After running 210 kilometres to raise money for hospice, Ed Shuttleworth’s story has now been turned into a full-length documentary.
Ed is one of the dancers in the upcoming NBS Dancing for a Cause, a fundraiser for Nelson Tasman Hospice.
Ed will join nine other Nelsonians who will pair up with expert dancers and perform in front of a packed Trafalgar Centre in May.
As part of his fundraising efforts, Ed ran 210km from Fairwell Spit to the hospice in Stoke, a gruelling effort that took him a little more than 40 hours. Each of the 210 kilometres represented a patient at the hospice each month.
Following Ed along the way was local filmmaker Todd Starr, who captured hours of footage from the excitement of the start line, the agony of the final few kms and the emotional roller-coaster of Ed’s reason for the run. Todd says he has a close connection to hospice as his mother died there several years ago.
“I don’t really know how I did it, if I’m being completely honest. It was really difficult to film. We didn’t have any budget; everyone was volunteering so I had to be everywhere all the time. I shot still photography throughout the weekend, shot hours of drone footage and all the run footage and interviews, it was very intense. To make the film I did solo is something I’m very proud of.”
That film, titled The Road, was premiered last Tuesday night at the Suter Theatre in front of a sold-out audience. Ed spoke about how thrilled he was to have created an event that brought the community together. Afterwards he described the premier as “surreal”.
“I was pretty proud that my family were there to see, not just the film, but my vulnerability and seeing the community come together for hospice.”
For Ed, whose mother has also passed away from cancer, the challenge was about his grief but also for others who had lost loved ones.
“Sharing my story is hard but the community side of it was epic. That’s been the whole focus, how do we bring the community with us. It’s not about my run, or my loss but the situation we’ve all been through and what we can do for the hospice.”
With the run complete, the film released, Ed’s full focus is now on the dancing ahead of May’s event.
As for Todd, he says the experience of making the film was “overwhelming”.
“When Ed was being interviewed by the Nelson Weekly at the finish line, I kind of realised we had done it and I had a full emotional flush out. It’s been a lot of work over the last eight months but I’m really happy with the result and what we’ve done for hospice, and to have 150 people pay to come and watch my film was a full circle moment for me.”
The documentary is available to be viewed for free on YouTube here.
