"I Need Running to Stay Alive" | Inside the Compulsive Mind of Biel

Ultrarunning rewards people who can keep going. Biel makes you wonder what happens when stopping no longer feels like an option, and where ambition ends and compulsion begins.

Biel is a Brazilian ultrarunner, Speed Project athlete, tattoo artist and printmaker living in Berlin. He has represented Brazil at the 24-Hour World Championships and set records from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and Chamonix to Marseille. But the more interesting story is the force connecting his face tattoos, his art and the extreme experiences he says he needs to stay alive.

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Topics / Timestamps

• 00:00 Introduction
• 02:27 Face Tattoos, Identity + Freedom
• 05:17 Why Ultrarunning Keeps Biel Alive
• 07:19 TSP | Chamonix-to-Marseille Record
• 10:59 24-Hour Racing x The Speed Project
• 13:07 A Perfect Fit for Biel
• 18:40 From Nightclub Cleaner to Pro Runner
• 22:48 Art + Life Beyond Running
• 27:39 Beyond Records + Limits

Resources / Links

1. Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races
2. Borderlands.cc
3. Additional photo courtesty of Tycjan Trzpioloa

Related Episodes

1. Ultra Running isn't Just Running

Presented by Kiprun.

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Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it.

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