In June 2017, Patrick Vaughan traveled to Lebanon to run the 450km “Lebanon Mountain Trail”. Patrick hired Bachar Khattar to support and film his Fastest Known Time (FKT) attempt with the purpose of making a short personal video of his run. Over the course of the weeklong adventure, Patrick and Bachar bonded and became close friends with Bachar providing a majority of the logistical support necessary for Patrick to complete the run while simultaneously filming the entire effort mostly solo.
Patrick was an inspiration to Bachar who kept pressing for an explanation of why Patrick was running. Patrick eventually shared the secrets of his life on camera, appearing so genuine and content with his story. This drove Bachar on his own journey to document the run and tell Patrick’s story. He initially collected more than 20 hours of footage and then began a relentless three-year effort to release the final production.
In 2018, Bachar joined Patrick while he attempted the “Triple Crown of 200’s”, a series of 200+ mile races featuring some of the most beautiful and challenging terrain in the United States. Bachar filmed the Bigfoot 200 Endurance Run in August, Tahoe 200 in September, and Moab 240 miler in October. The Triple Crown is the apex of ultrarunning, totaling 645 miles in three races over 10 weeks and taking contestants up to 317 hours to complete. In collaboration with the race organizers, Destination Trail, we produced four shorts, one for each of the races, and one of the overall Triple Crown experience.
In 2019, House of Steep Productions collaborated with Visionaire Media and the MENA Media Fund to finalize the short documentary and release it to festivals beginning in June 2020.
Filmed and produced entirely in Beirut, Lebanon, the documentary titled Confessions of a Runner intends to be the first in a series of six episodes about ultrarunners, what makes them tick, and the stunning geography where they seek peace and redemption. It is a gateway program to understanding the pursuit of healing, perseverance, and self-awareness. This is a series for all seasons.
- Confessions of a Runner, House of Steep Productions, News, Trailers
- July 12, 2020
- House of Steep Productions, News
- May 1, 2020
- News, Trailers, Triple Crown
- February 17, 2019