UTMB documentary highlights the power of crewing
"The Hidden Race" goes behind the scenes with an ultramarathoner and his crew at the 2025 TDS race at UTMB
SportsShoes
Most ultramarathon stories spotlight the athlete’s performance, but a new documentary from SportsShoes.com turns the lens toward the people the runners depend on most–those whose efforts often go unrecognized. The Hidden Race: Crewing TDS at UTMB, released last week on YouTube, takes place at the 2025 TDS race at UTMB in Chamonix, France, in August. It follows U.K. runner Darren Agnew and his crew chief and partner, Hannah Cawthra, to reveal the chaotic and transformative world of ultramarathon crewing.
Created in partnership with Hoka, the film premiered during the U.K.’s Kendal Mountain Festival on Nov. 22. It opens with SportsShoes.com‘s own definition of crewing: “the act of supporting a runner by providing essential supplies, physical care and emotional encouragement at designated points.” Over the 153-km ultra-trail race, one of the toughest on the UTMB circuit, the documentary shows that crews aren’t only for elites; even for mid-packers like Agnew, that support is vital.
Crewing responsibilities
For years, Agnew ran ultras without a crew, until Cawthra convinced him to let her and a group of their friends take on the role. The film shows how crewing requires meticulous advanced planning and organization, plus a significant amount of emotional and logistical work throughout race day. Alongside being a runner’s personal cheer squad, crews handle fuelling, hydration and gear changes, while also constantly adjusting plans as the weather shifts.
Crews aren’t allowed at every aid station, and some checkpoints permit only one crew member–and Cawthra carried that full responsibility. But just one person can dramatically reduce a runner’s time in the aid station, and that one familiar face can offer a massive morale boost, especially when the race begins to take a toll.
Agnew’s results underscore that impact. Between 2024 to 2025, with the help of his crew, he cut nearly three hours off his TDS time, jumping from 34:24:08 to 31:36:58, demonstrating how powerful the support of a crew can be on race day.
Watch the film on YouTube here.
