Documentary tells an inspirational tale of four Penticton multisport athletes

PENTICTON – A new feature documentary following athletes participating in last year's Multisport Challenge race in Penticton was a work of endurance in itself.

Makers of “The Last Mile,” released yesterday, Feb. 27, followed four athletes for eight months leading up to the race in August 2017.

“Following characters for such a long period of time creates a lot of challenges,” Last Mile producer Pamela Tomlinson said.

The film originally had a completely different story line, but one of the original characters passed away and another had to withdraw after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, she said.

Penticton’s own Jeff Symonds and Jen Annett tell an inspirational story about the sacrifices necessary to be a professional triathlete.

Between game-changing injuries and mental roadblocks, the athletes fight off numerous obstacles in a moving story about the two pros fighting for a top spot among the elites.

The Last Mile also followed two age group athletes in 44-year-old Daisy Tse and 65-year-old George Zradicka, who fights to finish the race within the regulation 12 hours. In the film, Zradicka has an hour to go before the race cut-off time with miles to go, a body breaking down and a mind that refuses to give up.

The documentary follows all four athletes through each trying moment of the race in an emotional and inspiring production that Symonds calls “liberating and inspiring.”

"The film accurately shows how everyone, myself included, who chases big dreams is going to fail and go through tough times at some point. Ultimately, I hope the film helps liberate you from the fear of failure and inspires you to keep moving forward through the challenges on your path to crushing your goals,” he said.

The Last Mile premieres March 9 at Peloton Cycling in Calgary, and is now available on Telus Optik TV on demand.

The 90 minute documentary was produced by Kelowna-based Render Digital Media.

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