Jeff Pelletier standing behind Ben at the start making his own KZread video is a wonderful crossover 🤣

@bonniebarborka9951

Жыл бұрын

Exactly my thought 😂. Seeing Jeff behind him I really had to laugh 😆, amazing crossover 😅.

It’s easy to share the parts of your life that go well; it’s much harder to share the moments of vulnerability. Kudos to you for sharing the difficult, uncomfortable parts, too. It’s humanizing, and helps many others who have experienced their own adversity relate. Cheers to healing up from Canada and continuing to put out the excellent content!

@bettinapoulos7891

Жыл бұрын

Soooo true !!!! Great comment Zac !!!! Sooo well thought out !!!!

@bev9708

Жыл бұрын

Well said!!

@stevehumphries8070

Жыл бұрын

Very well said Zac 👍

@---df5sr

Жыл бұрын

Plato here

Never commented on a KZread vid in my life but had to comment. Great attitude brother. Love how humble you are. Anyone who’s banging out a 2.25 marathon is good enough to be elite level on the trails. Was gutted for you both when you dropped early doors. DNFs are part of the game in these long trail races. I did the race myself in 2016. It’s a beast. Spent the last climb talking to my Girlfriend the whole way up who wasn’t even with me. 🤣. Stay strong and swift recovery

@MohammadRauf1

Жыл бұрын

"Spent the last climb talking to my Girlfriend the whole way up who wasn’t even with me" ... lol that's awesome. next level crazy. Good on you mate!

Sarah is a saint.. seriously she is so tremendously supportive of everything you do.

Amen, "Real Life" has so many punches, and ever grateful to see an insight into your "low" that ultimately will turn into a "high" in 2023 or 2024! Onward and Upward Ben, excited for your future races.

@apocreg11

Жыл бұрын

Well said Seth

I'd consider myself a good trail runner and I fall over and hurt myself all the time. In the last 10 months, I've had to DNF twice from bad falls that I couldn't walk/shake off. Sometimes we land just wrong and we can't push through. It is a tough break and as you reflected, really frustrating when you are actually feeling good. Don't give up on the trails though!!

@ian7328

Жыл бұрын

14 hour hundred miler is better than a good runner 👍

I'm pretty shocked that no one from UTMB picked you up or helped you in any way!! I would have freaked out! Wishing you a speedy recovery, glad the injury doesn't seem too bad! 🍀

Absolutely gutted for you both! But what a great team you are, Sarah is an amazing support to you, being willing to sacrifice her race to make sure you were ok. You are both fantastic ultra runners and you’ll be back stronger than ever soon. Take it easy xxx

Absolute legend for sharing this, both of you went through a heck of a lot in that time, I’m glad to see you’re determined to get back there over the coming years, that’s the right attitude 💪 also glad to see you’re back jogging as well 🙏

Stay strong Ben and wishing a good recovery PS: saw you at starting line at London Half yesterday and you done a little hop and skip past me whilst recording so trust you’re back to you’re inspiring best Keep inspiring 🙏

I echo the sentiments of everyone else on here--so sorry you had to DNF and thanks for sharing a truthful account of your experience. It's tough to share the difficult parts of your life. But I have to say a big "Not good, not good at all" to UTMB. You called for help, they said they'd send help, and no one showed up. Unless you sign your life away in paperwork before the race, I do find it shocking they had no ability to rescue an injured and stranded runner. I understand it's at altitude, etc etc, but you weren't in the death zone on Everest. There should have been a way for the race officials to get someone to assist you. Your attitude is refreshing and I very much appreciate the recognition that sometimes you do everything right and then one thing that is not your fault at all goes wrong and your plans and goal evaporate. There are indeed millions of others in the world with more to complain about, and I appreciate your positivity very much.

Ben, your strength and courage is inspiring. This can't have been easy to put together, I have nothing but admiration for you picking up and going again at The Big Half so soon. So many of us were with you online through the race and will keep supporting you on the journey. I hope one day I can share some miles with you both and thank you personally for being so inspiring 🙏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

The start and finish lines are the most emotionally overwhelming place on earth ❤❤❤😊

I've had multiple tumbles that at the time felt like slow motion and too small to matter - only to find out a few hours later that I broke my collarbone, or elbow, or busted my knee up bad enough I still have scars. So I can sort of relate! Still, I'm gutted for you. I can only imagine how much you put into preparing for UTMB. But I am very glad you made it off that mountain safely. It is a story and experience you will NEVER forget. And You have an amazing girl. Total respect for how she came back to help you. Priorities!

“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” - Nelson Mandela Don't be too hard on yourself - you're an inspiration to many!

I knew 2 people in that race, Jeff and Audree, and there they were, right behind you at the start.

@BenParkes

Жыл бұрын

Yes, we chatted a lot at the start and for the first 6k. They both did fantastic in the race!

Been looking forward to this video! Thanks for bringing us along on this journey!

So sorry for you both. you are both an inspiration on how possitive you can remain even when things do go as planned. I'm sure you will both be back and complete this magical race!

Ben, terribly sorry to hear about your injury. I was fortunate enough to meet you Sarah, Loyd Purvis ,and Stephen Cousins in Chamonix. Many of my favorite content creators in one spot and you were all generous with your time and even posed for a group photo with me. Like you, my UTMB (CCC) dreams were crushed after waking up Friday morning with chest and head congestion. I took a COVID test that was negative and had to give it a go after working so hard for the past three years to get into the race. It was clear early on that a finish was unlikely. I managed to make it 55K before having to drop at Champex Lac. Turns out that I did have COVID so the reminder of my vacation consisted of laying in bed watching the races on my computer. With the change to running stones and so few races in the US to earn them, I don't know how long it will take me to get back there. I'm inspired by your determination to return. Thank you for the great running content and for being a model of positivity. Heal quickly.

Voilà, c’est la vie!!! That’s adventure through and through !! Bravo for taking the chance and having a go, and see you there again another time !!

Aww man! And the two of you trained so hard and that had to happen. Still epically well done for getting it done what you did even on an injured knee. I do however find it rather shocking that they didn’t notice that 2 runners didn’t check-in at the next checkpoint and basically left you stranded. At least I know with the races here in South Africa they have sweeps at the back keeping a check on the back runners or anybody that has lagged behind. UTCT has sweeps that swap out at ever so many hours at aid stations so even on the 100km and new 100miler this year their is always somebody at the back to check-in.

So sorry you fell Ben! I was tracking you all on the UTMB website and saw you stop and wondered what happened. You will finish this race sometime soon! Thanks for all the inspiring content!

Watching your video keeps me motivated and wanting to get out to the trails, seeing all the ups and downs how you keep smiling with energy and enthusiasm for a sport u love.

Thanks for sharing this very difficult moment. It just shows how brutal extreme ultra trail races can be and you can be proud you gave it your all (as you always do!!).. I really hope you recover fully and already looking forward to seeing both of you finishing UTMB some time in the near future. With your positive attitude I am sure you will fulfill that dream. All the best.

I was so worried when I saw you had withdrawn, but really glad you are ok. Thanks for sharing and continuing to inspire so many of us!

you're such an inspiration! Been using your running plans and I'm in the best running shape of my life! Thank you

Kudos for sharing the crushing lows that ultra trail can bring. I had been following your training journey on KZread and having seen you off on Friday as you exited Chamonix town centre I was surprised to see that you had dropped out over night. Your positive attitude will see you through to the end of this race and what you have gone through will make that success all the more sweeter. BTW your bucket hat was top class, sheltering me from the worst of the sun during my OCC. All the best to you and Sarah.

Hi Ben. Don't lose sight of the massive achievement you made in getting to the start line. Also, remember that you are inspiration to so many new and current runners who have shared your joy and journey to that point, All the best for a full and speedy recovery, Nige'

Thank you for your honesty in sharing such a tough time. Gutted for you both and will look forward to the time when we get to watch your finish xx

Thank you for sharing!! Even though the race didn’t play out the way you wanted. What an adventure to tell and remember especially when you run this race again and finish. You and Sarah are an inspiration and I hope to run this race in the future.

I was waiting for your video after seeing the excitement in the pre race! After 5 or so days I was hopeful that something like this didnt happen, but as all the other comments are saying your positive approach is infectious and really inspiring, well done Ben and how lucky you are to have Sarah stick by your side! The raw emotion at the start line was super touching too, how good is running!!

What a crazy experience Ben! So gutted for you to have that happen, but your attitude is awesome and I'm sure you'll get back there and get it done! Thanks for sharing this even if it was not in any way fun, great to see your authenticity and willingness to put yourself out there. Kudos for persevering and look forward to seeing you finish next time!

Incredibly inspired by this video. The opening shots were amazing. I’m so sorry for the unfortunate injury - but very grateful you still shared the experience. Whenever I’m feeling down or uninspired, I’ve found myself watching these opening few minutes here a few times now - hard not to shed tears with you as you were taking it all in. Thank you!

Superb video. The start is amazing. Love your emotions. And even with your injury you seem so strong physically and mentally. What stays is all the great runs and the experience gained during the build up phase and your fitness. Loved all the utmb related stuff. Thank you for your content. Greetings to both of you :)

Fair play for looking at things as positively as you can Ben. As runners we put our heart and soul into getting to the start lines of bucket list races so feels like our world’s are falling apart sometimes when things go wrong, but as you say there’s a lot of worse things happening to people all over the world thru no fault of their own. You and Sarah will complete UTMB one day and it’ll be feel even better than you can imagine after the setbacks you’ve had. I’ll be following all the way!

Kudos to showing how you gave it your all... I banged my head on the west highland way in June and carried on for 20 miles before having to call it. Gave me the grit to see UTMB through to the end. Win some, lose some but luckily you have the memories of the start line, the incredible training runs and the knowledge that you have people around you who care and have your back. No DNF can take that away from you!

@peterwilkins7013

Жыл бұрын

The WHW is obviously a dangerous place. I broke my rib on the WHW 10 miles in last year. Managed to finish it though but wouldn't want to do that again!

@richardantrobus7186

Жыл бұрын

@@peterwilkins7013 fair play!

Thank you for sharing your story with us. Like others have said, you and Sarah inspire so many people every day. I admire your positive outlook after a heartbreaking turn of events. I look forward to watching you cross the UTMB finish line!

Thanks for sharing Ben. All the best in your recovery

I’ve never dreamed of any of this race but I totally emotional when you pass the starting line! I bet you’ve done so many hours of training for this, waiting for the moment. You are amazing! I could see, you took every single moment very gracefully and enjoyed well even with hard climbing. Like I said, you are AMAZING! Thank you for sharing it!

Thanks for sharing this, and taking us along even with these outcomes! I loved the spirit you showed even as you were contemplating stepping out, something that I can use pre-race right now. And the level of dedication you & sarah have to each other is something special. Not many racers would have backtracked

Massive feat even still Ben. Huge achievement being there and doing what you did. Sometimes a fall can hit you harder than you realise before the adrenaline leaves. Definitely made the right decision for your body and a tough action to take. I bust my hands and knees from a fall running down Snowdon the other week but that was nothing compared to the damage it caused to my ankle, I made the mistake of running through the pain and paying for it now. All the best

Gutted for you both, enjoyed the video, it really came across how special it was. On the bright side you've still got that finish line feeling to look forward to one day, and it'll be all the more special as a result of this!

absolutely gutted for you Ben. don't know what else to say, but commiserations. such an epic race and so much hard work and preparation getting ready for it. you have my utmost respect in what you've achieved in your running in general, let alone getting into UTMB. that's very hard core. DNF through injury is just one of those really tough breaks - i hope you heal up quickly and are back getting it done very soon.

Thank you for sharing your story, we can’t wait to see the comeback ending! Feel better!

Your ability to stay calm and positive is so admirable. I recently broke a toe which ruined my summer mountain climbing plans and let me say..I did NOT take it with such grace, lol. Wishing you all the best for your recovery, hopefully you'll be back out there in no time!

Thank you for this amazing video recounting your heartbreaking and yet inspiring experience at UTMB 2022. Your emotion at the start of the race, your determination afterwards, and your smile throughout are wonderful to see. Kudos to Sara for sticking with you to make sure you'd be okay.

Much much love and hugs to you both from Ireland. You both will smash it next time. Amazed and so very inspired from your positive attitude, especially when you mentioned about this race in every single video of yours over the last few months. Take care Ben.

Hi Ben. Thanks for sharing this video. It must have been a very hard experience but your positivity is inspiring. It was great to see you after the big half and to see that you are back enjoying running. Loving your KZread content which have helped and inspired me many times.

Really sorry to hear about the accident and the pain with your knee Ben. Fair play to you sharing this experience with us all. Wishing you all the best with the recovery and look forward to seeing you return to UTMB in the future and smashing it.

Sending you both positive vibes and a speedy recovery Thank you for your honesty in sharing this content.

Full kudos to you both for such an honest and open look back at how yours and Sarah’s plans and hopes for the race ended up. I really hope you are both able to get to another UTMB race week in the coming years and complete the unfinished business. Very glad to see you are recovering well and Sarah is doing well. Best wishes Mark

Keeping the smiles and optimism - such a great inspiration to many! 🥰👟🌻

I found this heartbreaking to watch. I admire and am inspired by you even more now! Very excited to hear you and Sarah might be coming to Canada to work with Jeff Pelletier. I'm an Essex girl originally but have lived in Vancouver since 2011 and Jeff is also someone who inspires me. Really hope you all do something where folks can join you, that would be so awesome 🤩

Oh no! Such an easy accident to happen in that terrain! I'm so glad it wasn't a worse accident. Thanks for sharing the harsh realities of racing. I think we all need to be reminded of this sometimes. UTMB in particular is very dreamy, but so so challenging! BTW: I must say that I'm obsessed with all of these running-youtuber crossovers!

Very unfortunate that you got injured, good on Sarah for hanging in there, & you both adapting to the situation, you’ll look back in months & years to come of what an amazing experience you had first time at UTMB, can’t wait to see both you & Sarahs faces with huge smiles next attempt at UTMB running over the finish line 🏁onwards & upwards 🥳 🏔🌲👣👣🏔🍀🌿✅😀

Feeling for you, Ben. What an amazing effort, with perseverance and a smile on your face. Think of all the amazing times you had in the lead up and training - views and time spent with Sarah. This weekend I had a similar experience, my dad and I did a 50km race, at 19 kms he fell and hit his head and knees, and broke his finger - ending our race. The comment you made about how just one moment can end the entire race was so true. I think this is why we do trail running, for the adventure and the challenge. Good Luck in future races on the trail :)

Tks for sharing, Ben!!! Great learning

So sorry to hear that! Thank you for sharing this, this taught me a lot. Wish you recover very soon and come back to race the UTMB!

This video really got me, seeing that emotional, joyful start and knowing it wouldn’t be the ending you expected 😭. Thanks for sharing such an honest and authentic video. I DNF’d UTS this year so have a teeny tiny understanding of how gutted you must be. But we learn, then dust ourselves off and go again!

Great effort Ben. You’ll no doubt get chance to tackle this again and I’m sure you’ll smash it. In years to come you’ll look back on this moment as an adventure in itself that you got to share together. We’ll all be with you next time! Keep up the good work.

dnf is such a big part of ultra racing. the elites dnf all the time. no other sport has that, i believe. so, it is precious to see it documented. to learn how to deal with it best. so much like life. great video!

Congratulations to your sub-3 Berlin Marathon achievement attained 3 days ago on September 25, 2022! This UTMB 2022 video shows that you have made a strong come back and nailed it. I will always remember this real life story of yours to give myself and others encouragement whenever we shall meet a setback in life! You are a very optimistic and a strong executor of your running plans! I admire your never-give-up personality!👍👍👍

I hope that you heal quickly and I am glad that your knee is structurally sound. Good luck getting back out there. Thank you for sharing this story and your videos.

Great video Ben, very brave of you to lay it all out there. Bloody hell the fall was just the start of the nightmare and watching all the other chain of events was crazy. I will defiantly look forward to the day you cross that famous finish line, good luck 👍

You are an INSPIRATION. I'm very motivated to challenge myself more watching your story unfold like this!!

Thanks for sharing Ben. I know this wasn’t the video or experience you had envisaged sharing but you have kept a positive attitude and will be back there at some stage to rewrite the record. I know how cruelly frustrating it must have been to have the knee cost you the race but it’s just one of those freak things as you say. When you finish UTMB another year it’s going to feel even more incredible. I hope the knee continues to heal well and allows you to go after more adventures soon.

Well done you 🙌👍 It’s not about the finish it’s the journey to get there. Toeing the UTMB start line, you made it to that start line despite all the adversities and challenges and road blocks along the way. You proved your perseverance and you will continue to persevere and continue a journey to new accomplishments and new destinations! Never give up 💪💪💪

This was incredibly moving as well as inspiring. As an injured runner you are giving me so much hope and perspective. Thank you for sharing your courage, persistence, and heart.

All the best Ben and Thanks for these videos, there´s plenty of more races to finish!!

Thank you for sharing your experience, and in such a raw, honest way. And how cool that both my favourite runnner KZreadrs and running couples featured each other in their videos! #JeffPelletier and Audree!

I am only 2 mins in and I feel for you so much, you're so emotional to even be there taking part, it's very moving! Think I need to pause and get some chocolate to finish watching this x

WoW thanks for this very important share! We do not get enough of the reality check like this! I hope you make it to fill your UTMB with less pain next! Your departure made me cry !

You are a true inspiration 🙏 Thank you for sharing your honest experience of what many of us consider to be an impossible challenge. It's the stuff for heroes. You are a hero. You kept going despite your injury and gave it everything. Incredible! Keep doing what you do. It's truly inspiring 👏👏👏

Ben you and Sarah are legends - so down to earth and real. Thank you for your honesty - I am 100% positive you will complete this.

Thank you for sharing your journey! So sorry you hurt your knee. What an adventure to get back too! Yikes! Glad it's starting to heal up. Wishing you a speedy recovery!

Amazing video. Had me crying 😢 Amazing that you shared all the ups and downs of this. I hope all is ok and 100% with your knee very soon. X

Love your emotion at the start. I know exactly how you feel. Thank you for sharing your experience at UTMB.

I remember I had a similar fall at the ‘Lakes in a Day’. I was 45 miles into a 50 mile race. I also couldn’t continue. I was gutted. After that day I have never taken running in events for granted. It’s made me more determined than ever and I make sure I enjoy every second no matter what happens. Like you said Ben - we are blessed to be able to participate in these great events 😊

Just incredible the pure honesty and real you is why I follow so thankyou

Thank you for sharing this video with us and all the problems you encountered. The climb after la Balme is quite difficult sometimes, it must have been really difficult. I was volunteer at Les Contamines (I can recognize me for just a brief moment in your video) and the people retiring had to come to me. I saw some like you, hesitating and who didn't know what to do. I remember that Spanish man who was with his wife and their children. He kept hesitating for a long time because he had stomach pain. He was afraid of going into the night like this and he finally retired. There is also that Italian man who told me he was diabetic, and decided to retire. It's so difficult to retire when you put so much effort in such a race. Big up for your courage and the next one, will be the good one :)

You are strong and determined! I know you will succeed in your future endeavors! Thank you for your heartfelt sharing! Sarah is a keeper!

I wish you a speedy recovery, you will overcome this, and I am looking forward to your return to running and amazing videos and adventures to come.

What a great example of determination, resilience and honesty. Looking forward to seeing you come back and have another crack at it in the future!

Oh man, I want to give you guys a hug now, or buy you a beer or a coffee (guess I should just order some more benparkes-hats)! Seeing you and Sarah being so genuinely excited at the start of the race, I'm not lying, put some tears in my eyes as well. Massive kudos for sharing also those more sad moments which, however, you immediately put into perspective with your humble positive attitude. You both are just awesome! Also, I said it several times by now and I will probably keep saying it again and again: personally, I think your and Sarah's race-vlogs are your strongest videos and I am always really excited when there is a one coming up! Stay healthy and get this injury done!

Hey Ben, we were out there following the race, checking on you and Sarah's progress and were so sorry that this happened to you, the knee looks so painful. It's so lovely that you appreciate how great your life is and that this is just a small blip in it, your optimism and positivity are a credit to you and a great example to all. Well done!!! You'll be back!!!

I love your attitude about it all. So glad the injury was not more serious and you are still out there 'getting it done!" You and Sarah are awesome.

Tough break man, but thanks for sharing. At a time when youtube is full of people achieving amazing things I think this serves as a healthy reminder that things don't always go our way. Hope you make a full recovery and I look forward to seeing the next attempt!

That start line is just massive. Seemed so amazing. Tough break, Ben. I'm sorry that it happened. But we already know you and you know you. We'll get back out there stronger than ever. And all these struggles and downfalls just means that success will taste sweeter than you can ever imagine! Let's get it!

So tough to see you suffer like that. Good on ya for trying and sharing your experiences. Love watching you and Sarah and your adventures.

Hardcore perseverance, inspiration and motivation here Ben! I really appreciate you sharing the reality! You will comeback and achieve! Just keep pushing!

Oh, what a shame! Absolutely gutted for you! Hope you get there next year. Thank you for sharing.

Such terrible rotten luck but amazing positivity. Well done for trying to push through, and a huge round of applause for Sarah sacrificing her race to render care. So thoughtful of her to double back down the mountain when she lost contact. Glad you're both safe. Next year!!

Brutally honest as always. Love how humble you are. Best wishes to you and Sarah for your future races

Just watched your video Ben and take my hat off to you. Having just completed London 2022 and struggled the last third I can only imagine what taking on UTMB must be like. As you know these episodes make us stronger and power up the human spirit in us. Go run.

Thanks for opening up this crazy world via your prep. I've become fascinated with it, having visited Chamonix as a student, there's definitely something truly epic about it. I'll definitely give some Welsh trail races a go for the fun and challenge.

The emotion, the content, amazing. Well done to you both!!!👍

massive congrats for the effort, Ben. and great video again.

Kudos for your perseverance and positivity. Proud of your efforts and am glad that you weren't alone.

Love your attitude man. Thanks for sharing this video. Hope you get well very soon.

Ben, I always appreciate you for being transparent with your audience. Sorry that this happened and wishing you well for your recovery.