Chicking the Guys

"Miles & Trials" star Christina Overbeck-Crawford (wearing blue) placed 6th this weekend against some VERY tough competition in the Stumptown XC Race in Oregon. Then she jumped into the men's race for an extra workout "to humiliate us a bit further," said our friend Dave Ross, one of the guys in this photo! Wish Christina luck because in a few weeks, she's running the Osaka Marathon in Japan as part of the Osaka-Chicago Sister Marathon trade :)

How Much Do I Love Olympic Track & Field?

This much! Getting a big, fat needle in my spine (an epidural steroid injection for disc degeneration and spinal stenosis) wasn't enough to keep me from watching the Olympic women's 10,000m track finals on my laptop at the hospital. Check out the attached photo of me and my very patient nurse :)

(p.s. Happy to report that I lived, and that our three U.S. women - Amy Hastings, Lisa Uhl and Janet Cherobon-Bawcom - while they didn't medal, all set personal bests in the biggest race of their lives. GO U.S.A!!!) 
For a full replay of the Olympic women's 10,000m final, click here.

Title IX & the Chicago Women's Half Marathon/5K

It was a great day to be a female athlete on Sunday, June 24th! The inaugural Chicago Women's Half Marathon & 5K coincided with the 40th Anniversary of Title IX (otherwise known as the Equal Opportunity in Education Act). Without it, the women in "Miles & Trials" would not have had the chance to attempt to qualify for the Olympic Trials and I wouldn't be producing this film!

© 2012 Ali Engin Photography

It was a beautiful morning in Chicago. Christina and Heather, both teammates on the Fleet Feet Elite Racing Team, were among thousands of women of all ages who toed the line in the half marathon and 5K. 

Heather had made the somewhat painful decision to end her trials qualifying attempt after the 2011 Chicago Marathon. I spoke with her and she is completely okay about it and said that she's bringing the same intensity she put into her running into her personal and professional life and enjoying time with family and friends. Christina has been in Chicago for several months and just graduated from Northwestern University's Prosthetics-Orthotics program and will be starting a new career as a Prostheticist in Portland. 

Both continue to race well; Heather won the 5K with Christina close behind her in 2nd! The 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials is not out of the question for either of them, should they choose to go for it again.

That's what friends are for!

First Film Screening!

On May 22nd, we screened an extended trailer for "Miles & Trials" at Chicago's Indie Incubator Film Festival in Chicago. It was an opportunity to test-drive our editing of the film so far and gauge audience reaction. Our Olympic Trials qualifier, Christina Overbeck, attended the screening with some of her grad school classmates and when the host of the film festival introduced her and her accomplishment, a great cheer went up from the audience. Whenever there was a scene with her on the screen, cheers and shouts of, "Yeah, Christina!" erupted, as well.

Christina watching herself on the big screen

Since I am editing this film myself (pending acquisition of the financial resources necessary to hire an associate producer/editor), I learned from watching the trailer on the big screen that there is much tweaking and massaging of the footage to do to make it visually appealing, as well as to fix some of the audio. As a mentor of mine (who is a well-respected film producer) said to me, "If you don't have great sound, you don't have sh*t." This is definitely a learning experience! If you'd asked me two years ago if I'd ever have the dream of producing, shooting and editing a feature-length documentary, I would have told you, "You're nuts!" I'm sure that if you asked any of the women featured in "Miles & Trials" the same question about going for an Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier, they'd all say the same thing. But just like these athletes, I'm dreaming big!

[Note: If you'd like to support this film and help us finish the post-production necessary to get it released by August, please donate to our Film Fund by clicking on the yellow Donate button on the right-hand side of this page.]

Opening credits of "Miles & Trials" at the Indie Incubator Film Festival

When Will "Miles & Trials" Be Released?

Many of you have asked, “When will ‘Miles & Trials’ be released?” Well, that depends...

We have over two years worth of footage to organize and edit — nearly 50 hours of video! Like the women in our film, this female Producer has tried to do it all but it’s time to ask for your help. The film is nearly finished, and we need your assistance to cover the post-production costs of editing, color correction, music rights and distribution. Thanks to you, our fans, we have managed to travel to marathons across the U.S. and film this documentary for just under $20,000, most of which was raised through donations to our Film Fund.

RELEASE DATE: As of now, we’re looking at release in July/August 2012 but again, that depends on whether or not we can get the funding to meet that timeframe.

STAFF: We’ll need to hire an Associate Editor who can assist with organizing the footage, color correction and sound design to help craft our story into something powerful. 

EQUIPMENT: We’ll still need to purchase media to store all of the footage and need to purchase or rent equipment to continue the ongoing post-production process.

MUSIC: Music composition and/or licensing to add emotion and punch to the soundtrack.

LICENSING: Although “Miles & Trials” is about finding one's inner strength, having big dreams and the tenacity to go after them, we’ve also focused on our athletes’ journeys to qualify for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. For us to be able to incorporate the some of the video we shot in Houston, we’ll likely have to pay to license our footage.

DISTRIBUTION: Your contribution will help us produce DVD’s, submit “Miles & Trials” to film festivals and begin the distribution process. Any additional funds will help us reach more and more people, and work towards our ultimate goal of getting this film into the world.

POST-PRODUCTION FUNDRAISING GOAL: $20,000 USD

Simply put, we want this film to reach as many people as possible! “Miles & Trials” is a film with a universal message of tenacity and willpower, taking place on the roads and the track but carrying over into all aspects of life.  We believe “Miles & Trials” is a story that will inspire everyone who sees it. If you’d like to donate to our Post-Production Fund, please visit our website and click on the “Donate” button. With your help, we can reach the finish line!

WEBSITE: http://www.wix.com/wendysity1/milesandtrialsfilm

Life on the Run... From Law Enforcement!

After beginning filming on "Miles & Trials" in early 2010, we are about to begin the daunting task of going through two years worth of footage and head into post-production so we can get this film out there in the world! We have over 40 hours of high definition video to go through. The fun part of this is reliving some of the more memorable moments following fast women around the country, and watching some of the crazy things our cameras caught.

One of those moments was this spontaneous story from Elite marathoner, Leah Thorvilson of Little Rock, Arkansas who competed in the Olympic Trials. Here she is blowing off some steam the night after the Trials at a bar in Houston. She had a hilarious story to tell us about the time she was... well, I'll let Leah tell the tale:

The Power of the Pack!

Check out a snippet of my interview with some of the 25 women who qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials at the California International Marathon in December. Filmed in Houston, the day before the Trials.

"Miles & Trials": How it all began!

In 2008, I ran the Chicago Half Marathon and stopped at Mile 6 to film the female leaders as they ran by on the opposite side of the road. Those women were Amanda Domich, Alona Banai and Christina Overbeck, three women I’d seen winning various races throughout the city. I was so impressed with their performances that I sacrificed going for my own PR to film them!

Here is the original video I shot of the 2008 Chicago Half Marathon on my little Canon PowerShot camera. It's a bit long and the part with the female leaders is halfway through the video—apologies for how crappy the quality is; I knew next-to-nothing about video production back then!

Feeling inspired by Amanda, Alona and Christina, I suddenly had the grandiose idea of producing a web series about some of Chicago’s top female distance runners and began interviewing some local women but soon realized that I’d eventually have enough footage for a feature-length film. In February 2010, I put out a call on Facebook for any fast women who thought they had what it took to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Trials to participate in my as-yet untitled film—by that March, I officially began production on “Miles & Trials” at the 2010 Chicago Shamrock Shuffle. Tera Moody won it that year and graciously agreed to let me do a post-race interview with her the next day. 

In the ensuing two years, I followed six women as they trained and raced, determined to lower their times to meet the qualifying time standard. I’ve traveled to marathons across the country and met some amazing women (and men) and have made so many new friends! I am truly grateful for and humbled by the support this film has received from you, our fans in the running community. Without your donations of funds and frequent flier miles, I would not have been able to get this far.

On this, the eve of my departure for Houston to film the culmination of “Miles & Trials” at the 2012 Olympic Marathon Team Trials, I am finalizing my production schedule and reflecting back on the generosity of our many supporters, as well as the willingness of Christina Overbeck, Claudia Becque, Amy Haney, Heather Prekop, Jacqui Aubert and Suzanne Ryan to let me follow them around with my camera for two years, as well as that of the many women I’ve met and interviewed who have dreamed big and run fast. My own personal journey through unemployment, a very long job search and learning the craft of video production (without any prior experience) has been a learning experience and a test of my own resolve but the perseverance of our female athletes has really taught me that you can do anything you want to do if you keep your eye on the prize!

The “Miles & Trials” story does not end at the Olympic Trials, though. In the end, it’s not really about qualifying for the Trials at all—it’s about determination and doing what you love to do—and how running can fulfill us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I will continue to follow our women for the next few months and then begin the daunting task of going through two years worth of footage to craft this story. I hope to have our film released this summer but in order to do so, we still need financial assistance for additional filming, as well as the post-production phase which will require my hiring an associate editor, sound designer and the money to produce DVDs, distribute the movie and travel to film festivals (where I hope we will win some awards!) 

If you would like to help us complete “Miles & Trials”, please continue supporting this film by donating to our Film Fund through our website. Thank you for supporting women’s distance running and female filmmakers!

Sincerely,

Wendy Shulik | WendyCity Productions
producer | editor | runner

THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS!

Our shoot at the California International Marathon on 12/4/11 was a success, thanks to you, our fans! Because of your support of this film, we were able to get to Sacramento to witness 25 women from around the U.S. qualify for the Olympic Trials within a 4 minute window before the qualifying time cutoff! It was an emotional and astounding moment for everyone. With additional pledges to our Kickstarter Campaign, we're now able to travel to Houston to follow these women at the Trials on 1/14/12!

Kate DeProsperis congratulating fellow Olympic Trials Qualifier,
Victoria Russell. [Photo: Lezlie Sterling]

This has been a tremendous two-year journey, not only for all of the women who have trained relentlessly with this goal in mind but also for this producer. As a fan of distance running, there has been no bigger thrill for me than being able to travel around the country following our “Miles & Trials” women and meeting so many wonderful athletes, race organizers and volunteers. 

Thank you again for ALL of your support of this little grass roots, independent film. See you on the roads! 

 Wendy Shulik, Producer

Going for it in Sacramento!

Ladies and gentlemen, your five "Miles & Trials" Olympic Trials Qualifier hopefuls at the California International Marathon! Christina Overbeck (PR 2:47:07), Jacqui Aubert (PR 2:54:46), Suzanne Ryan (PR 2:50:43), and introducing two fast gals from Arizona, Kristina Pham (PR 2:53:40) and Kerry Camberg (PR 2:47:57). Be sure to track them on Sunday, 12/4!

Also, we are still in need of financial support to finish shooting this race next weekend and at the Olympic Trials on 1/14/12. If you'd like to support these athletes, women's running (and female filmmakers), please donate to our Film Fund by clicking the PayPal link on the right side of this page or check out our Kickstarter fundraising campaign below.

California International Marathon: The "Last Chance" Qualifier!

Did you know that the California International Marathon is a "last chance" qualifier for those women who are looking to achieve a Trials standard? They're even offering a bonus of $1,000 for an A standard (2:39) and $500 for a B standard (2:46). I'll be making an official announcement soon about which of our "Miles & Trials" gals will be toeing the line next Sunday, December 4th... can you guess who they are?

Erin Richard (Hansons-Brooks Distance Project)
Olympic Trials Qualifier - 2:44:35 @ the 2011 Chevron Houston Marathon 

New Kickstarter Campaign! Help us get to the Olympic Trials!

“Miles & Trials” is a film about a group of women attempting to qualify for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials. For many, just qualifying for the Trials is their Olympics. 

"Miles & Trials" isn’t so much about qualifying for the Trials; rather, it’s for anyone who has ever put on a pair of running shoes, for anyone who knows a runner and for every woman who has overcome obstacles to pursue big dreams. We are also producing this film to raise awareness of women’s racing in the hopes that it will create more opportunities and better sponsorships for our U.S. female distance runners, as well as empower everyone who has a goal of doing something extraordinary.

Our athletes come from diverse backgrounds and have varying levels of experience. From a "newbie" who ran her first marathon in 2009 to a 37-year-old mother of four children, they have put in countless miles of training while balancing work and family life. Production kicked off in March 2010 at the Shamrock Shuffle 8K in Chicago, Illinois and has continued throughout the U.S. as our athletes continue to attempt to run an Olympic Trials qualifying time of 2:46 or under. Shooting will conclude on January 14, 2012 at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Houston, Texas.

With the qualifying window closing in mid-December, we only have a month to raise the funds needed to get to Houston to shoot the very last segment of our film at the Olympic Marathon Team Trials. We really need your help!

FUNDRAISING GOAL: $1,200

FROM NOVEMBER 24 - JANUARY 10 ONLY, we're launching this Kickstarter Fundraising Campaign to get to Houston to film our last segment.  Kickstarter is the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world, and a unique opportunity for fans to get involved in the creation of artistic projects they believe in.  Our “Miles & Trials” Campaign will take place over 45 days with a goal of raising $1,200 (US). **VERY IMPORTANT**  We MUST reach our minimum goal of $1,200 in order for Kickstarter to fund the project. If we don't raise a minimum of $1,200 by January 10th, we don't receive ANYTHING.  So we really need your help in making this campaign successful!

HOW WILL THE FUNDS BE USED?

Currently, the film is approximately 4-6 months away from being completely finished but we have one more marathon to shoot.  We need funding to pay for our travel, renting our video gear and hire a Production Assistant.  Our total fundraising goal to make it all the way to the finish line in Houston is $1,200, and our hope is to jumpstart the fundraising process on Kickstarter by involving as many of YOU as possible—our wonderful fans!

Your donations will directly support this production by expanding the filmmaker’s resources. Each dollar will help us finance computer and software expenses, gear rental, crew, and travel to races to interview Olympics hopefuls across the country while following our core athletes in their attempts to qualify for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials.

THE STATUS 

The film is currently in the pre-production stage. We have recently received attention from USA Track & Field, Runner’s World magazine and the Chicago Marathon, who have promoted the film. We have been releasing film trailers on a regular basis and are continuing to seek financing and sponsorships for the feature-length film we are so passionate about producing!

Pledge $25 or More: A "Special Thanks" credit on the film, and the eternal gratitude of the filmmakers and the athletes.


Pledge $50 or More: A "Special Thanks" credit and a digital download of the completed film (expected release in 2012).


Pledge $100 or More: You'll receive a “Special Thanks” credit, hard copy DVD of the completed film (expected release in 2012) and an über cool “Miles & Trials” technical t-shirt or running singlet.


Pledge $500 or More: You'll receive an Associate Producer credit in the film, a hard copy DVD, and a “Miles & Trials” technical t-shirt or running singlet.

CIM: Last Marathon & Last Shoot before the Olympic Trials!

For the past two years, we've been following Amy Haney, Christina Overbeck-Crawford, Claudia Becque, Heather Prekop, Jacqui Aubert and Suzanne Ryan (as well as many other women from around the country) as they've balanced life and training to reach their goals. We're now approaching the finish line of the shooting portion of this documentary. The window to qualify for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials closes on December 17, 2012 and won't open up again for another two years!

We hope to be at the California International Marathon (CIM) on December 4th to film our athletes' last attempts at an Olympic Trials qualifier but we really need your help to get there! Please click on the "Donate" button on this page if you'd like to help us get to Sacramento!

Sincerely,

Wendy Shulik
Producer, "Miles & Trials"

Media Mention

We made it into the Midwest issue of Competitor Magazine! Thank you to journalist Kate Bongiovanni for the interview :)

4 More Days 'til the Chicago Marathon. Please support this film!

Here is our new trailer for "Miles & Trials", starring Christina Overbeck, Claudia Becque, Heather Prekop, Amy Haney, Suzanne Ryan and Jacqui Aubert. Please help us get to the finish line by helping us cover our Chicago Marathon production expenses with a donation to our Film Fund. Every dollar will help. Support women's running and female filmmakers! Just click on the PayPal Donate button on the upper-right side of this page!

Nearing the End of Production & 119 Days 'til the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials!

I've just checked our production calendar and the Chicago Marathon on October 9th will be the LAST marathon we'll be filming for "Miles & Trials" as our five star athletes make a last attempt to qualify for 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials. I'm humbled by the generous support we've received since beginning production in March 2010 - without the donations and word-of-mouth, we simply could not have followed Amy, Christina, Heather, Jacqui and Suzanne for the past two years. Won't you please help us get this thing finished? Just click on the "Donate" button on the upper-right side of this page or visit our website to donate to our Film Fund. Every dollar helps!

Here's a new version of our film trailer with more insight into what these women are trying to accomplish: 

Ramping up for the 2011 Chicago Marathon

Wow, the Chicago Marathon is only a little over a month and a half away! It seems like only yesterday that we were preparing to film some of the girls' attempts to qualify for 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials at last year's marathon. On October 9th, all five of our women will be racing and hoping to go under 2:46:00 to qualify.  Heather Prekop and Christina Overbeck Crawford are only two and three minutes shy of an OTQ, respectively. And Suzanne Ryan, our mom of four recently placed third in the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon with a time of 1:19. If she doubles that time in the marathon, she'll qualify for Trials with an "A" standard! Here's a video about Suzanne:

Meeting our Running Heroes

In the year and a half since we began production on "Miles & Trials", we've traveled to races in other states and met some awesome race organizers and other folks in the running industry. Best of all, we've had the opportunity to meet and interview women from around the United States who have the same dream: to make it to the Trials on January 14, 2012. We've also met some of our running heroes like elite athletes Tera Moody (just off foot surgery and her 17th place performance at the World Championships marathon in Daegu, South Korea where she was the first American to cross the finish line), Jennifer Houck, Katie McGregor, Leah Thorvilson, Magdelena Lewy Boulet, and Dot McMahan (among others). These women serve as examples of what having a dream and hard work can achieve. All are contenders to make the U.S. Olympic Team in London in 2012. One of the women who touched us the most was Kristen Fryburg-Zaitz. She shared her story about racing and injuries with us in August before she ran the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon.

Dream Big, Run Fast!
In the meantime, our "Miles & Trials" ladies are still training hard and preparing for another OTQ attempt in Chicago as the qualifying window closes. For anyone who has the dream to do big things and the tenacity to push through even when things don't go as planned, check out this video of some of the women we met at Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota in June while we were there covering Heather's attempt to qualify. You'll see a range of performances and emotions. Dream Big, Run Fast!

An Important Message from Producer Wendy Shulik

We are now in the final seven months of filming “Miles & Trials”; however, we are still desperately in need of funding and sponsors! The generous donations we’ve received along the way have been really made a difference but the majority of the production costs have come out of my (the Producer’s) own pocket.

We’ve only three more marathons left to shoot: the Chicago Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon (8/14), the Chicago Marathon (10/9), and the Olympic Trials in Houston (1/14/12). Anything you can do to help us film our female Trials hopefuls at these races will be greatly appreciated. We now have over 700 Facebook fans—if each of you donates $10, we’ll have enough to cover costs to shoot all three races! Please click on the "Donate" button on the upper right-hand side of this page to contribute to our Film Fund through PayPal. Help support running films and female athletes!

Sincerely,

Wendy Shulik

Who will be next to qualify?

As of this date, there are approximately 145 women who have qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials. Who will be next to join them in Houston on 1/14/12?

Three Decades, One Dream

L-R: Kristina Pham, Leah Thorvilson, Kerry Camberg, Chelsea VanDeBrake, Wendy Shulik (Producer)

I traveled to Duluth, Minnesota on June 17th to follow Heather Prekop in her third attempt to qualify for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials at Grandma's Marathon. While I was there, I met some other women who also have the same goal. They are from different parts of the country, span three decades in age and all have the same dream: to qualify for the Trials!

A few of them were going for their first-ever "B" standard qualifying time (2:46), while others who already have their "B" were trying for the elusive "A" standard (2:39). Those athletes who attain the "A" will receive financial assistance (hotel and travel to the Trials). After interviewing these ladies, it was no surprise that most cited the difficulty of juggling work, family and training and coming up with the money necessary for gear, physical therapy, entry fees and travel to races. Despite this, all of them are determined to do whatever it takes to get to the start line in Houston on 1/14/12.

Here is a video of four of the women I met in Duluth: Chelsea VanDeBrake, Kerry Camberg, Kristina Pham and Leah Thorvilson.