The races might be getting shorter on daylight, but the watchlist is getting longer.
Our October selection brings together eight films from across trail and ultrarunning: Western States through Francesco Puppi’s eyes, Ruth Croft’s return to her roots, an enormous journey around the Tor des Glaciers, and several very different ways to spend 100 miles on your feet.
Some follow established professionals. Others offer a more personal view from inside the race. Together, they make a good case for trading an evening of scrolling for something with a little more substance.
1. Francesco Puppi — One Step at a Time
Western States is a familiar subject for running filmmakers, but following an individual athlete changes the perspective. One Step at a Time — A 2026 Western States Tale puts Francesco Puppi at the centre of the story, giving one of the sport’s biggest races a more personal frame.
For anyone who followed the race live, this is a chance to revisit it through a different lens. For everyone else, it is an accessible starting point: one athlete, one major objective, and 100 miles between the start and whatever comes next.
2. Ruth Croft — ROOTS
Not every running film needs to build towards a finish line.
Directed by Alexis Berg for adidas, ROOTS: The Ruth Croft Story looks beyond the results to the places and experiences that shaped the New Zealander. From Wanaka to the rugged West Coast where she grew up, the film explores the person behind the athlete.
It brings a different rhythm to this selection. Alongside films about racing further or faster, ROOTS makes room for questions about identity, belonging and what keeps someone connected to running.
3. Scott Adamson — Grindstone 100 Miles
There is room in a trail-running watchlist for the races that do not command the same attention as Chamonix or Western States.
Scott Adamson’s Grindstone film takes us to a different 100-mile setting, adding an individual race account to a selection otherwise heavy on internationally recognised athletes and Alpine terrain.
Watch this one for a change of scenery—and another reminder that the distance remains a serious undertaking, regardless of how many cameras are waiting at the finish.
4. Luuk van der Jagt and Alessandro Portante — Dream It. Wish It. Do It.
At 450 kilometres, the Tor des Glaciers operates on a different scale from almost everything else on this list.
Dream It. Wish It. Do It. follows Luuk van der Jagt and Alessandro Portante’s journey through the event, shifting the focus from a single day of racing to a much longer mountain undertaking.
This is the pick for viewers drawn to the far end of ultrarunning: enormous distances, remote terrain and an objective too large to think about all at once.
5. Kilian Korth — Still Standing
The Cocodona 250 provides the setting for Still Standing, a film centred on Kilian Korth.
Like the Tor des Glaciers film, it takes the watchlist beyond conventional race distances. The appeal is the scale of the challenge: a journey measured in hundreds of miles, where a strong start is only a small part of the job.
Pair this with Dream It. Wish It. Do It. if your preferred running films involve an unreasonable amount of time between the start and finish.
6. Blandine L’Hirondel and Ben Dhiman — La Course en Tête
La Course en Tête brings the selection back to elite competition, following Blandine L’Hirondel and Ben Dhiman around UTMB 2026.
The two-athlete focus offers a useful contrast to the individual race diaries elsewhere on this list. It is our pick for viewers who want to stay close to the competitive side of the sport, with two leading runners as their way into the Chamonix race.
7. Hans Troyer — CCC: Learn from the Front
Learn from the Front is a title that makes a clear promise: this is about racing, not simply getting around.
Hans Troyer’s CCC film belongs on the list for its competitive perspective. Alongside Puppi’s Western States story and La Course en Tête, it gives the selection a strong thread of athletes taking on major races with ambition.
A natural choice for anyone interested in the decisions behind a performance, rather than only the finishing time.
8. Jeremy Miller — The Hardest 100 Miles of My Life
Jeremy Miller’s Swiss Alps 100 film closes the list with another substantial mountain challenge: 100 miles with roughly 10,000 metres of climbing.
The Hardest 100 Miles of My Life offers a personal account of tackling that course, providing a counterpoint to the professional-athlete stories above. The headline is straightforward, and so is the attraction: seeing how someone works through an undertaking that is difficult to fully comprehend from a route profile.
If the Tor des Glaciers feels several steps beyond your imagination, this is a slightly more relatable mountain challenge. Only slightly.
Eight films, several mountain ranges, and more miles than we plan to count. Pick the story that catches your attention, give it a proper screen, and save the rest for the next evening your legs need a break.
