The documentary Learning to Fly is all about Ultra running. Aisha McAdams was a former competitive runner turned photographer, and she raced against some of the best. She talked about taking on this challenge.

“I won’t sugarcoat it. It was definitely challenging, right? When I was training for the Ultra, it was all of the travel going to all these places I was going to; like that was a, that was a, a part of training was just like hopping on a plane, getting off, having like getting home at 9 PM, having to do a long run and then hop on a flight the next day,” She explained. “There definitely were some crash-outs, I’ll be honest. Like it was tiring and I think the reason why I’ve been able to be a successful photographer comes from the discipline that I learned through running and just through even training for cross-country and track. I actually train better when I have a carrot, something to look towards. Like when I am not, when I don’t have that carrot, it’s a lot easier for me to make excuses, but when I have something that I’m actually motivated to do, and that excites me. It’s like that’s all that’s all I need.”

Director Max Lowe couldn’t believe what he was seeing at times.

“Yes, pretty much the entire time. That was my thought process. As you mentioned, you look at these things that seem impossible. Making a feature documentary film. It is a massive feat, years in the making,” Lowe stated. “It’s a ton of work to get the resources and the people that you need to get it in motion and it can seem daunting and impossible to the point that often you just don’t even want to start, but, you think about the processes ahead of you, I think, as part of the reward, at least for me is being here at the end of this journey for myself as a filmmaker and having a finished film. It’s the journey that brings you to that point that you really have to be excited about. The people you’re gonna meet along the way and the relationships you’re gonna build. The things you’re gonna learn about yourself. And that’s really the beautiful thing about ultra running. 

McAdams ran without a toenail!

“I feel like I have a pretty high pain tolerance. I feel like even when I was a kid, I could hold my hand over flame for like a really long time metaphorically. I’m stubborn. I am an incredibly stubborn person. Most people know me, and Max can probably attest to that as well. I think that’s something that Jim (Walmsley) and I have in common, and I wasn’t gonna let my toe, like, affect it.”

She was limping in the airport and took a wheelchair ride to the gate. After the airport folks talked her into it. 

A runner like Walmsley will run over 100 miles a week!

“I don’t think I’ll ever run that much a week. Um, I know what my physical boundaries are, and they’re not 100 to 110 miles. I’ve run the mile, like I was a 1500 meter runner. And so for me, that was just something that excited me,” McAdams stated. 

The director put it all into perspective.

“I think storytelling for me is my Ultra running. Uh, you know, these films are massive endeavors, as I said; the more of these in-depth stories that I find myself telling, the more I want to tell more of them because it is just the most amazing experience, and Aisha can attest to this as well, being a storyteller herself, to be welcomed into these worlds that you otherwise wouldn’t belong in. It’s just the coolest thing in the world, and it’s not always easy, far from it, but it’s very rewarding,” Lowe added.

DIRECTED BY: Max Lowe

PRODUCED BY: Evan Hayes, Katy Chevigny, and Ayesha Rokadia

EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY: Max Lowe, Justin Barocas, Benjamin Grayson, Kevin Joseph, Andy Mininger, Chad Moore, Erika Gabrielli, Robin Green, and Stefano Caroti

RUN TIME: 102 minutes