Event Video Production
Way Too Cool 50K Ultramarathon
Read Full Transcript of This Video
Transcript: Way Too Cool 50K Ultramarathon
NorCal Ultras presents the Way Too Cool 50K, sponsored by Cliff bar. It's an ultra marathon that takes place every spring in Cool, California.
With over 1,000 runners every year, it's the largest and most sought-after 50K in the nation. unners keep coming back for the breathtaking trails, amazing views, and for the pure fun of the race.
**Race Participant, Ultra Marathon Runner:** The course is just beautiful. I mean the track, the layout. I'd say this is probably my favorite run that I have out of all of them.
**Race Participant, Ultra Marathon Runner:** It was actually a good level of challenge, and there was moments where you got to like, you know, have a nice clip going with a bunch of people, and then there was moments where it was like really hard, like uphill.
**Race Participant, Ultra Marathon Runner:** Rolling skills, which is good, so with every uphill you're going down. It's a challenging course, and I got a PR.
**Race Participant, Ultra Marathon Runner:** It's fun, tons of people, the organization is great.
**Race Participant, Ultra Marathon Runner:** Trails are awesome, the single track which is epic. It's a great race.
At Way Too Cool, the aid stations are fully stocked with potatoes, fruit, energy snacks, and a special, homemade soup.
2014 marked the 25th anniversary of the Way Too Cool. The race had five Hall of Froggers, runners that finished all 25 races in event history.
**Race Participant, Ultra Marathon Runner:** I love the fact that, you know, woods, meadows, great vistas, very beautiful scenery.
**Race Participant, Ultra Marathon Runner:** I took pictures along the way, so I have evidence that I was here.
At mile 26, runners reached the iconic Goat Hill, sponsored by Strava.
**Strava Representative:** So we're a GPS-enabled website, and then during the race we did a segment challenge from the bottom of Goat Hill to the top of Goat Hill, but it's kind of fun to see how you compare to everyone else running that day.
The total race distance is 31.2 miles.
From the top of Goat Hill, the runners make the final five-mile push to the finish line.
**Race Participant, Ultra Marathon Runner:** Have your mind clear, and know what's your dream. After a mile 20 it's not a goal, it's a dream, you know, to cross the finish line.
NorCal Ultra's partners with race beneficiaries, Wings for Life, California Conservation of Trails, and Running School.
**Race Participant, Ultra Marathon Runner:** Great event for family and friends, and you've got little kids running around, having a good time, and everyone's cheering you on.
**Race Participant, Ultra Marathon Runner:** Energy is good. It's like there's no reason not to put this as the one.
**Race Participant, Ultra Marathon Runner:** This is my first Ultra, I loved it I'll do it again. Because of this I'm going to do the AR50 next month. Absolutely loved it.
Visit our website at WTC50K.com.
Sign up for next year's lottery through Ultra SignUp.
About This Video
NorCal Ultras runs some of the most competitive endurance events in Northern California — the American River 50, Rio Del Lago 100, and the Way Too Cool 50K, which drew over 1,000 runners and filled through a lottery in 2014. This was my third year filming it. The video's job was to show why that kind of demand exists.
The course does a lot of the work: single-track through woods and meadows, well-stocked aid stations, a 25-year history, and Goat Hill at mile 26 — a climb that shows up in every runner's story. I structured the edit around that arc: start-line energy, mid-race scenery, the Goat Hill push, finish-line payoff. Participant reactions anchored it. One first-timer said she loved it and was already signed up for the AR50 the following month. That line does more promotional work than any highlight reel.
How do you capture both the fun and the challenge of a race?
By following the race's own arc instead of cherry-picking the best shots. Way Too Cool has a natural narrative: excitement at the start, rhythm on the single-track, and then Goat Hill at mile 26 — where the climb makes the effort visible on every face. Leaning into that progression means the video earns its finish-line moment instead of just jumping to it.
Why do some race videos feel more memorable than others?
Specificity. A race video that could have been made for any 50K doesn't hold up. The Way Too Cool film works because it's rooted in the details of that event — the character of the single-track, the Strava segment on Goat Hill, the aid station culture, the runners who'd finished all 25 years. Those details give returning runners something to recognize and give first-timers a reason to sign up.
What should a race organizer prioritize when planning a video?
Identifying the moments that define the event — not just covering as much ground as possible. For Way Too Cool, that meant Goat Hill, the aid stations, and the finish line. Those three anchors gave the edit structure. Everything else — the trail scenery, the participant reactions — supported those moments rather than competing with them.
What makes a race video actually effective for marketing?
When it answers 'should I do this race?' before the viewer finishes watching. The Way Too Cool video does that through participant testimony placed where it matters, not as filler between shots. A first-timer saying she loved it and is already signed up for the AR50 says more than a minute of scenic footage. Specific testimony builds viewer trust faster than highlight reels.
Why do moments like Goat Hill matter in a race video?
They're the landmarks that make the race feel like itself and not any other 50K. For returning runners, Goat Hill is shorthand for everything that makes Way Too Cool hard and worth it. For first-timers watching the video, it signals that this course has a personality. Without those moments, you get a trail running montage — technically accurate but impossible to remember.
