Award-winning journalist and filmmaker Megan Robinson (Search and Rescue: North Shore, The Chef & The Daruma and Physician, Heal Thyself) makes her directorial debut with The Second Ascent, a documentary that follows Gary Robbins and the close-knit Coast Mountain Trail Running team as they attempt to launch a new 100km race in Valemount, B.C., after dramatically losing their globally recognized event in Whistler.
Filmed behind the scenes under a compressed timeline, the film captures the high stakes of building a world-class trail competition from the ground up and a small mountain village’s bid to reinvent itself as an outdoor recreation destination.
Q&A with trail runner Gary Robbins and director Megan Robinson
Megan Robinson
Gary Robbins
Canada
2026
English
Indigenous & Community Access
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Credits
Producer
Bronwyn Carradine
Cinematography
Richard Maxton
Editor
Megan Robinson
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