Documentary reflects on Marin man’s journey from businessman to extreme endurance athlete – Marin Independent Journal

Corte Madera resident “Epic” Bill Bradley isn’t afraid to do the hard stuff.

In fact, the extreme endurance athlete’s mantra these days is “show up and suffer.” It’s something that has driven his pursuits over the years, from breaking a world record for running the Grand Canyon seven times to completing a Badwater Quad, a 584-mile journey that starts at Badwater Basin in California’s Death Valley, at 57 years old. old.

Although he’s been through some of the most challenging endurance sports events in the world, tackling minus 50-degree weather in Minnesota and 120-plus degrees in Death Valley, at his core, he’s a man who won’t give up on that either. He will push himself to his limits. And if he doesn’t cross the finish line, he’ll sign up and try again and again.

“You keep getting up. You don’t have an ego. It’s having the courage to go back to that starting line again after getting frostbite, after falling into cracks, jumping into the English Channel where I got lost and separated from the boat with only a few miles to go in -a storm and you just go out and get it again,” he said.

It’s a journey he reflects on in “Epic Bill,” the new 56-minute documentary chronicling his life and adventures as an endurance athlete, while highlighting his eighth attempt at the Arrowhead 135, one of the toughest endurance races ever cold in the world. and the second attempt to climb Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas.

Along the way, he realizes that “success” and self-fulfillment isn’t always about crossing a finish line or climbing to the very top of the mountain, but rather the journey of stepping out of his comfort zone and seeing what his body is. capable of.

The documentary can be viewed online on the PBS website at pbs.org/show/epic-bill as well as through the PBS app.

“As I filmed with Bill, I realized there was a lot to explore, learn and find out. There is such a passion. With his complex story with the business, his family, his big dreams and just who he is as a person, the story itself expanded and got bigger and bigger,” said director and cinematographer Quinnolyn Benson-Yates.

“Facing Fear”

In 2019, Bradley’s sister Leslie Murphy approached him with an idea that one of her sons, Kyle, was graduating from the Los Angeles Film School.

“What do you think about him and his brother and his friends making a documentary about you?” Bradley remembers being asked.

“And I said, ‘Well, let me check my calendar. OK, that seems pretty clear,’” Bradley said and laughed. “My big goal is to inspire millions of people. I always think really, really big. I want people to step out of their comfort zones and try things they’re not comfortable with. And when you find what your passion is, keep going and don’t give up.”

When Bradley first envisioned the documentary, he envisioned it would show his triumph in completing the Arrowhead 135, a goal that had eluded him for years. Considered one of the toughest races in the world, he suffered frostbite and battled illness, severe pain and an icy polar vortex during his attempts. On the third attempt, he made 98 of the 135 miles.

“Initially, I thought I was confident that I would show people that they could do whatever their big goal was. And for me, it was these extreme events, like the Arrowhead race. I talked to Quinn when I was there and she said, “Bill, I went through the records. This is your eighth attempt. When Quinn talked about it, I go, maybe my message is something different. Maybe you just don’t give up on your dreams. Even just trying and facing the fear is the important message. You’re further along than if you didn’t try.”

For Benson-Yates, the real meaning of Bradley’s story clicked when she sat with him in his hotel room after he dropped out of the race.

“He looked at me and said, ‘Is this story worth it? I’m sorry. I didn’t manage to finish. Can we still make the movie? I just got this strong response right away, like, of course, because it’s all part of your story. That was one of the first events I shot with Bill, and I think it resonated with him and resonated with me as we continued to shoot together that it’s not about the destination. It’s about having the courage to get up and try again.”

How it started

Growing up in Novato, Bradley spent his high school years running cross country. But when he continued to put too much pressure on himself and lost his joy for himself, he decided to quit.

He went on to create Bradley Video, a successful chain of game and video rental stores that became one of the top independent video retailers in the country. (One of his stores was featured in a scene from “Scream.”) But the self-made millionaire’s life changed drastically in 2005 when his company went under due to the changing industry. He went bankrupt and went through a devastating divorce around the same time.

“My ego was crushed by all these failures,” he said. “It was devastating for me. My identity was with the business and all that.”

During this difficult time, he was reminded of a dream he had that kept pushing him back: to complete a 50-mile run. And one day, with some training under his belt, he went and did it.

“I got up at like 3 in the morning and ran 50 miles like my life depended on it, because it did. And after I finished that race, I stood up taller and I could look people in the eye and I was like, ‘Man, I’m an ultra runner now,'” he said in the documentary.

As he ran, he realized that he liked to exceed what he thought he could do.

“If I can do it, that’s great. And if I don’t, then at least I was in the arena and I was fighting as well as I could,” he said.

“Field of Hope”

Regardless of the dream, Bradley hopes that after hearing his story, people decide to go for it – one step at a time.

“We all have a dream. Few actually go after it. They’ve just decided they’ll probably never be able to do it. And now I think watching the movie gives you hope that maybe you can bring that dream back to life and pursue it. There is a glimmer of hope now that they could go after it again.”

These days, he’s training hard, spending hours swimming in the bay and a local pool and climbing Split Rock in Corte Madera for his goals next year: his sixth attempt to swim the English Channel and his second attempt to climb Half Dome.

If he succeeds this time, great. If not, he’ll go back to work and try again.

Originally published: November 21, 2024 at 4:00 PM PST