Portrait of an Ultra Runner

Presented by Make Running, this short film follows German ultra-runner Mikey Kratzer as he returns to The Speed Project—a 500km solo effort from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.

Ten years sober, ten years married, Mikey’s story is a quiet kind of redemption. Not just for the race he didn’t finish in 2024, but for the life he’s rebuilt since leaving behind drinking, DJing, and a self he no longer recognized.

“I just need running.” That line from Mikey has stuck with me. I don’t fully understand the pull either—not yet. But I know I need it, and that’s enough for now.