On, the Swiss running company, has partnered with Emmy award-winning director Andrew Hinton, on a short documentary that chronicles the comeback journey of three-time Olympian Tim Don.
Don, the former triathlon World Champion and Ironman World Record holder, survived a near-fatal road accident that was feared to bring a sudden end to his career just days before heading to the Ironman World Championships in October last year.
The film, entitled “The Man with the Halo,” was released release on May 28 at ManwiththeHalo.com. This release date commemorates the one-year Anniversary of Don’s world record-breaking performance during the 2017 Ironman South American Championships in Florianopolis, Brazil. The film will premiere for the first time ever in the U.S. in Don’s current hometown of Boulder, CO at the Boulder Theater on June 7, 2018.
In the beginning of 2018, following an excruciating three-month period of mental and physical recovery resulting from a severely broken neck, doctors ordered the removal of Tim’s medical halo–the circular metallic support structure fixed directly into his skull. This marked the start of an intense chapter of rehabilitation, fueled by a fierce determination to rebuild himself as the world’s preeminent Ironman. Don set his sights on his first comeback race–competing at this year’s Boston Marathon in April. Almost six months to the day after the accident, he finished in 2 hours and 49 minutes, just five minutes more than the marathon leg of his record-setting race at the 2017 Ironman South American Championships in Brazil.
“At On, we take pride in sponsoring not just athletes, but their human spirit,” said Olivier Bernhard, co- founder of the Swiss sportswear company. “Tim’s unwavering optimism in the face of adversity is a natural extension of our brand values. Once his pursuit of the Ironman World Championship slipped away following the crash in 2017, we wanted to create an alternative platform of recognition for Tim. We put together a world-class production team to chronicle his recovery and reached out to our network to generate as much groundswell as possible around his comeback race at the Boston Marathon. Our short-form documentary will arguably generate an equally momentous spotlight to suffice any World Championship title. We are delighted to commemorate the one-year Anniversary of Tim’s world record-breaking performance with a compelling story of indisputable heroism.”
