How often does a bike ride or jog after work provide some solace? The power of outdoor recreation to lend peace of mind is one topic of a pair of films showing in Whitefish May 12. 

The Runnin’ It Project Film Festival features a Steve Vanderhoek documentary called “Ride to Resilience,” a film about mountain biking and his mental health journey as a professional mountain biker and firefighter. 

Jeremy Adams, local mountain biker and MTB coach, worked with Elijah White, owner of Jolt Media Productions, to make “The Runnin’ It Project,” a film to complement Vanderhoek’s. 

Both films are featured in The Runnin’ It Project Film Festival Tuesday, May 12 at the Performing Arts Center. The screenings begin at 6:30 p.m. and doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets are available at eventbrite.com. 

Filmmaker White specializes in action sports and nature-based activities in the Flathead Valley. Although this is his first time shooting mountain biking, the trailer to the film proves he is up for the task. The narration melds with the images and tight close ups transform into sweeping vistas seamlessly. 

“The Runnin’ It Project” features beautifully shot scenes of mountain biking, fly fishing, and skiing, while shining a light on how the valley’s recreational opportunities can help ease mental health struggles. 

“We talk a lot about what it does and how you can use it as a tool,” White said of the area’s plentiful outdoor pursuits. “It's almost like a reset, helping your brain process what you're thinking, and these kinds of things can help you ...  come at it with a clearer head.”  

The single-mindedness inherent in many outdoor activities can lend peace of mind and a mental space Adams called “an oasis.” 

“That's what mountain biking does for me,” Adams said. “When I’m riding my bike, there’s no other thought ever -- in that moment, and it just kind of resets my thought life and I can go back into the real life with clearer vision of how to go about it.” 

A rider in Vanderhoek’s film talks about feeling stress and being worried, until he gets on his bike and into the woods; then “poof” it’s all gone. 

“A lot of us who are part of this [project] are recovering drug addicts and alcoholics and so we’ve found this – mountain biking, skiing, fly fishing and skiing, to help us stay sane and sober,” Adams said. “That's what we want to let the community know. There are healthier things to strengthen your mental health. 

“We’re not always OK, but these things help us to get to the next day or the next moment,” he added. 

It is common for those struggling with mental health to feel isolated and alone. Adams said the live event in Whitefish gives people a chance to gather and meet face to face. He wants members of the community to know they are not alone, and that help is available. 

Adams and Vanderhoek met years ago and became friends due to their shared passion for mountain biking. 

“Then we became pretty good friends and then got vulnerable with our mental health that we struggle with,” Adams said. “Mountain biking was a huge part of strength in our mental health. It was more of an outlet for both of us, and that's where we connected even more.” 

Vanderhoek, a professional cyclist from Vancouver, B.C., has been a career firefighter since 2012 and has struggled with the trauma inherent in his line of work. 

“This film originally started out as just being a bad ass mountain biking film,” Vanderhoek said in the “Ride to Resilience” trailer, “I quickly realized that I was on my own personal journey of growth and learning to address some things that have been with me my entire life that were really preventing me from being the best version of myself.” 

The film features epic mountain biking scenes while it explores the need for coping skills and ways to regain balance. 

Adams was born in Kalispell, and he said he wants to give back to the valley that raised him. He and White are rooted in the local community, and they both work at the Whitefish Sportsman’s & Ski Haus year-round in the ski shop and bike shop. 

"We work in the industry and are not just like random faces that you'll never see again,” White said 

The evening will feature informative booths from Legacy Bike Park, Crown Gravity Collective, Whitefish Legacy Partners and others. Vanderhoek and Adams will be in attendance, too. 

There will be a silent auction along with a raffle of items donated by Great Northern Cycle & Ski, Glacier Cyclery, Legacy Bike Park, Wolf’s Den Tattoo Shop and Achy Bones Co.  

Raffle proceeds and all donations collected at the event will go to the Ryder Furshong Scholarship Foundation so more kids can experience the joy of mountain biking with Crown Gravity Collective, a Whitefish nonprofit that coaches young mountain bike riders and encourages them to progress their passion for riding bikes. 

See the “Runnin’ It Project” trailer at The Runnin' It Project - Official Teaser Trailer 

For tickets, go to https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/f18-CBBAXVsDr9B2izf4T2ntcL?domain=eventbrite.com 

Reporter Julie Engler can be reached at 406-862-3505 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at whitefishpilot.com/support. 

      

    A still from the film "Runnin' It Project" features local rider Jeremy Adams preparing to drop in. (Photo provided)