JB's the kinda guy that goes out for a 50km run without thinking too much about it. The kind of runner that brings people together and then stays out til 4am buying them drinks.
He's the organiser, the Dad, the map-reader - and it's safe to say that without JB, this adventure would never have happened. His obsession with Tajikistan got everyone to the startline, but the responsibility is a big burden to shoulder.
Jodie's a quietly competitive and self-driven runner from Cornwall in South-West England, she's never been bothered by speed but loves to push the distance, going out for hours and hours by herself and competing regularly in races. But this trip will be the farthest and highest she'll have ever run.
She's quick to self-deprecate and despite being the most experienced runner of them all, worries she's overshadowed by the others. As the youngest of the group and the only woman, she feels she's got a lot to prove.
Having spent all summer training for the Beer Mile World Championships, it's safe to say Gabe is someone who doesn't take himself, or running, all that seriously.
The fun-loving playful puppy of the group, he's endlessly curious and endlessly energetic. He can run a blistering sub 5 minute mile and yet has never run an ultramarathon.
When asked if he was nervous for the trip, he shrugged, smiling and said "we'll see how it goes."
Like all good stories, this one begins with a drunken bet.
Three friends, bonded by a love of running, were desperate to ditch their desks and go on an adventure. One night, after a few too many drinks, they placed a bet.
They would spin a globe and wherever their finger landed, they would run.
They spun. Tajikistan.
Tajikistan!?
A part of the world few have heard of let alone travelled to. A region shrouded in a reputation of war and danger. A place of extreme heat during the day, dropping to dangerously cold temperatures at night. Where the altitude is so high, it feels like you’re breathing through a straw. Not exactly prime conditions for running.
They accepted their challenge.They would run across Tajikistan from the border of Afghanistan to the border of China, covering 400km in just 7 days - about a marathon a day, everyday, for a week. They would run through a valley of spectacular proportions, the locals call it ‘the roof of the world’.
This is a story without finish lines or medals. Rather what happens when you trust in nothing but your own two feet, to carry you across one of the last truly wild landscapes on earth. Self-doubt, self-discovery and a whole lot of mountains.
This film is a true adventure into the unknown.