From Core to Sun (2018) - full transcript

Obviously, I need to know
you're fine to keep climbing up.

You're the greatest person I know.

The most hardworking,
the strongest and the smartest person.

I just think you're the best.

I just want you to know that I love you

and that I'm
the proudest woman in the world.

In this process, always trying
to push the limits, I realized

that it all starts with the mind.

The mind forces the brain
to make the body to move.

But it all starts here in the mind.

But the idea of the mind is complicated.



You can conceptualize the brain,
because you can hold it. But the mind?

The mind is an inner force
that lets you move forward.

It lets you dream.
It's what sets the limits.

It's what makes you challenge yourself.

It's a power you have.
An inner fire. The mind.

I'm not a full-time runner.
I'm a normal person.

I don't spend all day training.

I don't get paid
for being a full-time athlete.

I have to split my time
between studying, work,

friends and family.

And taking on these kinds of challenges.

But really now, I'm Millan, the runner.

The person trying to connect
the deepest point on the Earth

with the one closest to the sun
in one single adventure.



I'm hoping to earn the first two athletic
Guinness World Records for my country.

If I'm going to do something like this,
I'm going to need experts to help me

determine if my body can endure
everything I will have to face.

I will have to train
taking into account all possible sides.

For example the physical
and psychological sides,

nutrition, physiotherapy.

We face the challenge as a team,
but we each deal with something different.

I've worked with Alex
on the diet since I did Antarctica.

It's a key part in all of this.
No food, no energy.

Without energy we won't go very far.

We had the idea of running
a blood chemistry test

to see how he handles
fatigue in extreme conditions.

Since we're simulating it here,
we won't need to gather the data there.

So we will have all the data that we need.

To be honest,
his challenge is very complicated.

He needs not only great endurance,

but also great adaptability.

I can see he's a healthy man.

I think you should lose some weight.

- Girl!
- Millan, what's up?

- Did you just finish work?
- No, I was running.

On the physiotherapy side,

whenever I have a muscle problem,

a false step, a waist check, or whatever,

she always saves me.

It was an uphill battle.
He didn't have a nutritionist behind him.

He didn't have his own trainer.

Millan's strong point is his head.

These tests are always scary.
You don't know how they will come out.

Your heart
is functioning fine at the time.

Now, we're going to train
at 35 to 36 degrees Celsius.

We are at 98 to 99 percent humidity.

It's extreme.
You'll be incredibly exhausted.

Welcome to humidity.
That's what you wanted.

We placed him in extreme conditions
and that made him say,

"What did I sign up for?"

We were at 37 degrees there,
that's like having a fever.

Inside the mine,
it'll even be a bit hotter.

It'll easily take three hours.

I won't be able to keep running.
I'll just pass out.

You have to keep training
at this intensity at these temperatures.

You must surpass your aerobic threshold
to beat the fatigue

while moving at that pace.
Right now we're like this...

Hi. Let's go!

You don't have your clothes on?

We have to go.

Just a second. Let me finish something up.

Ok, but hurry up.

Carolina is my main supporter.

I am lucky to have met her.
We liked the same things.

We have the same views
on education and children.

We started going out
and now we're partners.

At first he didn't call me his girlfriend.

He just said we were going out together.

I have three children. One is ten,
another is eight and one is three.

I'm an electronics engineer and teacher.

Right now, I work as a teacher.

I'm sure that, without her support,
this huge project

would not have come
this close to being finished.

She is my anchor.
She keeps me grounded while I dream.

I think his previous challenges were easy
because they were just races.

You pay the sign-up fee and that's it.

This project is different.

The whole idea came from nowhere.
From his head.

And we're all working hard to help him.

He's got a great job
and he still manages to make time

like he says, out of thin air, to train,

to organize things,
to work on his challenge.

For everything.

It's a matter of wanting it
and organizing it.

This adventure comes in two parts.

The first is on the deepest point,
which is in South Africa.

Do you remember the Chilean miners?

They were trapped
700 meters below the surface.

To reach the deepest point,
I'll have to dive six times further.

I'll start my dive
100 kilometers from Johannesburg.

In a set of metal boxes
that function as elevators.

I'll go down 2020 meters,

three times as fast
as I would on a regular elevator.

Then I will switch boxes
and go down to 3300 meters

And I will finally be
at a depth of 3560 meters.

These are harsh conditions.

Temperature over 42 degrees Celsius.
Eighty percent relative humidity.

The air issue as well, gas composition...
It's hell down there.

And down there, I'll run 21 kilometers.

The fastest half marathon
at the deepest point in Earth.

After surfacing,
I'll travel 34 hours back to Ecuador

to do the next 21 kilometers
to reach the point closest to the sun.

Imagine the Earth as a ball.

If you squeeze at the poles,
the center becomes wider.

Since the Chimborazo is at that line,
it's the point closest to the sun.

There I'll finish the trail.
A half marathon climbing up

to the point furthest away
from the center of the Earth.

I'll start on the Guarada-Riobamba highway

and run seven kilometers
to the entrance to the volcano.

Which is at a height of 4200 meters.

Then, I will run another eight kilometers
until I reach the Carrel Refuge.

It's 4800 meters above sea level.
There I will get my equipment.

I'll prepare for my ascent to the summit.
Another six kilometers.

It will take at least 15 hours
and we hope to get there at dawn.

The summit is
at 6280 meters above sea level.

The conditions are entirely different.

Minus ten degrees Celsius,
winds over 70 km per hour.

We'll see how it goes.

Mountain climbing isn't easy.

First you have to rent all the equipment.
It's a lot too.

Then you have to organize it.

Boots, crampons, ice axes,

clothes, harnesses.

Finally, you load it all
and drive to the mountain.

And then the hardest thing of all,
climbing the mountain.

Why is the door called "Obi-Wan"?

Because it has the Force!

I have a clear idea of the adventure.
I know it's dangerous.

But that doesn't push me away,
it brings me closer.

It attracts. I want to do it.

I want to get
those Guinness World Records for Ecuador.

Look how sunny it is.

- The whole range will be like that.
- It's probably not that cold either.

- No clouds either.
- Not a single one.

Hi, how are you?

- Alright, I'm coming back.
- What do you mean back?

- We'll talk later.
- What happened?

We have to go back.

- It's 7:30 and I have to be there at 9:00.
- At the office?

Yeah, at the office.

This is taking me longer than it used to.

I mean, it's a hobby.
Like a little monster that transforms

and you don't know what it will become.
I may invest less time in engineering,

which originally was my dream.

I believe people, all of us, have limits.

And before those limits
we have two choices.

One, we organize our life
around those limits.

And we live like that.

Or two, we dare to push them further.
Even just a bit further.

He isn't...
He hasn't been trained to be an athlete.

He's just a person with dreams
and wants to have adventures.

He wants to push his own limits.

He proves that, if you're motivated,
you can do anything.

I grew up in the slums.
At Ayacucho and Octava if you know them.

I never thought I'd go to university.

I finished high school and wanted
to study Agronomic Engineering.

I knew Zamorano
was the best university for it.

The problem is Zamorano is
a private school and expensive as well.

The only way I could go
would be with a full scholarship.

Partial scholarship wouldn't be enough.
So I made a decision.

I'd study Engineering and Statistics
as well as Math at the Polytechnic.

So that gives me four years,
the length of the course,

to get the full scholarship for Zamorano.

- How are you?
- Hi, Millan.

She's coming on Sunday.

- You call her every day, right?
- Every day.

- She's the one calling me.
- She does?

- What about Sofia?
- Sofia is beautiful.

She's growing bigger every day,
and so lively.

This is Yayita, my wife.

My daughter, Yunin. Look...
My Maria Lourdes.

She's 17 and my little Sofia is five.

That's it!
Four. That's great! I was wrong.

They drive me to give it my all.

I laminated their pictures
and took them with me to Patagonia.

Their baby pictures,
laminated and tied on to a necklace.

You're going to a race.

Yes, I'm going to run a race.

Goodbye dear.

Millan was always a quiet boy.

Observant.

When he was four,
I noticed he had a lot of endurance.

That was at the beach.

If I had been a runner,

maybe he would have started earlier.

He liked to play soccer.

But with older people.
His uncles who were 20 or 30 years old.

He never got tired.

On 100 meter dashes, he always came last.

He always liked being first.

Time went on,
and one day it was 1000 meters.

Then it was endurance that counted.

That time he came in first.
Competing against older people.

- Here he is with the flag...
- That was for Antarctica.

He's a man without limits or fear.

When he sets himself a goal,
he doesn't change his mind.

In my fourth year, I was writing
my thesis for Engineering and Statistics,

and I got a call
from the Zamorano Association.

They were saying, "There's a chance
for you to get a full scholarship,

but you have to be in Honduras in a week."

I was on the bus on my way to college
to take some exams.

On the next stop I got off the bus.

I crossed the street
and took the bus back home.

Next week I was in Zamorano.

What he did,
going abroad to study at Zamorano

and postponing his degree
in Engineering and Statistics,

was his choice.

I always supported him.
I never said "no" to any of my children.

Never. The same with his mother.
She's so sweet.

That is how you show your children love.

Why do I run? I think I run to evolve.

At first it was to find myself.
Now it's to challenge myself.

It's like a chain.

You get more energy and a better mood.

Your ideas at work get better.

Your outlook on life changes.
It's a more positive outlook.

You become a more creative person.

And I'm fascinated by mountains
because you feel you're among giants.

And when you climb,
you realize how small you are.

Mountains help you to be more humble.

You climb, not to conquer the mountain,
but to conquer yourself.

Hi there.

How are you two?

How are you?

I came to say hi.

- To be honest, it's up the Mountain God.
- Up to God.

- Juanito will be there with you.
- Yes.

- I hope so.
- Supporting you.

I find it hard to speak about Juan José.

Even ten years after the fact, it's hard.

At that time, he was my best friend.

We shared our dreams,
we had a project involving cocoa.

He was a sweet natured boy.

He finished high school at 16.

At 20 he was an engineer
from Zamorano University.

He wore his heart on his sleeve.
He always wanted to help others.

I believe it influenced
his relationship with Millan

and inspired him.

When I came back with my best friend,

we began a project to produce cocoa.

We said, "Ok, let's plant some cocoa."

Unfortunately, José died six months later.

I had never had to see
a loved one die before.

I never truly understood death
before that.

This changed my life in a big way.

Because it made me understand life,
how fleeting life can be.

A lot of people close to me
don't know this story.

I don't want to share it,
I want to keep it

to remember Juan José.

Everything we did
and everything we wanted to do.

I'm sure that...

at the times...

when he faces the hardest difficulties,
he thinks about him.

He follows me everywhere.

He will be with me
at the mine and up on the summit.

Which, in theory,
would be the point closest to him.

There's no point
in doing extraordinary things

if we don't use it
to support our communities.

There's no point.

With us today is a great person.

A native of Guayaquil.

We're lucky to have him with us today.
He is Millan Ludena.

Please welcome him.

Hi. How are you?

Thank you very much for inviting me.

One time I searched this on Google:

"The world's most difficult race."

I moved to Quito
and found mountains, snowy peaks, lakes.

A ton of natural beauty.

I signed up for a race
at the Mojanda volcano in Imbabura.

The categories were
for 10, 20, 50 and 80 kilometers.

I thought that if I was used to running
five kilometers, ten would be a challenge.

I signed up and this guy told me,
"Look, 5, 10 and 20 are full.

If you want, I have spots for 50 or 80",
and I said, "Give me 50."

It took me 15 hours
to finish 50 kilometers.

It left me wondering,

"Do we grow when we fight our fears?"

On December that same year,

I ended up running 160 kilometers
on the Argentine Patagonia.

I suffered a lot,
but I got an answer to my question.

People do grow and evolve
when they face their fears.

Next year I found this,
the most difficult race in the world.

The Marathon De Sables,
it's French for marathon of the sands.

This race is 240 kilometers long.

In the 29 years since the event started,
no Ecuadorian had finished the race.

Just a few more kilometers...

I finished
the most difficult race in the world

and became the only Ecuadorian to do that.

And, if I ran on the hottest place,

why not run on the coldest as well?

One hundred kilometers without stopping

where the lowest temperatures
in history have been recorded.

Minus 89 degrees Celsius.

I didn't even know
how I was going to do it.

But we had the idea
of training in an ice factory.

Months later,
we were running in Antarctica.

And I became the first Ecuadorian
to finish this race

and one of the 14 people in the world

that ran ultramarathons

in the hottest
and coldest places on Earth.

Among those, there's an Ecuadorian.

If you already ran
at the hottest and the coldest place,

why not go to the deepest and highest?

If the challenge doesn't
make your knees shake,

it may not be big enough for you.

For starters, entering a mine
four kilometers below sea level

is a risk he's taking.

With two or three percent
of body fluid loss,

it's dangerous for his health.

While there are people working there,
they don't perform physical activities.

The work is very specific
and they take breaks.

Hydration isn't merely
the intake of liquid.

The electrolyte balance
have to be perfect and accurate.

I can't drink any more.

- What are you feeling now?
- I can't drink any more.

The body is subject
to a series of variations

and it really must be habituated, adapted,

not only as a matter of endurance,
but also to the changes in temperature.

In high altitudes in the mountain,
the lack of oxygen...

The atmospheric pressure
makes it harder to assimilate oxygen.

We also lose
a lot of fluid through mucous.

Dehydration is one
of the gravest physiological conditions

you can suffer from.

To realize my adventure
I first had to climb some mountains.

That's why I asked my friend, Carla Perez,
for help on climbing glaciers.

- How are you, Millan?
- In deep trouble.

I'm scared because I don't know.

It's a volcano that always has scared me.

Scared of the height,
the cold, your fitness level?

- Because of how impressive it is.
- The energy that it has.

Yeah, the energy.

I'm really not used to the mountain.

All that stuff with crampons
and snow and everything else.

And this fear doesn't go away.

You speak with people and they say,

"Up to 5800 or 5900 it's manageable,
over 6000 it's hell."

You're always worried about failing.

And I don't think it's just the mountain
itself, it's everything around it.

Around the challenge.

It's walking forward into the unknown.
It's super hard.

But in the end we have
to go towards our goal.

The trick is to always stay positive.

Yeah, I get it.

"Chimborazo" comes from two Quichua words.
"Chimbu" or "chimbana"

which means "what's in front",
"the next path" or "what must be crossed".

And "Razu" which means "snow".

So it can be interpreted as
"the snow to be crossed",

"the snowy passage
between the towns that has to be crossed."

They say Father Chimborazo
is married to Mother Tungurahua.

For a long time she had been
waiting for a child from Chimborazo.

But she couldn't conceive. She was livid.

She spit mud and ash so she could give
Chimborazo a child who was white like him.

So Father Chimborazo used his virility

to make a shepherd girl
go to his foothills

looking for a lost lamb.

Suddenly, this young girl

found a small white bean

among the bushes.

She embraced this bean,
placed it against her belly

and that way
the bean entered inside of her.

Nine moons later,
Father Chimborazo got his firstborn.

The child was white like him
and had golden hair.

When people saw albinos

they were said to be children
of Father Chimborazo.

This is also training, really.

It's the first time I face the Chimborazo.

Lots of respect for the mountain.
I just want to see how far I can go.

I'm hoping to see the sunset,
which they say beautiful.

- Alright, let's go.
- Round of applause!

We're at 4907 and counting.

Get ready, we're going to the summit.

We're doing well at 5000.

I'm fine physically and mentally.
I'm motivated.

I think we'll reach the summit
earlier than I originally thought.

Look at that.

It really is a privilege.

I feel lucky to be able to see this.

Just look at it.
Come on, guys! We still have 1000 to go.

- How high up are we?
- At 5320.

- How much left then?
- Eight hours at least.

I think |I want to keep going.
A little bit longer, see how it goes.

- I think you're doing fine.
- Come on, Millan!

- Later, we're going.
- Let's climb up!

Put on the crampons, but take it easy.

- Yeah.
- Make sure they're comfortable.

Perfect, we're ready to start.

- How high up are we?
- Up here, we're at 5500.

It's necessary
to tie in to each other now.

We're tying a rope
between Manuel, you and me.

We're about five or six hours
away from the summit.

- Don't stop.
- Let's keep going.

Try to move your arm.

How much left?

We're still a bit away.
Three hours until the summit.

We're at 5800 meters.

You can do it, come on. I know you can.

- My head hurts.
- I figure.

Take it easy. I know you can.

The mountain will always be here.

Let's take a break
and start on the way down.

We tried it last night.
The plan was to reach the summit.

I started to feel sick at 5800.

I feel a bit frustrated
that we didn't make it.

It's still good training.

We can improve
on many aspects, diet, hydration...

The climbing route.
We're still working on it.

Adolfo was going. Right.

Alright, but you went to a meeting?

And from there?

On the way out.

We'll talk later.

Damn!

Hi, Millan. You know...

We need to deliver some things
before the section is closed.

We need to deliver reports
and backups of everything.

Organization
and an overall report of the section.

- What's up?
- Hi. How are you?

- Running.
- Like always. How are you doing?

- I'm fine.
- Good.

- I have a lot to talk about.
- Yeah, I figure.

I feel some anxiety and,
because of the project,

I'm directing it somewhere else. I'm more
worried about moving to the next place,

than about settling
and working on what I will do at the mine.

When do we talk about work?

Right now.

Today they told me
the area I work on is closing.

So we have one week to deliver
all the reports and everything

before it disappears.

You will focus on your breathing.

Everything is leaving
through the soles of your feet.

Feel the air entering your body.

What sound does it make
when you breath in and out?

You can feel your body cleansing itself

of every feeling
starting from the top of your head.

Air is what connects us to everything.

It's capable of that.

Everything around us, share the same air.

Focus on that.

You're one part of everything.

You have the strength of everything.

You have the strength of all of humanity.

Feel the sensation

of being part of everything.

Now, you'll slowly open your eyes.

On this page, you'll write your objective,
as clearly as possible.

COME OUT OF THE MINE UNHARMED
CLIMB CHIMBORAZO UNHARMED

Visualize the mine and the mountain.

Nature has a spirit, a soul.

Know that to reach your destination,
you'll have to travel a lot.

Achievements are always processes.

Visualize your challenge
keeping in mind your inspiration,

push out your fears.

Visualize what you will achieve

from the new things that you will create.

Right now we're going to simulate
the first part of the Chimborazo chapter.

We'll start here
and hope to reach the refuge.

It's some 16 kilometers away.

The pitch is roughly four degrees.

It can easily take us four hours.

And on top of that,
what awaits us on the top

is the Chimborazo.

I'm going to run a stretch now.
I'll be switching back and forth.

I'll run a bit and trek a bit.

The Chimborazo is what scares me the most.

When I complete the first part
of the ascent and reach the entrance,

I think that I'll finally be closer
to the fulfillment of this dream.

Talking about mountains,

- How is your neighbor doing?
- This last week it was

terribly cold even down here
at the bottom.

A thin kind of snow.

- It comes all the way down here.
- What's the plan then?

At 10 or 11 a.m. when we are leaving,
hopefully it will be fine.

And we can climb
as far the weather allows.

If we're lucky and the weather allows,

- it'd be possible to reach the summit.
- Yeah.

- The mountain will help you. I'm sure.
- Yeah. Hopefully.

The road is blocked, so we're stuck here.

Let's take this chance to change clothes.

It's raining now.

Fifteen minutes ahead,
the rain stops and the snow starts.

- There.
- We'll need helmets and crampons.

- How are you doing?
- Everything's fine.

Alright well...

Wind is dry, but we don't know its speed.

Everything is fine so far. Here we go.

- How are you doing?
- Everything's fine.

We're almost at the summit.

The summit, depending on how we walk...

- it will take a few hours.
- Maybe.

Alright.

We're doing great.

We're in perfect condition to keep going.

We are going to turn around.

I'd really like to go a bit further.

Why don't we keep going a bit more?

It won't allow us.

We're not going down, do you understand?

We're turning around.
This is as far as we could go. Ok?

- How are you? How was it?
- In the end we couldn't do it.

You couldn't.

How to face the Chimborazo
without some positive feedback?

It was a situation outside our control.

I think it's a good experience.

You realize the dangers
of the mountain, its negative side.

It can be like that for you.
It's not always fun.

- Respecting the mountain.
- Yeah, respect for the mountain.

That's what they say,
the real summit is back home.

The mountain is beautiful,
but life is always better.

Hi there!

- Hi, Malu, Sofia, Yunin!
- Hi!

Hi, uncle Millan!

Hi, how are you?

Hey, Sofia.

Do you know where I'm going tomorrow?

Look at her face!

Where? Tell me.

Where is he going? To South Africa.

- South Africa.
- That's right, well done!

From there I fly to Ecuador
to a very high mountain, the Chimborazo.

Chimbuazo.

Look here.

Malu...

and Sofia.

She's so pretty.

I'll take you both with me,
like I did in Sahara.

Now is the part where you wish me luck.

Good luck.

Alright, Millan. We wish you the best.

Go there with hope in your heart

and knowing you'll
reach your goal like always.

Believe in God and in yourself.

I know you'll make it.

I know you'll make it. Good luck.

We'll speak when you get back.

Good luck.

Don't die.

Alright, fine.

The message is clear.

We want you back in one piece.

Of course. We'll talk later.

- Goodbye!
- Thank you. Goodbye.

- Are you crying?
- No.

Right, no.

You stay calm. Everything will be fine.

- Now we're leaving.
- For the real one now.

After almost a whole year of work,
but we're done.

Who knows what awaits us?

Welcome, Mr. Ludena. Have a nice day.

We're the last ones.

We're sightseeing today because

tomorrow we're leaving for South Africa.

Running in Washington is fun.

I got to see some sites
that I had only seen in movies

The Capitol, the White House,

the Memorials, the obelisk and all that.

Today's training was very highbrow.

The delay they announced
is going to be an hour and a half.

But...

The assistant said
it could be up to three hours.

Three hours until...

We'd be there at midnight.

Then we have to
do the tests with the doctors at the mine.

- At 7:00 a.m., right?
- At 6:30.

That means getting up at 5:00 a.m.

Five hours of rest
after 17 hours of travelling.

It was 33 hours on the plane

and 56 on the whole trip
because we spent a day in Washington.

Plus waiting for a suitcase that got lost.

Plus the hour and a half of delay.

Tomorrow the tests, Saturday for focus

and on Sunday
we go to the center of the Earth.

We're now in South Africa.

Ready to start the dream
we've been working on for so long.

We have done a basic medical test. Blood
pressure, pulse, temperature...

Just to make sure there's nothing
that's going to affect him

while doing the heat tolerance
test and while going underground.

Also, we need to make sure that
there are no medical

problems that will affect him during

our tests and while undertaking
the activity underground.

Put the pipe, set the mouth, blow, blow...

So I just quickly need to go through his
x-ray and do a quick examination

and then after he will go to the stepping.

The HTS, is heat tolerance screening
and why do we do the HTS?

It's because we want to detect those
people who are heat intolerant.

People who are incapable of
working in hot conditions.

So, we need to check if you can go
underground because it's very hot.

We also want to protect your life.
We don't want to just have to go

underground because
underground is very hot.

Inside the chamber, we are
regulated by the metro meter.

The red one means you
must step up on the 'beep'

the green one on the floor.

Beep, beep, beep, beep.
So it's very...

Just like... it's red.
It's red. It's red.

Yes, red. You see I'm just changing
my leg now. It's red.

Just, practice makes perfect.

Sit up straight.

Close your mouth now.

Open your eyes.

When you say.

Okay when I say one, you step up.

One.

One.

I'm a bit anxious.

He has to clear the test today,
because he can't take it tomorrow.

The regulations say he can't take it
the next day, but the one after that.

And that day
he has to run, so he has to pass.

One minute left.

3,2,1.

It's good.

Yeah, I got like 36.5.

- I didn't say anything, but I was nervous.
- I bet.

Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Hannah.
Very nice to meet you.

Yes, we wish you the best of luck
tomorrow on your attempt.

Yeah, yeah.

Well we say for the Guinness World
Record attempt, it's a big deal.

There is always something that
is impressive and exciting. So,

we look forward to seeing what happens.

We definitely wish
you all the best.

I have seen dozens and dozens of attempts,
SO many attempts

and every single one is different.

Every one is exciting and interesting
so this is definitely the same

as all of the attempts that I
go to in terms of it being

something new and challenging,
which is always good.

Well I'll be here tomorrow,
to witness the event.

And I'll be looking to make sure
that all of the rules are

followed throughout the attempt

I'll be getting all of the evidence
and so I am gonna

verify the attempt and
if it is successful of course

then you would be a Guinness World Records
title holder, which is very exciting.

What's important, gentlemen, ladies,
is we are now going to travel.

There's many routes to
take and there is only one

route which is the correct route

and that's the route that Mike is
going to lead you guys into.

So, I need one person to remain behind.

Who is one of the persons to
be going underground?

One, two, three, four,
five, six, seven, eight.

I'd like to introduce you Sean,
he is our ALS paramedic.

He's our advanced
life support paramedic

he will be joining everyone and will
be making sure that everything is alright.

We already have a normal
paramedic underground as well.

So, we will now exit here
and you will follow Mike.

We are behind schedule.
You will follow Mike.

The last person behind
him will remain behind.

You will always remind behind.

If someone stops, the
entire group stops.

Before you start, you count
the amount of people,

once you get to a certain point you
count the amount of people again.

Once you get underground, once
you get to the eighty-three level,

you count the amount of people again.

Please always stay in a group.

From there we will go
down to the chairlifts.

Chairlifts are the ones that you
can see over there on the screen.

Please, this is not an amusement park.
If the camera bothers your

hard hat, too bad. The
hard hat is not coming off.

As soon as you go underground
you will also turn your lamp on

and it stays on. Those
are the rules unfortunately.

Oh the shaft?

Yes.

It's 2,020 meters. We go in this one
and then we go over to the next one

and then we go down another 1.1 km
and we get on the chairlift.

That chairlift takes us down
another 200 meters more.

How fast are we going down?

This one is slow, this one is going
down under 20km per hour

the other top speed is 60km per hour.

We're going to get on and go.

This is the one kilometer supply point.

I will be at the next kilometer
with the same supplies.

This is the deepest level.
The working place itself.

The rest are identified there and then
secondly I need to show you

where to assemble whenever
there is an emergency.

So you will see all along
the route there's identifications

you will also see some
symbols against the sidewalls

that shows where the
refuge entrance is on the assembly points.

And ready? Go!

And if something happens to
Millan down there?

There's team members
down there, paramedics.

Just in case.

Yeah, just in case.
Yeah, there he is again.

Yes, there is again.

Yeah, there is now walking.
He's now walking.

But why is he walking instead of running?
He can do that?

Yeah, he can do that. He's far,
he's already on kilo 12.

Oh, I thought he has to run all the way.

No. No. You can actually walk as well,
if you do half measures.

Well, he's been making good progress.
It looks like he's on track to

finish the race or the half marathon
distance in just a few minutes.

So we're waiting for the last few laps.
That's exciting and if he

does achieve this record it will be a
very monumental moment.

Another one!

Yes, we could!

Good afternoon. My name is
Hannah Ortman and I am

an official
Guinness World Records adjudicator

Today, Millan Ludena, attempted the
Guinness World Records title for

the deepest underground half
marathon distance run.

There is not a specific time
needed to set the record

but Millan achieved an impressive
time of two hours,

thirty-one minutes and 17.43 seconds.

This record is based on the depth
measurement

and the number to beat
is 500 meters.

Today with a depth measurement of
3,560.7 meters below collar,

Millan Ludena has achieved a new
Guinness World Records title.

He has established a new title
for the Guinness World Records.

Congratulations you are officially amazing!

Officially amazing.

Congratulations.

We have another trail, the Chimborazo,
so we're leaving right now.

Hold this. There.

Guinness sent me an email.

"We have an issue with the second record."

The objective was to do the shortest
time for 21 kilometers uphill,

climbing up to the point furthest away
from the center of the Earth.

I don't know what happened,
but Guinness says no, for some reason.

But they give us four options.

All of them far away from our objective.

He has to make it to 4260 meters
in less than 24 hours.

Which means,
they're not giving us any option.

Yes, I understand,
but they can't give us a new title.

We can't get a new title.
I will keep talking to them,

but they won't give us a new title.

We can't reach
the second record we had in mind

with the options they're giving us.

What does Millan want to do?
We don't have any other option.

I think it's clear then.

It doesn't change anything.

It doesn't change anything.
It feels to me like accumulated fatigue.

These are different conditions,
it's not on the Chimborazo.

We couldn't do it.
The project is not going to change.

It shouldn't change. We will still do 21.

It's a pity because...

We've worked so hard.
I worked with Guinness so much.

I pressured and urged them.
And for it to come to nothing?

I feel it's a small failure.

But in the end, like I said before,
it's not a failure because it's...

It's a personal thing for Millan.
He will take these challenges

for himself, not for the recognition.

And besides, a lot of people
will acknowledge it.

I believe that's worth
more than some title.

- More softly.
- Yes, softly.

I can run anything, but...

Dear passengers,
may I have your attention for a moment?

We want you to know that we have
the privilege of traveling with

the first Ecuadorian athlete
to attain a Guinness World Record.

He obtained it just before
boarding this plane in South Africa

after running 21 kilometers,
a half marathon,

at the deepest point on Earth,
3560 meters below the surface.

Please give
a round of applause for Millan Ludena.

He is sitting in seat 1C
and is a source of pride for Ecuador.

Keep your seatbelts fastened

until the Captain turns off
the Fasten Seat Belt sign.

Today we'll start
the ascent around 10:00 p.m.

Millan plans to start on the 21 kilometers
that will take him to the summit

around 6:00 p.m.

He will run 8 kilometers on the road
which will take him to the entrance

to the Chimborazo Wildlife Reserve.

CHIMBORAZO WILDLIFE RESERVE

It's at 4200 meters.

At the entrance to the national park,
he will run another 8 kilometers

which will take him to the Carrel Refuge,

which is at 4800 meters.

From there,
he will start climbing the Chimborazo.

To give you an idea, we expect
to reach the summit tomorrow at dawn.

That's great!

This is where we'll start.

Thank you!

One, two and three!

START

Yes, we can!

CHIMBORAZO WILDLIFE RESERVE

It helps because it makes me feel
that I'm getting the most out of life.

Like my life is more than just breathing.

Life is fleeting so we have to make
the most of it, which means living it.

So that's what I'm doing.

I don't know how I would react if
I couldn't complete either of the parts.

I didn't take it into account.
I feel sensitive to the cold.

My defenses are low.

- What do you think?
- Yes.

It's the cold
because the wind is so strong.

That's very bad.

- You know?
- Yes.

Fear paralyzes you.

It doesn't let you start moving.

Without moving, you're not going forward.
There's no way.

The problem is trying to stay still
without going backwards.

But life itself will push you back
if you stay still.

Put on these pants.

I think you can put them on
with your shoes on.

Yes, it goes through.

This one has down filling. It's warm.

Come on!

That's it, come on!

Don't give up!

Does anyone copy?

It'll take two minutes, Oliver.

You have to let me know beforehand.
This isn't a TV show.

It's what we said.

We're going to help the guy.

I don't want you to worry about that.

Along the climb...

This thing is closing.

Stay calm.

Dear God, Father of the mountain
and the Universe,

we come here again,

naked, without ego, without masks,
in the most sincere way possible,

to offer you our dreams and hopes.

We ask that you return us home
safe and sound,

to see the people we love
who are in the cities and the valleys.

And, so long as you consider it possible
and within your Divine plan,

that we may reach the mountain's summit.
We want you to know that we came here

in the most sincere way,
to have fun, to be ourselves,

and to have an incredible day. Thank you.

Millan,

how are you?

I can accompany you a bit longer.

Let's go.

You heard him!

Pull up your masks. We're moving forward.

I'm going to get you some food and drink.

Put the jacket on.

We're at 5630,

and it's 5:15 a.m.

So long as the weather helps
and we can stay warm, hydrated and fed,

it'll be another 5 or 6 hours.

The next hour...

is super important because you
are going to break your altitude record.

The next break is at 5900 meters.

It's higher than you've ever been.

Right now we're at the glacier,
climbing is a lot more boring.

The next hours until we reach the summit

will be a very consistent

20 to 25 degrees slope.

Are you there? Over.

Over.

Obviously, I need to know
you're fine to keep climbing up.

We're turning around.
This is as far as we can go. Ok?

Don't die.

We're not going down, do you understand?

I have to come down without dying.

COME OUT OF THE MINE UNHARMED
CLIMB CHIMBORAZO UNHARMED

The real summit is back home.

I really want to keep going.

Come on, Millan!

Just a bit more, man!

I'm no climber, but I did it. Go Ecuador!

Greetings to my Alma Mater.

We made it.

Dear, I'll tell my children that people

are made of
what they have in their heads and hearts.

You might be 29 millimeters
shorter than me, nearly 30 even.

But you're the greatest person I know.

The most hardworking,
the strongest and the smartest person.

I don't know.
I just think you're the best.

Like she said,

However, I want you to know
that you don't need titles

or decorations or anything else.

All your knowledge is part of you.

It's inside of you
and those that love you.

I hope your next challenge
isn't as extreme.

So I won't have to worry so much,
but I hope it's big enough for you.

Remember that growing and evolving
is not only through physical challenges.

The mental and emotional ones
are equally as challenging.

I just want you to know that I love you

and that I'm the proudest woman
in the world.

- Thank you.
- Sometimes writing is hard.

We all have limits
and with them two options.

We either adjust to them

or we dare to challenge them.

What's your choice?

We're at the Monumental stadium,
game just finished. It was great.

A big thank you to my team,
Barcelona Sporting Club.

I'm a lifelong fan. I was lucky
that the team gave me an acknowledgement.

The team is close to my heart.

To celebrate the 92 year anniversary
they gave me a jersey

with my last name on it
as if I were a player on the team.

I'm a fan of the team.

The National Assembly would like to
bring to attention

the career of an exceptional citizen,

characterized by
his unique effort and sporting spirit

which transcends the completion of goals
and bring glory to the national sport.

It says, "To exalt the value and work"

of Engineer
Fernando Millan Ludena Rodriguez

considering his work
and competitive effort,

we grant The National Assembly
of Ecuador's order of

"Sporting Merit
to Doctor Vicente Rocafuerte."