Racing Thoughts

An Intimate and unflinching account of the ultimate test of grit, mettle and mental resolve - the Ironman Triathlon, celebrated as one of the most challenging sporting events in the world.

Three years in the making, Racing Thoughts chronicles a young man's physical and mental journey to being race-day-ready after. The result is an inspiring meditation of what it means to be not just an athlete, but a human.

  • Thomas Auld
    Writer
  • Thomas Auld
    Director
  • William Maitland-Round
    Assistant Shooting-Director
  • Lucy Milton
    Camera Operator
  • Josephine Kammacher-Reich
    Additional Photography
  • Josephine Kammacher-Reich
    Edit Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Endurance, Mental Health, Documentary, Sports Documentary, Self-Shot, Sports
  • Runtime:
    30 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 3, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 1080p
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Thomas Auld

Tom Auld is a young filmmaker from the UK and Canada at the very beginning of his TV career. Since starting out in photography as a youngster, Tom became a prolific self-taught filmmaker, making multiple short wildlife videos for YouTube before landing jobs in broadcast television.

Since then he has worked his way up from a Runner, through Edit, Tech and Camera Assistant roles, to Drone Pilot, DV director and Camera Operator for high-end Primetime Television.

Tom's passion for the craft remains firm and in addition to now working in Television, he continues to create short films in his spare time, often working in topics and styles he is not exposed to in his normal work.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Racing Thoughts is my first proper documentary. A self-shot, zero budget, favour-made experiment. I'd like to say it's the first I properly directed, but, that feels a bit odd when the subject is yourself. This film has been a labour of love for the last 3 years (1 shooting and 2 editing).

I started filming when I had very little experience relative to now; barely out of a university science degree. It's been an incredible learning tool and I credit a lot of the hours I put into this film with helping me strive forward in my professional shooting roles. It was a topic, genre, and style I hadn't tried and it's really a melting pot of various techniques I learned about over the course of making this film.

I think it could have been finished sooner if I had plucked up the courage to share my experience; thankfully, with the encouragement of my friends and family, I have finally shared the film and my journey.