Sports documentaries are a dime a dozen.  It’s almost a given that a filmmaker will follow either an unknown or a star through the preparation for and execution of a monumental sporting event, concluding in a dramatic finish.  Along the way, we’ll get some tear-jerking moments and visceral thrills.

Every once in a while, though, as was the case with the IMAX Everest film, a documentary comes along that offers something truly unique and leaves a lasting impression.  The Fathom Entertainment presentation of Race Across the Sky is one of those.

The backstory to the film is pretty intriguing.  In 2008, the legendary (“retired”) Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong entered the Leadville Trail 100, a two-mile-high mountain-bike endurance race dominated by local racer Dave Wiens, who had won the previous five trophies.  In “out-and-back” fashion, the race pits more than a thousand contestants against (and for) each other in what to many of them is the impossible: a fifty-mile road- and off-road-race to a Colorado mountaintop—and then retracing the trail through the remainder of the ascending pack, for a total of over 14,000 feet in elevation gain. For safety, entrants are stopped if they don’t reach the half-way point of the outbound leg within four hours, and the race is halted at twelve hours.  Leaders are lucky to conclude the trek in under seven.

In 2008, Lance Armstrong finished second to Wiens—and unretired, crediting the infectious spirit behind the no-purse, enthusiasts-only Leadville Trail 100 with reigniting his desire to compete.

In August of 2009, Armstrong returned to the Tour de France with a remarkable third-place finish—as a mere warm-up for his second stab at the Leadville Trail 100.  Race Across the Sky is the story of Armstrong’s rematch with Wiens, in a bid to break the six-hour mark for finishing.  It’s also the story of much more than that.

If you follow biking, you probably know how the race turns out.  If, like me, you don’t follow biking, it’s worth not having the conclusion spoiled by overly-informative reviews.  Suffice to say that both the expected and the unexpected happen over the course of the film, and there’s more than enough drama and human interest here to hold an audience’s attention.

Remarkably, director (and three-time race veteran) Frank Matson not only sustains the drama over the film’s 90-or-so-minute running time without resorting to an excess of “up close and personal” sports-doc cheese, he also manages brilliant coverage of the race’s key segments—the outbound pelleton, the Powerline descent, the key transitions at the Twin Lakes checkpoint, and the Columbine Mine climb and turnaround—with the aid of a crew of 25, 10 cameras, two motorcycles, and a helicopter.  Even more remarkable is the fact that Matson turned around editing of the film in eight weeks in order to hit the hard-and-fast deadline of the live debut of the film for Fathom’s October 22 one-night in-theaters-only event.

This review would be incomplete without noting that Fathom’s HD video presentation of the film—supported by pre- and post-screening panel discussions with Armstrong, Wiens, race organizer Ken Chlouber, and others—is superb.  Here you’ll learn a little bit more about the stories behind the race, including those of Roxanne Hall, who was critically injured after being struck by a car while training for the 2008 Leadville (and completed the course in 2009!), and a good friend of Chlouber’s who entered this year’s race after double knee-replacement surgery.

If you missed this week’s presentation, you’re in luck: Fathom has scheduled an encore presentation for November 12.

Race Across the Sky did not turn me into a biking fan—but I’m sure a fan of this film, and am turning into an even bigger fan of Fathom events.  They’re distinctive, well-produced, intelligent, and mature.

Race Across the Sky is unrated.  I can’t recall for sure if any vulgar talk passed the racers’ lips, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one or two curse words did.  Still and all, this is pretty clean and inspiring entertainment.

Courtesy of a national publicist, Greg attended a public screening of Race Across the Sky in conjunction with Fathom Events.