HBS MEMORIES 0: FAI AND FEAR AT the IRONMAN

HBS MEMORIES 2012: FAITH AND FEAR AT THE IRONMAN - 19/12/2012 HBS ended its first season as TV production partner of the Ironman series on a high note, taking home LEquipe.frs Public Prize for the Best Sport Slow Motion from the Sportel Monaco this past October. HBS Executive Producer Julien Bertin was singled out for his key role in the award win, but when asked to look back on the most memorable moments of his year with the Ironman series he focused not on the technical aspects of his work but rather on a more emotional side of the Ironman series.

"The most powerful memories from my involvement with the Ironman series have been the moments just before an event and those at the very end of one," Julien explained. "Before a race begins, theres a feeling running through the start zone, through each and every participant as they prepare to push themselves as far as they can. As an athlete myself, and as someone whos quite competitive, its an amazingly powerful thing to see the same looks of fear and anxiety, focus and determination on two, three thousand faces.

"And then in the last hour or so before the races cut-off time, when all the top competitors have long since collected their medals, you see everyone else. All kinds of physiques, men and women, young and old, all of them psychologically wiped out, bursting into tears as they cross the finish line, amazed that theyve pulled it off. Its incredibly powerful and it's also kind of contagious.

These poignant moments affected Julien so strongly that they rekindled a dormant ambition of his. "As a teenager I had two athletic targets: I wanted to run a marathon and to participate in an Ironman. I did the marathon part early on, competing in the New York City event in 1998. But I never got around to the triathlon, until the inspiration I gained from working on the Ironman this year brought this goal back to the surface. I wound up competing in two Ironman 70.3 events, in Mallorca and Aix-en-Provence, which taught me so much both personally and professionally, since my experiences will inform our coverage of the event. For instance, now I know that when everyone rushes into the water at the start of the race like a harem of seals, you spend the first few minutes getting kicked in the head!

"Im sort of joking, but its also true: putting myself in the competitors state of mind helps me in my attempts to convey their feelings on screen. More than anything else, the Ironman series is about going beyond your own limits, beyond your own self. Its a beautiful thing to witness and I want to honor that emotion, that commitment and that achievement through my production work."

LINK:	http://www.hbs.tv/news-archive/news/article/hbs-memories-2012-faith-an...
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