This short film titled Nicola’s Spirit captures the unique drive of mother-of-three Nicola Spirig as she smashes the eight-hour barrier for the women’s long-distance triathlon–at 40 years old, three months after a serious bike accident.
Simon Brotherson served as creative director and writer of the five-minute film for Swiss sports brand On, which was directed by Andrew Telling.
Spirig, a Swiss-born, two-time Olympic medalist, broke her personal record of nine-plus hours recently, becoming one of two women in history to break the eight-hour long-distance triathlon mark. She crossed the line in an epic 7:34:19 – only three minutes behind Ironman champion, Katrina Matthews.
The film captures Spirig training against the stunning backdrop of the mountains of Gran Canaria, as she gives a heartfelt portrayal of what “spirit” means to her as an athlete. We see her treatment after a serious bike accident just three months before the race. She broke three ribs, fractured her collarbone and punctured a lung, but soon afterwards chose to “train through the pain” rather than give up.
