LifeTime Leadville Race Series

Lifetime Fitness puts on world class events such as the Leadville 100 Run and we at DFV video are lucky enough to come along on the ride to capture all the details and stories as the trails wind through the mountains of Colorado! Capturing the essence of a grueling 100 mile course in Leadville, Colorado is no easy feat! DFV is known for taking control and handling complex productions in highly demanding environments. For some bizarre reason we dig lugging heavy gear in weird steep remote places. This was no exception. 

The Event:

• The race course travels over 100 miles through the high alpine areas in and around Leadville CO
• This trail running race tops out at 12,600 ft in elevation.
• Racers can take up to 30 hours to cross the finish line
• Brutal mental and physical conditions exist

Production, Planning and Logistics 

Setting up our mobile editing van was a key part of the production as we were able to run around the clock editing cuts for blasting out to social feeds in real time! Meanwhile 12 + cameras content are being fed periodically into the post production machine back up for post event recaps and awesome story telling vignettes. 

The greatest challenges for this level of “backcountry” coverage was clearly safety, timing, camera placement, and gear distribution. Having the right people with the right gear and skills is critical to success!. These events are very dynamic from the start line to 30+ hours later and everything between coverage over a hundred miles of remote areas including mountain passes over 12K feet! Needed for these logistics were, 4x4 trucks, quads, atv’s, bicycles and good ole fashioned hiking boots! Many days of maps, planning and location scouting go into these events so that we can be prepared come game day.

Key Factors: 

• RV Mobile command center based out of an for on-site editing, media management
• Strategically place and execute teams on course to capture leaders, while maintaining focus on human interest stories of perseverance throughout the event.
• Accommodate for logistical challenges of transporting shooters and gear well into the alpine, in adverse weather conditions, and in low-light environments
• Maintain team communication during event

“Capturing the magic and history of the Leadville Trail 100 Run required a very thoughtful approach. From the ideation and storyboarding process, to the interviews and production, each step was carefully thought out to tell a compelling story and capture the true behind the scenes magic that takes place at the Race Across the Sky. DragonFruit Videoproduced a final product that encapsulates the beautiful history and modern-day transformation of this storied event.”

Ryan Cross, Senior Marketing Manager Lifetime Athletic Events