Unbreakable, Western States film starring Kilian Jornet, released free

The documentary about the 2010 Western States (WSER) 100-mile ultramarathon Unbreakable has been released for free for everyone stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film features a younger Kilian Jornet as he races three of the world’s best ultra runners in one of the world’s most iconic ultra distance trail events.

Western States is the world’s oldest 100-mile trail race, starting in Squaw Valley, California near the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics and ending in Auburn, California. The race started in 1974 and has come to represent one of the ultimate endurance tests, with runners climbing more than 18,000 feet and descending nearly 23,000 feet before they reach the finish line.

Reach the finish in less than 30-hours and you receive a coveted bronze belt buckle; or a sub-24-hour gets you a silver belt buckle.

Unbreakable follows four ultra runners who were regulars on the podium in 2010: Kilian Jornet, who had just won Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB); Hal Koerner, two time defending Western States champion; Geoff Roes, yet to be defeated at the 100-mile distance at the time; and Anton Krupicka, undefeated in every ultramarathon he had started.

As for the 2020 race, Race Director Craig Thornley shared this update on March 23rd. “We continue to plan for our runners to assemble during the weekend of June 27-28, but realize that we need to be proactive as well. In the event that the coronavirus situation does not improve, we are also exploring the possibility of postponing the event to the fall or guaranteeing a spot in the 2021 race for all 2020 race entrants.”

Prokit co-founder Angela Zaeh (@angela) has a Collection of great trail and ultra movies and documentaries if you’re looking for others.

For the ultra runners or aspiring runners, we’ve featured interviews with Western States participants Dean Karnazes and YiOu Wang, and sports medicine physician Emily Kraus who is a regular on the ground at the event.