In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, your Host, Jill Lagan, is joined by ultra-endurance athlete Will Turner and filmmaker Ryan Dugger. Will and Ryan break down the making of Sierra 914, an award-winning documentary capturing Will's grueling 914-mile triathlon through the Sierra Nevada mountains. 

From the extreme mental fortitude required to push through sleep deprivation to the chaotic reality of filming a non-stop moving target, they provide an inspiring look at what it means to "Live Your Bold". They also discuss the profound impact of support teams, the unexpected beauty of the journey, and why age should never be an excuse for stopping.

DISCUSSION

1. 914 Miles of Grit: Will and Ryan discuss the logistics of an 8-day, non-stop ultra-triathlon that wasn't a looped course but a continuous point-to-point journey, requiring the film crew to live on the road right alongside the athlete.
   
   
2. Hacking the Mind: Will shares his mental strategies for enduring extreme pain, including a specific technique of counting to eight while climbing Benton to distract himself and focus on what he could control in the moment.
   
   
3. Filming on the Move: Ryan reveals the production challenges of a small crew constantly moving with no base camp, dealing with dust, exhaustion, and weather changes, resulting in a film that authentically mirrors the raw, gritty nature of the race.
   
   
4. The Storm and the Rainbow: Will recounts a pivotal moment where a freezing downpour nearly broke his spirit, only to be followed immediately by a double rainbow that reset the team's morale for the final push.
   
   
5. Live Your Bold: The origin story of Will's mantra is revealed, which began with a goal to do 60 Ironmans at age 60, evolving into a mission to encourage students and adults alike to reach their full potential.
   
   
6. The Power of Connection: The team shares the heartwarming story of Jose Gomez, a stranger on a grocery run who ended up cycling 100 miles out of his way just to share the road and energy with Will.
   
   
7. Roots of Resilience: Both guests reflect on how their parents—Will's hard-working father and supportive mother, and Ryan's integrity-driven father—shaped the character traits necessary to complete such a monumental project.
   
   
8. Award-Winning Storytelling: The duo discusses the reception of the film, including winning the Audience Choice and Maverick Awards at the Richmond International Film Festival, and the surreal experience of receiving a massive standing ovation.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about the film and Will's journey, visit the Sierra 914 website at https://www.sierra914.com/ or learn about "Live Your Bold" initiatives on their website at https://www.liveyourbold.com/.

KEYWORDS

Will Turner, Ryan Dugger, Sierra 914, Ultra Triathlon, Documentary Filmmaking, Live Your Bold, Endurance Sports, The Best Dam Podcast, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce 

#WillTurner #RyanDugger #Sierra914 #UltraAthlete #Documentary #LiveYourBold #TheBestDamPodcast #BoulderCityChamberofCommerce

Podcast Transcript

Jill: Good morning. I am so grateful and truly honored to be able to be here today with Mr. Will Turner and Mr. Ryan Dugger. And I am just, thrilled to be able to visit with you guys and learn a little bit more about the amazing movie Sierra nine 14. So thank you guys so much for being here.

Will: Thank you, Jill.

Thank you for having us. We're excited.

Jill: So I first of all want to really get to know you well, a little bit better. Obviously this movie. so impressionable my gosh, what a great thing for youth, but I am so inspired. I'm only 56, but I can't wait to be 65 and be as.

Will: That's great.

Jill: Thank you so much. Tell me what it is that motivates and drives you.

Will: Good question. Ultimately it's been a journey for me to really. Explore who I am to dig deep and push my limits and see what I'm made of. And with each kind of successive challenge I've given myself, I've just have continued to push myself further and further as an athlete.

And I'll just start with the fact that I wasn't a natural athlete. I didn't grow up being very athletic. So I really came into this very late in life and I failed a lot of times along the way, and each time I failed, it was like, okay, how can I get better at this? what do I need to do?

So it's been a quest just to get better at being an athlete, but also get better at being a human being.

Jill: I love that. Thank you so much. And so where do you go from here?

Will: I'm, still wanting to push boundaries. I don't think the nine 14 was the end all, be all. It definitely was the most I've ever pushed myself in any, athletic endurance event, and I've pushed myself a lot over the years.

But I think there's some more in me and I'm not, I go by, I use the saying or the quote that, you're not old until you use age as an excuse.

Jill: There you go. I saw that. Yeah,

Will: I'm still pushing, so I'm 67 right now and, I feel like I've got more of me to test out.

Jill: That is amazing. And so if I, remember correctly in the movie your wife references a book that you had written, and is that something that you're working on as well?

Will: Yeah, I've been working on the book, for a while and, but It's in the stages where it's being reviewed by an editor now.

And so the goal is to get the book out in the first of, first quarter or so of 2020, 2026.

Jill: Wow. That's, I, that's something I'll definitely have on my bookshelf. so tell me a little bit about your wife.

Will: I'm not sure you're talking about I'm not married. No.

Jill: Oh, I'm sorry. I thought that there was a lady that was in the, in the movie that talks about how inspirational you are and she, in fact, the, I wrote down, the light at the end of the tunnel was not a train.

Will: Okay. Yeah. That's Beth. Beth is one of my dearest and oldest friends. We've known each other for, we worked together many years ago when we were both very young and, we actually did our first triathlon together in 1994, and we did our first, I did my. I went to visit her in New Zealand, which is where she lives now.

Jill: Oh, wow.

Will:  And did my first Iron Man in New Zealand visiting her. So we have, we're not husband and wife, but we're dear friends and we've been friends for about 35, 40 years.

Jill: I could just tell from the passion that she had in her voice that she has a true love of use.

Will:  Yeah,

Jill: That is amazing. And I thought, in fact when she made the statement that the light of the tunnel was not a train, it was his light, I thought, man, that has such amazing implications and it just made this warm glow,

Will: Yeah.

Jill: All over when she said it and you could tell that she truly loves you. So that is very,

Will: Yeah.

Jill: What an amazing thing.

Will: It's very, yeah. Thank you.

Jill: I think that's very special. And your statement, live your Boulder. So here in Boulder City we have Be Boulder, and we referenced that whole concept of being bold and bolder, like in Boulder City.

Will: Yeah.

Jill: So with your tagline and that little logo that you had on your outfit, I was like, man, you just you em embody everything about being bolder.

And so I thought that was very special.

Will: Thanks. that all came about when I, one of the big endurance events that I did. about seven years ago. I decided when I turned 60, I wanted to do six Ironmans. The year I turned 60, that was gonna be a big, hairy, audacious goal. the short story there is I ended up running into a friend of mine who asked me at an event, if I had any big races coming up and I had planned to.

I had just thought of the idea of doing six Ironmans a year. I turned 60 like the week before, and it was still a couple years out before I was turning 60. So when I was asked the question, I told her,I'm thinking about doing six Ironmans a year. I turned 60 and I thought that's, it was this big Harry audacious goal.

And she goes, oh, like some, and Psalm is a local triathlete who had turned 60 a couple years before, and guess what Samm had done? Six Ironmans a year. He turned 60, which I didn't know about. and all of a sudden what I thought was this big, hairy, audacious goal was like, the first person I mentioned it to is saying, oh, so and so it made me rethink the goal.

And and so I ended up multiplying that goal by. 10 eventually and getting to 60, and I did 60 Ironmans the year I turned 60. And that kind of started, this kind of path to, to where I got to with nine 14, just pushing boundaries and seeing what was there and going along the way.

At the time when I decided to do the 60, I didn't realize that it was actually the world record at the time was 44. in a year and I ended up doing, 61 that year.

Jill: That's incredible. So you're setting world records and I mean that you are embodying the idea of dream big. Like you said, at the end of the film, you definitely dream big.

Will: Yeah. I, to tie back to your last statement, which I know I got off track on when I was doing the 60 at 60. I wanted to do it. I want it to be more than just me going out there doing, a bunch of Ironmans. I wanted to have some, a bigger purpose.

And That's when I created Live Your Bold, which was really a way to, for me to give back as I was out there, doing my races all over the country.

And so what I did is I would go around to school groups and talk to kids and teams and share, messages with them on how they could reach more of their potential as well. So it was a way for me to give back and share the journey with others.

Jill: You truly do that because all through the film you talk about in different segments or different, mile markers, the people that you were thinking of and contemplating as you were running and as you were pushing yourself, you dedicate those two different, those segments to different individuals who obviously have had a big impact on your life.

Will: Absolutely. Even though triathlon is a, or ultra triathlon is a. A singular sport. You can't do big things without a team around you and people supporting you all the way. And I certainly wouldn't have made it where I am without lots of support along the way. So I definitely, being out there when you're doing these really long events, some people often ask me,

What do you think about, and there's lots of things that you think about, but one of the things I think about is just being grateful, being grateful for the opportunity, but also grateful for all the support and the people that are helping me along the way.

Jill: You truly do have a huge team.

When you're as an extreme athlete, I would imagine it requires such extreme mental focus. So yes, you've got those, those different people that you're thinking of, but, and I noticed that one time when you were getting, on Benton, you were. They were saying that you were counting down, that you were keeping a 10, like you were counting to 10 in a 10 pace.

So is that like a strategy I imagine you have to pull these different strategies to get your feet to continue to move or your pedal?

Will: Oh, absolutely. There's lots of, one of the reasons I've stayed in the endurance sports arena for as long as I have. Is because you're always getting to places where you push yourself.

And obviously it's a physical challenge to do the long events, but I am, I'm really passionate about the mental side of it. And the growth that happens on the mental side. And so that really keeps me going and keeps me engaged because you're always learning and growing and it not only helps you with.

The endurance, but it also helps you in life in general. Any, anything that you want to pursue. And so the mental piece fascinates me and I've done a lot of work, myself, just learning as much as I can, but also developing, hacks and tricks and techniques and strategies along the way, just to.

Get through whatever tough times I'm dealing with. And the place that you're referring to that's in the movie, I'm counting to eight and I'm just, it's a very focused 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. And I'm breathing hard as I'm going up this mountain, but, and then repeating that cycle over and over again.

And that's just a strategy too. Distract myself from the pain that I'm feeling. and focus on what I can control in that moment. and just really zeroing in on my breathing, my pedal stroke, and kinda letting the rest of the things around me and how I'm feeling, kind go away.

Pay to the background a little bit.

Jill: Ah, that was, it was fabulous. I was very impressed with, all of these different tactics that you could see that you were trying to implement. It's really impressive. So let's go back to your team. I, would imagine that they felt as much of a rush. They, it, you could see they were as emotion, an emotionally worn, they were, as happy and.

Super, super, excited and elated for you at different times. And Ryan, I would imagine that as you're sitting there watching this, unfold, you're thinking about it from the perspective, okay, I gotta catch this on film. I've gotta direct all these people. But I can imagine you were very emotionally tied to your subject.

Ryan: Yeah, for sure. And that's, One of the reasons we were interested in doing this with Will is because like he said, I, I was really intrigued by the, the mental side. Of what this race would entail and the emotions that are tied with that. And it, yeah, just watching him go through the different ways of taking pain and moving it and show, like he said, showing gratitude and.

He's got a lot of strategies that help him, be able to push himself further and further. and especially, moments like when he's going up Benton, one of the, probably the climax of the race, I can feel it, I've got goosebumps and I've gotta stay locked in on the job, but

you can't help but not feel, what he's going through and what he's moving through. Yeah, it impacted all of us and I would say just overall the watch and will do this in person, all of us were, just blown away by the entire thing. seeing it in person. is really something I'll never forget because, you tell someone the numbers and they're just, they just can't compute it.

Jill: No.

Ryan:  But seeing it, it's wrapped up in a bow in a 72 minute film. But this was eight days and we weren't sleeping. He wasn't sleeping and, we were all kinda wrapped up in this, just,highly. Emotional and draining event. at the same time, it was just everyone supporting everyone and will even supporting us.

That's part of what makes him special is he's not. A lot of times focused on himself. He's focused on us. How are you guys doing? He's smiling when we're down and it's, it's very inspiring when you see someone do that and approach a race like he did. And I think that's what.

It's part of what makes this film special. and to be able to see someone do this that's not just, attack and all force and aggressiveness. He's very, it's a very spirited way that he goes about it. So yeah, we were all impacted deeply by what we saw, and especially in that one moment you're describing.

Jill: I imagine the best way to get out of your own mind and to not have that negative talk is to serve others. And he basically, like you said, he was reaching out to you guys. He wanted, make sure you guys were okay. I'm telling you, you are a, an amazing man, Mr. Will. So I've got a couple other,

On the filming side. I find that fascinating as an event producer, there's so many details and permitting and approvals and, driving down the side of the road, having the film crew right there in the middle of your space. And I imagine that probably also is tripping you up a bit on the thought process.

But Ryan, did you find that at any time, did you have any, what? Did you have any issues in that eight day span of trying to make sure that you captured. Exactly what was happening and to be able to produce it in the mindset that you had originally had.

Ryan: Yeah, the entire production was really a challenge.

We, we had a limited crew. we wanted to keep it small because we are on the move. Through the majority of this event, the entire time he's on the bike, we're following him. and like he mentions in the film, we're not doing a looped course. So it's not somewhere we can camp out and have all of our things set up and our lights and, really have a station to work with.

We are moving so. The entire production is moving the entire time. So that means, I, we have to have someone rotating batteries and, memory and storage and, keeping everything clean because we're, we're getting dust everywhere and, we're putting our cameras right up to his wheels and his bike and sticking him out the window and stuff.

Yeah, it, it was, part of it was that we just. We wanted to make sure we captured everything we could and with will going, 20 hours a day. You never know what's gonna happen. And that's just part of we knew that's gonna be part of the story. if we miss a critical moment, that's it.

It's gone. So our focus was really all right, make sure we always have a camera on will. And we're always aware of our surroundings. and it is interesting as we go along and the lack of sleep is getting us too, it's a few hours each night. And so we're kinda resetting every night.

And by the end of it, the end of the race, everyone's so exhausted and, you can see the way the production, it is intentional that, there were be these parts where, the lighting would be. darker and gritty and raw and just like he was faced with those moments.

In the end, it was real raw and gritty, and so the production kind of mimics that. that race. And yeah, it was extremely challenging, not only was it a small crew and moving all the time, but we, there was actually quite a bit of weather changes. it was beautiful for the most part.

But, there's definitely times I think where, at the end of the race. It's hot in the day and then it's cold at night. And he's having to change, he's sweating and then he is gotta get outta that, get dry clothes on, then he is gotta warm up, for the evening. And the same with us too, and keeping our cameras, clean and

Yeah, all the things that come with the weather, if we're running and following him, we're sweating, but it's cold out and so yeah, it was a lot. as far as the production, because you're just always moving. There's no. let's set up for the next scene. Let's break. There's no break.

then that's one of the most challenging parts.

Jill: Did you guys, almost need to train, Will did, just to make sure that you keep up with them. I thought that was fascinating. I thought, man, you guys. I don't know if you're gonna make it.

Ryan: I don't know how I made it. Yeah,

Jill: That is awesome.

Ryan: They made it pretty good. They did pretty good.

Jill: They seem to, and I You are so encouraging for them. I thought good thing, maybe we need to reverse the role you filmed them attempting to film you.

Ryan: There you go.

Jill: You guys were awesome. So very impressive. Can I ask a little bit about the special guests that came in? Obviously you had a couple that were planned and then, Mr.

Gomez was not a planned one, but I found that fascinating, these different individuals that were so inspired that they wanted to, be a part of this. are, were they friends? Were they people that you had planned to have there? Were they people that you had gone out and found specifically to be a part of this?

Will: Jose Gomez that you just mentioned, I was literally, cycling towards Mammoth Lakes and, there, there's no other cyclists on the road and all of a sudden. I come up to Jose and so we just happened to, two cyclists on the road together, and just started having a conversation and then, he wanting to be part of just talking, that's one of the most amazing things to me was that Jose was, he's a young guy and, very energetic and just, just a fun person to be around.

But when He was sharing his story with me and then I was sharing my story with him, but he was out to go buy groceries that he was getting on his bike, that he was like biking like 25 miles to get groceries and then he was gonna bike back. But then when he caught up with me, he didn't want to take the turn off, so he ended up going like another like a hundred mile round trip.

Because he missed his original thing just because he wanted to hang out a little bit longer on the bike together. So that was pretty, pretty fun.

Jill: That was special. He's obviously very inspired by you. And as you mentioned, that was a hundred mile, out of his way trip just to get groceries. I thought, I wonder if he's ever heard of Uber groceries or Uber apps or any of those things.

Will: Exactly.  

Jill: Very helpful. I was in, I thought that was just neat that they, wanted to hang out and be a part of this and some of those different interviewers, the gentleman that ran alongside you to help you keep your pace towards that end, that, That was emotional too, was to watch all these people that had to jump in and encourage you and keep you moving.

I would imagine it's gotta be harder to run in the dark like that. It would've, it seemed to me like no running in the daytime, it's more exciting and people will keep you going.

Will: I was doing both. I was obviously running in the day and running in the night, but as Ryan just said a moment ago with the weather.

Sometimes during the day it would get up to, 90 plus degrees and at certain times, and so you're out there exposed to the sun with no shade on the run course, and so just the sun would just beat you down. And so sometimes taking a little break midday at the heat of the

Heat of the day was a strategy, just not to dehydrate too much and just to, get a little rest in. and towards the end, I was going into the night anyway, but certainly in that last night, there was a race against time,

Jill: Right

Will: And this, and so I didn't have the luxury to go take a two or three hour, sleep break.

I just had to keep pushing through the night if I wanted to complete it in the timeframe that.

We had to do it in,

Jill: I was so grateful that you had done so well on this swim that it gave you a little bit of extra

Ryan: it gave me tail.

Jill: Yeah. That was awesome. So let's talk about though the surrounding the views and the scenery and the beautiful Sierras that you were running through.

It made, for, in my opinion, it made, Mr. Drone person's job very easy because it was just so beautiful and all of those. And I will tell you too, Ryan, the musical score was gorgeous. the views, it was beautiful. And it was that juxtaposition between, I, I just felt the pounding of will's feet with this beautiful music and the beautiful scenes.

You did a fabulous job. It was just very impressive and I can imagine that this particular location was a wonderful place to shoot in.

Ryan: Oh yeah, it was incredible. the route, I gotta give props to Chris. Chris was our, race coordinator, or our course coordinator. He, he planned the course and it was something that we had switched over because we planned to do it in the Tetons originally, and that's where we had permitting issues.

We had all kinds of issues with, having a parked ranger out there. And since we're going all the way through the night. The logistically, we just couldn't do it. And yeah, it wasn't, it wasn't too long before we kicked off the race that we just had to flip, the plans and said, Hey will, this is, we can come up with a new course.

But it's gonna be a lot more challenging. It's gonna be beautiful. Chris was, he was convinced that, hey, this is the way to go. that we think it's even gonna be more grand than the Tetons. if we do it right. are you cool with it? And, yeah. Will. He was very flexible and I thought, okay, there's a chance that he says, Hey, let's wait till next year.

Because all of the training and the timing that goes into it, and then the timing with weather and all the things, which, we didn't wanna wait another year. And I know Will didn't either. He didn't wanna train another year. he bit the bullet and went with it and. that's an amazing thing in itself, that we didn't spend a ton of time on it.

I think that he will probably talk about it in his book some, but, yeah, the change in the course and the way that, that Chris had planned the route. Yeah. It was. Incredible. we went through so many cool mountain passes and so many cool towns and views. me and Jimmy, the two on cameras and drones.

Yeah, we had a field day flying our drones. Around and we had such a good mix of sunrises and sunsets and beautiful weather. And yeah, the scenery is a lot, I think of what, what makes it, an appealing, visually, to watch. So yeah, the course, yeah, it was great.

Jill: It was beautiful. I think my favorite part was, in that last section of the run and you've got that double rainbow and talk about grit. You really had to get some grit to keep his feet moving. I'm sure Will. You probably looked at that double rainbow and thought, okay, that has got to be inspirational to you in that timeframe 'cause that was a gorgeous shot. It was super, it was cons, very emotional.

Will: What you don't see there, Jill, is that. Right before that double rainbow, we're in this valley between the, the Sierra Mountains and the white Mountain range. and in that Owen Valley area, And we see these storm clouds coming through the valley, and it's moving very rapidly, and it gets to us and all of a sudden we just, it's a downpour and I'm out there running at the time and I get soaking wet at the same, and the storm is coming through very quickly and luckily it went past us as quickly as it came, but in the meantime, I got completely wet.

And the temperature dropped about 30 degrees like that.

Jill: Oh, yeah.

Will: And so I got so cold I could, I went to the, one of the vans that had, some of my gear in it to, to change. And I was shaking so much from the cold that I couldn't change myself because I was too, my, my teeth were chattering, my hands were shaking.

the whole bit. And then. I got changed. I got the coat on just to warm myself up and as we're turning around on the course to get going again, that's when the double rainbows appear. And it was like after that struggle that just was something, the storm just really deflated me.

Just because we were in the last full day. It, I got so cold. And you're at your breaking point. And then to turn around and see that double rainbow was just what I needed. And I think just what the crew needed at that time too, to say, okay, we got through the hard stuff and we're moving forward and we're still going and so it was a definitely a a memorable moment in the film, but also personally,

Jill: Much like you had said on Benton when you felt the cold breeze blow past you and that, that somebody was keeping you, you had a thought on somebody and you knew they were with you. I thought the same thing when that rainbow hit that had to have been in your mental state.

It had to have been, oh, okay, I, let me reset. I've got this. Let's keep on going. I thought, I hoping those were the thoughts you were having.

Ryan: Absolutely. Absolutely.

Jill: Very cool. can I get to know you guys a little bit better about who just you are? So Will, when you are not running and you're not impressing us and trying to inspire us to be better, what is it that you like to do?

Do you have other hobbies? Do you garden or collect stamps?

Will: I did collect stamps and coins as a kid for sure. and. And Ryan knows 'cause he is been to my house. I do love to garden. as far as not a vegetable garden, but I work in my yard and landscape it and have a lot of pride in my yard and garden.

Ryan: Yeah. His backyard could be a national park. Just, just FYI.

Jill: That's great. I just,

Ryan: All the flowers. It's beautiful.

Jill: I'm glad to know you have something that gives you a little bit of downtime.

Will: And I'm also a painter, so I paint. And, so that's a big passion of mine as well, just from a creative outlet, standpoint.

I've been painting for the last 25 years and actually, when Ryan and part of the filming of this, Ryan had done a lot of background stuff and one of our. In our first trailer, Ryan had, captured me painting a painting that ended up in the first trailer. But it didn't make the final cut of CR nine 14, but I do have that background as well.

Jill: That's beautiful. I love that. And what about you, Ryan? what do you do in your spare time?

Ryan: I love music. I grew up, playing drums and guitar, and my dad's a guitar builder in Nashville, and so I've just, I grew up around music all the time, and so music's in my family, we've got every instrument known to man in my house.

When people come over, friends come over. Even my kids. I got two young boys and they're learning to play. Yeah, so it's all things music a lot of times, and, I love, even though it's my career photography and video production, like I, I really love it as a hobby as well.

There are times where I put 'em. And I just want to be in the moment. And there are times where I get out, like my old film camera and I'll shoot film and I'll, I actually develop it and stuff like that. So it's also fun, to do that kind of thing too. but yeah, I was, yeah, I've done everything from, coach baseball to, playing a rock band in my past and toured and, yeah.

Jill: Very good. It sounds the things that you love to do most, you're actually able to make money off of too, so what an amazing life.

Ryan: Yeah, been blessed for sure.

Jill: That is awesome. Okay, I've got another question for you. This one you had to dig deep and I'll start with you, Ryan, so that Will, has a minute to think.

What is something that your mom and dad taught you in your life that you still use today and value that, that ability for them to teach you?

Ryan: Oh, that's good. I've gotta say my parents have been such an integral part of the way I approach life. They have both inspired me in different ways and I truly have been blessed, with parents who have shown me.

Values that I live out is always tell the truth. Always be honest in everything you do. and so I, I've, my, my dad has always carried, a level of integrity that is second to none. He, and he lives every day that way, and he's the same in his house by himself and at his job in front of his. customers and seeing him live that way and kinda live out, what's truth for him?

It's always inspired me. my mom the same way. And, yeah, I would say that's one thing. And also seeing my dad, Hi. His past is, he ha he grew up with nothing and had a pretty rough childhood, had some traumatic experiences losing his mom and his sister when he was a young kid, and in a tragic car accident and the way he has overcome things in his life.

I think a lot of people have two ways that they can choose to take experiences like that and they can live in bitterness and. Take that bitterness and maybe they hurt others and they're just angry. Or you can take that and have a level of gratitude and perspective that can impact everyone you're around.

And that's the route he chose. And I'm so glad because, I would've ended up a different person. He would be a different person. I think everyone in our family would have, Yeah, so I'm just thankful for that and, seeing him. Even have nothing and start his own business with just his own petty cash and grow that into, a successful business.

And now he's known as probably the, one of the best, guitar men in Nashville, music City, and, He is so humble about it too. And he goes about it in, in such a way that, if I'm successful in any way, I want to be like that. I wanna be humble and help people and have gratitude in all of it.

Yeah, they've both, carried some very valuable things given those things to me. And, Yeah, I'm very grateful.

Jill: That's awesome. And you can see in your character that you've learned from them, that you've applied that to this film as well and making sure you're bringing out all of those essential points that make will the amazing man that he is.

Thank you. And until your parents, thank you for creating a great man. And so will, it's your turn. So what is something your mom or dad has instilled in you that is, that makes you who you are today?

Will: I think both of them gave me something really important. On my dad's side, my dad, like Ryan's dad was a guy of integrity all the way, but he was a, the hardest working man I ever knew.

We lived, I grew up on a farm, but my dad was a, what I would call a gentleman farmer, meaning that he had a full-time job Outside the farm, and then he would come home after a full day's work and then, work on the farm. And we just grew up knowing that we had chores to do and things that we had to do because there was, we had cows, we had pigs, we had lots of acreage and, it, it had to get done.

And I saw how hard my father worked and it, and instilled in a work ethic in me that I think helped instill me. And the races I've done as an adult, just having that work ethic and being willing to do the work to prepare myself, all the way along. My mom on the other hand, is one, was one of the most generous and kindest wom women I've ever met.

And the most supportive and loving mom. she was always at all of our games and our sports in Little League and those sorts of stuff. Anything that we were doing, whether it was sports related or not, she was gonna be there and she was gonna be the loudest cheerleader there as well. And so she really shared her love in a way that all of my siblings and I, I grew up.

One of four. but she instilled ju just, a passion for us as family and wanting to support us in all of our dreams. and so I think she gave me the will to push and take on big challenges and combine that with the work ethic. I think that definitely shaped me to, and led me to where I ended up.

Jill: I would absolutely imagine, and as you described both of them, we saw that in you. So you are absolutely right. You do truly embody what it is that they taught you because, watching you push through and have to struggle through those pedal strokes, or whether it was those last few little miles, not little big miles, but, I can absolutely see that.

And, Ryan said the word grit, and that is. That's a word that really implies a lot. Many people don't know what true grit really is, and we tend to see a lot of that in athletes. And, my daughter is a two-time Olympian and I cannot wait for her to be able to watch this film because the mental, the capacity that which you have to control that mental side and to dig deep and even when it's not great, it, you still gotta dig deep.

And yeah. Super impressed with, what they have done for you and, glad to know the person that you are today.

Will: Yeah, thank you.

Jill: I know that I saw in some of the trailer information, this is, a winner of, the Richmond International Film Festival. You guys won three different titles, the Audience Choice Award, Maverick Award, and the Best Cinematography, which totally does not surprise me at all.

It's phenomenal. And then official selection of the 41st Boston Film Festival, the official selection of Newport Beach Film Festival, which I see on Ryan's hat. And then, also the Tennessee International Indie Film Festival. This is phenomenal. do you just get so excited every time you get to, to have this produced, published and people to be able to watch it?

Will: It's been a pretty amazing experience for both Ryan and I just to see the film come to life and to get the responses we have being at the film festivals. Richmond happens to be my hometown.

Jill: Oh, very cool.

Will: And so to have the festival here, I literally had hundreds of people I know came to the showing here, the premier we had here, and Ryan and I got up after the showing.

For a q and a and we got a standing ovation That was the biggest, loudest standing ovation I've ever been part of. And it was just very humbling and just very, just amazing to kinda live that experience, through the film. it was definitely one of those lifetime memories that, that I'm gonna hold on to for forever.

Jill: This is absolutely amazing. are there anything else, some little tidbits or insights that you would like to share?

Will: I think the film does a good job of capturing it, but I think, the short easy answer is that, we all have in us so much more than we realize and our capacity is so great and, we can't do it alone, but together we can do so much to, and be so much for ourselves, but for the community around us as well. And certainly this film and making it to 914 miles, I wouldn't have been able to do that alone. but it's a very, it's an experience that I'm very grateful for and I'm very humbled by.

And, it makes me want to, continue to get out there and continue the journey.

Jill: I'm so glad you said that 'cause I can't wait to watch you go further. It makes me feel like a little bit of an underachiever, but I'll watch you do it and be entertained by that. Inspired by you,

Will: Ryan knows that I turned 70 in a little over two years, we, we'll have to have a date to continue the journey at that point.

Jill: I love it. And Ryan, any other last thoughts?

Ryan: First of all, thank you for having us and letting us speak, with you today, Jill. I would say, I hope that people watch it and do feel inspired. for me and the love that I put into this film, I hope that it shows because.

I think it is more than just a pretty story. it's something that, as a storyteller, I tried to dig deep into and feel what will was feeling and try to bring that across to the viewer. and I hope that people really do, feel that and they feel that, like Will said, they can do more.

It inspired me. I ran my first marathon while I was editing this thing. not, a marathon is a marathon, but, it, it's, I know that it can push you. No, no matter what it is you're looking at. if it's, if it is running, if it's running your first half or first full marathon, or if it's, getting up and taking a walk after dinner, or if it's, calling your, a long lost relative who you've been afraid to call, it's just going after it.

It's taking a chance. It's doing more because we are all capable of more. And we'll prove that in the film. And I hope that people get that and that, yeah, it truly makes a difference in people's lives.

Jill: I truly appreciate both of you and I hope that we do inspire people to do just a little bit more, push a little bit harder, be a little bit better, live life, in a big dream.

And so thank you both. That's amazing. I really appreciate you. Yes. Let's all live your boulder.

Ryan: Thank you, Jill.

Will: Thanks, Jill.