Patagonia’s new trail run documentary “RUN TO THE SOURCE” is launched
Run to the Source, a new documentary from Patagonia has launched across Europe.
The film charts the journey of Patagonia Trail Running Ambassador Martin Johnson (MJ) as he attempts to set a new fastest known time (FKT) on the 184-mile Thames River Trail, from the Thames Barrier in South-East London to the source of the river in the Cotswolds, on 25 May, the anniversary of the murder of George Floyd.
As an athlete and a Black British man, MJ grapples with the gruelling physical challenge, as well as contemplating the history of Black people in Britain, as he runs the route symbolic of empowering and enabling people from ethnically diverse backgrounds living in cities to explore the outdoors and wild places. The feat is interspersed with archive footage contextualising the experience of being Black in Britain over the past century as well as poetry and original music.
Martin Johnson, Patagonia trail run ambassador, said: “Exploring the outdoors is enriching physically, emotionally and socially but history has created inequality and barriers which combine to prevent many people of colour from forming relationships with the outdoors, or even discovering it at all. I hope Run to the Source might prompt viewers to seek out some of the lesser known and shared histories of the lands around us, which have shaped our societies and the layers of privilege which exist within them.”
Matt Kay, director of Run to the Source, added: “Martin’s journey embodies a struggle, a movement, a progression. The film does not just focus on the question of whether he will beat the fastest known time, but documents Martin’s discovery process as he finds out about Black British history and how it relates to the outdoors. Through his connection to the river, love of running and hunger for knowledge, we learn both why he feels so linked to the outdoors and why, by default, many Black and Brown people feel so alienated from it.”
The film by Walks of Life Films premiered in London on February 16 and now appears on YouTube.
