts typically go unrecognized. The Hidden Race: Crewing TDS at UTMB, launched final week on YouTube, takes place on the 2025 UTMB TDS in Chamonix, France, in August, following U.Ok. runner Darren Agnew and his chief crewer and associate Hannah Cawthra to disclose the chaotic and transformative world of ultramarathon crewing.
Created in partnership with Hoka, the movie premiered in the course of 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 level.” 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 and not using a crew, till Cawthra satisfied him to let her and a gaggle of their buddies tackle the function. The movie reveals how crewing requires meticulous superior planning and group, plus a tireless quantity of emotional and logistical work all through race day. Alongside being a runner’s private cheer squad, crews deal with fuelling, hydration and kit modifications, whereas additionally consistently adjusting plans because the climate shifts.
Crews aren’t allowed at each assist station, and a few checkpoints allow just one crew member, which means Cawthra, the lead crewer, carries that full duty. However only one individual can dramatically cut back a runner’s time within the assist station, and that one acquainted face can supply an enormous morale enhance, particularly when the race begins to take its toll.
Agnew’s outcomes underscore that influence. Between 2024 to 2025, with the assistance of his crew, he minimize almost three hours off his TDS time, leaping from 34:24:08 to 31:36:58, demonstrating how highly effective the assist of a crew could be on race day.
Watch the movie on YouTube right here.
