Dreama Team

Dreama Walton is a mother, full-time employee, and an ultramarathon runner.

Dreama Team follows this amateur athlete on her road to compete in American's biggest ultramarathon: The Western States 100. As she draws inspiration from painful experiences in her youth, she finds herself getting fueled by a community she never expected.

We explore the "dark place" of an ultra marathon - which is often a battle of the mind, and what comes up emotionally while running. Dreama didn't have the best role models in her childhood as she experienced neglect and abuse, but discovered the running community as a positive influence. She talks about her sister who had Spina Bifida and could never walk... and how she now "carries" her while she runs.

Dreama Team isn't just a story about Ultramarathon running. It's a story about a relatable person, and how she takes struggle head-on, to face life's challenges.

  • Chad Weber
    Director
  • Steve Vanderheide
    Director
  • Spencer Punter
    Producer
  • Ingrid Arneberg
    Producer
  • Dreama Walton
    Key Cast
  • Adrian Disch
    Music Scoring
  • Aaron Ray
    Poster Design
  • Cameron Walker
    Title Design
  • Nathan Venzara
    Production Assistant
  • Austin Mendenhall
    Audio Mixing
  • Chomp Studios
    Map Animation
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 5 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 20, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    55,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:40
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Moc Gor Film Festival
    Zakopane
    Poland
    June 25, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Horsetooth Fest
    Fort Collins
    United States
    September 8, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Winter Park Film Fest
    Winter Park
    United States
    September 9, 2023
    Best Documentary Feature
  • Breckenridge Film Fest
    Breckenridge
    United States
    September 23, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Four Corners Film Festival
    Farmington, NM
    United States
    September 7, 2023
    Award Winner - Made in Colorado
  • Red Rock Film Festival
    Cedar City, Utah
    United States
    October 14, 2023
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Chad Weber, Steve Vanderheide

Steve Vanderheide is a filmmaker from Ontario, Canada, now residing in Lakewood, Colorado. He has been telling stories about people for over 15 years and enjoys all aspects of documentary filmmaking - preferring to wear many hats instead of just being in one role. He has edited 3 feature documentaries, and produced many smaller projects. Moving to Colorado in 2019, he has begun to work on more projects related to the outdoors, a lifelong passion of his.

Chad Weber is a documentary filmmaker based in Longmont Colorado. He founded Free Range Films in 2020 as an outlet to share documentary films. He has produced several short documentaries and edited two feature length docs.
He's interested in sharing the stories of the" everyman and woman". Stories that are often less heard - about the everyday struggles and triumphs of those around us.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

From the outside looking in - Ultrarunners seem kind of crazy.

Most of us see running a regular marathon distance as an incredibly impressive feat. One beyond most of our aspirations.
However - we can still find value in doing hard things. Feeling a satisfaction in learning a new skill. Overcoming a challenge. And growing better for it.

So what is the value of doing REALLY hard things? Like running a 100 mile race?

Dreama is an ordinary person in many respects. A mother, co-raising her daughter. An IT employee, working full time.
You could grab a burger and beer with her and have a normal conversation.
So what separates her from us? What drives her?

It’s always a central question to documentary filmmakers like us. What forces shape and influence how people view the world? Their upbringing? Their peers? A personal experience?

Part of the answer to Dreama’s outlook is the influence of those in her childhood years.

She had a sister with Spina Bifida - who could never walk.
She had a father who struggled with drug abuse.
She had an abusive stepmom.
We explore these early years in the film - up to her high school years.

Something happens here. A new community. A positive influence. Finding running. Finding encouragement from this community.
As filmmakers — seeing how significant the positive influence of the running community was in Dreama’s life, was powerful. It sent her down a road of more positive achievements in life.
That momentum. One person being kind….causing another person to be kind. How that invisible chain of positive influence can affect the world in unseen ways…

It’s what we often think about with our work as creators. A music album. A documentary film. You send it out into the world…and you’ll never know what and how many experiences were had with individuals. The effect it had on them.
A perspective change. Maybe just entertainment for the evening. Maybe they do one positive thing more. You’ll never know. All you can do it send it out.