At 4 a.m. on August 17, pro skier, mountain athlete and public speaker Drew Petersen lined up alongside 700 other runners, ready to take on his third Leadville Trail 100 Run in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.
Simultaneously, Drew’s hard-hitting film Feel It All—about how his previous experiences on the grueling trail race weave into his compelling life story—officially launched for free online.
Leadville Trail 100 Backgrounder
In 1983, 45 runners braved 100 miles of punishing Rocky Mountain terrain—climbing to over 3840 m elevation and setting a global endurance benchmark. Today, the race is one of the world’s most celebrated trail-based endurance events.
Known as the “Race Across the Sky”, it was created by Ken Chlouber, a local miner who wanted to promote the town of Leadville after a downturn in the mining industry. Over the years, the brutal out-and-back course has attracted athletes from around the globe as they come to Leadville for the ultimate test of human endurance, on their quest for the silver and gold belt buckle prizes.
The Journey to Feel It All
Feel It All is a short documentary, over two years in the making, chronicling Drew’s journey from the depths of suicidal depression to finding strength, resilience and purpose by taking on the Leadville Trail 100. The film blends the experience of Drew ski-touring Colorado’s highest peaks (which surround the Leadville course) with running one of the toughest ultramarathons.
Having grown up nearby in Silverthorne, the film chronicles his journey running the “hometown hundred”, underlining how in the struggle of mental illness lies an opportunity to access a deep well of strength to realize our limitless human potential.
This film also represents Drew Petersen’s personal mission. The skier and runner has focused his efforts on changing the culture of mental health and suicide in the West, where suicide clusters in mountain towns often drive the highest suicide rates in North America.
“The communities I’ve been fortunate to connect with have shown me that we don’t just need these conversations around mental health, but that the people want these conversations of mental health and suicide prevention elevated,” said Petersen before the film’s online release.
“So far, about 500 people have seen Feel It All and I’ve already received numerous messages that it has saved lives and given people the courage to ask for help for the first time or finally follow through. That’s the power in talking about all of this and it’s why I do what do.”
Through his previous film, Ups and Downs, and his continuing advocacy and public speaking, Drew has created a safe and accessible space for this crucial conversation.
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