The Long Way to Hardrock

A film about patience, pacing, and the kind of performance that only comes after years of waiting, working, and wondering if you’ll ever get your shot.

You might know Dylan Bowman from Freetrail or as a voice behind UTMB coverage—but in this film, he reminds us he’s an athlete first. Not just a commentator, not just a founder, not just a curator of the sport. A runner. One who dreamed of Hardrock for over a decade, and when the moment finally came, rose fully to meet it.

The story is told mostly by others: Tyler Green, Topher Gaylord, Hillary Allen. Friends and pacers who know Dylan well—and who carry this race with him, both physically and emotionally. Their words fill the silence of the San Juans with something more than noise. They give it context, history, depth.

There’s no big narrative arc here, no manufactured drama. Just the light shifting over the mountains. A slow build. And a runner finally in the race he’s been waiting for—giving it everything.

This is what running looks like when it’s fully lived. Not rushed. Not overexposed. Just real, grounded, and worthy of the distance.