At 88, Paul Youd is on a mission to complete 100 ultramarathons before his 100th birthday.
He defies age and injury, proving that determination can carry us further than we think.
As a passionate advocate and fundraiser for animal protection, Paul uses his journey to challenge perceptions and inspire change, championing what’s possible with a plant-powered lifestyle.
Directed by Damian Sciberras More Like Paul is a life-affirming documentary short about purpose, resilience and the influence of those who live by example, reminding us that meaningful change can begin with a single step, at any stage of life.
To follow Paul’s journey, please visit: https://nobreadisanisland.blogspot.com/
To support the work of the sanctuary featured in film, please visit: https://hakuna-matata-rescue.org.uk/donate/
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Full Transcript
Birthday Medal Hanger and 100 Ultra Goal 0:00
<b>[Running footsteps]</b> <b>[Music]</b> <b>This medal hanger was my birthday present last year.</b> <b>[Running footsteps]</b> <b>It reads powered by plants, a record</b> <b>of Dad 's most amazing achievements,</b> <b>a hundred by a hundred.</b> <b>In recognition, the fact that I want to do a</b> <b>hundred ultramarathons, before my hundredth birthday.</b> <b>[Running footsteps]</b> <b>I tried to run in my fourties</b> <b>and it was painful for my knees.</b> <b>I couldn't keep it up, so after six weeks I gave it up and bought a bike.</b> <b>Fast forward to the early 2000s when</b> <b>I gave up meat to avoid mad cow disease</b> <b>and over two years I gave</b> <b>up all the dairy, eggs, etc.</b> <b>I became vegan and my fingers, which have</b> <b>been getting more and more gnarled each year,</b> <b>I can't make a fist, it was painful to shake hands</b> <b>change gear, everything was painful.</b> <b>The pain disappeared, the arthritis went away, I don't have arthritis anymore.</b> <b>[Music]</b> <b>I do seven with that hand</b> <b>then I always do one more</b> <b>with my left because my left's weaker than my right.</b> <b>[Music]</b> <b>I didn't think about running until</b> <b>my five-year-old grandson who's now nine.</b> <b>We used to chase each other around this dining room table, we made a game of it.</b> <b>And he'd keep it up for ages</b> <b>and I was running after him.</b> <b>I thought, hang on, my knees are not hurting.</b> <b>So when lockdown came, I had a couple of friends who did park run.</b> <b>I thought I'd like to join them, but I didn't want to disgrace myself.</b> <b>I wanted to do a bit</b> <b>of practice beforehand.</b> <b>So I did a 20-yard track in my back garden and ran around that for six months.</b> <b>And by the end of June, I felt confident</b> <b>enough to do 10k every day for 10 days</b>
Veganism, Arthritis Relief, and First Running Steps 2:00
<b>to raise money for Dean Farm Sanctuary.</b> <b>I thought I would get more tired as the</b> <b>week went on, but the reverse happened.</b> <b>I became stronger and I ended</b> <b>up doing 110k in that 10 days.</b> <b>And then I thought I wanted</b> <b>to keep that level of fitness.</b> <b>So I asked on the Athletics</b> <b>Vegan page on Facebook,</b> <b>and somebody suggested</b> <b>I look at ultramarathons.</b> <b>My name is Paul Eud. I'm an 85-year-old vegan ultramarathoner</b> <b>who's active on behalf of the animals.</b> <b>[Music]</b> <b>Well, my ultimate goal is animal freedom.</b> <b>People use the word "compassionate",</b> <b>but I prefer the word "respect".</b> <b>We should respect the life of an animal.</b> <b>I hate unfairness and injustice,</b> <b>so I feel that if I can do anything,</b> <b>if I can move my little bit to help the animals, that keeps me going.</b> <b>[Typing]</b> <b>The first ultramarathon I saw was</b> <b>the one from Minehead to Dawlish.</b> <b>I looked at it and I was hooked.</b> <b>Instantly I just saw the picture,</b> <b>I thought, "I'm going to do that."</b> <b>And I persuaded my son to come and join me.</b> <b>It was a year later, in July 2021,</b> <b>I started off from Minehead to Dawlish,</b> <b>and we climbed up Dunkery Beacon.</b> <b>In the most appalling freezing weather</b> <b> it was absolutely chucking it down,</b> <b>the wind was whipping</b> <b>across, it was brutal.</b> <b>And you're climbing up this muddy, stony track.</b> <b>I remember saying to Ben, "You know what, Ben, there's nowhere else I'd rather be."</b> <b>I just felt so alive.</b> <b>[Music]</b> <b>The Southwest Coast to Coast, that's the first one I did.</b> <b>That got me into it.</b> <b>Once I did this, then I wanted to do more and more.</b> <b>I just became addicted.</b> <b>The hardest one to win was this Jurassic Coast without a doubt.</b> <b>It was really tough going up and down those hills.</b> <b>This one here, the odd shape one, Kilimanjaro, that was 50k over the Chilterns.</b> <b>The Lapland Challenge, that was just 250k between November and December last year,</b> <b>just a simulation, a virtual one.</b> <b>What else have I got?</b> <b>The Thames Path, that was another good one.</b> <b>I got 61k along that before I fell</b> <b>over and banged the head on the path</b> <b>and had to pull out.</b> <b>But they all mean something, these.</b> <b>And I've only got eight so far, but I</b> <b>intend to have 100 of these before I'm finished.</b> <b>[Traffic]</b> <b>I'm not running at the moment</b> <b>because I broke my leg last year.</b> <b>I went down in a screaming heap and I could</b> <b>feel the ligaments going </b> <b>cross the top of my knee.</b> <b>So the ligaments take</b> <b>about 18 months to heal,</b> <b>so I'm hoping that by the summer</b> <b>they might be back to normal again.</b> <b>[Footsteps]</b> <b>For myself personally, my ultimate goal is to</b>
Training for Parkrun and Discovering Ultras 5:00
<b>remain as healthy as I am now.</b> <b>And bare in mind, I'm living</b> <b>my best life, I'm on no meds,</b> <b>and I want to keep going as long as I can until I just don't wake up one morning.</b> <b>[Door close]</b> <b>It was a bit of a mixture at 2023.</b> <b>It started off with the ultra round,</b> <b>the Isle of Wight, 106k over two days.</b> <b>And that was absolutely wonderful.</b> <b>And then, of course, later on I got the cellulitis and then followed by the Covid,</b> <b>and I had to cancel two of my other ultras last year.</b> <b>So that was a bit of a downer.</b> <b>I'm hoping 2024 is going to be a bit better in that regard.</b> <b>The Easter ultra is 50k, 30 miles,</b> <b>which I've done several times before.</b> <b>I feel fairly confident about it,</b> <b>or very confident really.</b> <b>When you get there, you're surrounded</b> <b>by hundreds of like-minded people.</b> <b>All wanting to do the same as you.</b> <b>And then he opens the floodgates and you're off, and it's just exhilarating.</b> <b>It really is.</b> <b>[Countdown]</b> <b>[Crowd cheering]</b> <b>The whole ethos of the ultra is cooperative.</b> <b>I wondered for a while, why are there such nice people?</b> <b>And then you realise</b> <b>that 99% of people who</b> <b>do these sort of things do it for charity,</b> <b>to raise money for a good cause.</b> <b>So they're good-hearted people anyway.</b> <b>So it's a self-selected nice group of people.</b> <b>[Music]</b> <b>I've got this ambition to do 100 ultimatres by my 100th birthday.</b> <b>If I do three real ones and three virtual ones every</b> <b>year, that'll carry me through</b> <b>to 100 by my 100th birthday.</b> <b>How are you?</b> <b>[Laughter]</b> <b>Well done.</b> <b>Thank you.</b> <b>Hiya! Thank you.</b> <b>Thank you. Thank you very much.</b> <b>At the halfway stop, we just spent half an hour here filling up food, drinks,</b> <b>and now we've got another 25k to go.</b> <b>And we're feeling good.</b> <b>[Music]</b> <b>How are you?</b> <b>I'm extremely good, thanks. Never better.</b> <b>[Laughter]</b> <b>I get to a rest stop, and I'm always feeling fairly fit.</b> <b>Here I am, I'm in my 80s, I'm doing</b> <b>ultras, but I can also do 25 press-ups</b> <b>at every rest stop just emphasises the point</b> <b>that we can be fit</b> <b>and active as a vegan.</b>
First Ultra Races and Building Momentum 8:00
<b>If you're never uncomfortable, you never step out of your comfort zone,</b> <b>you never know what you can do.</b> <b>[Clapping]</b> <b>I want to show what a vegan can do.</b> <b>I want to be fit and healthy into old age</b> <b>as a vegan, should I ever get there?</b> <b>How old are you?</b> <b>86.</b> <b>Do you know what, well done.</b> <b>Thank you very much.</b> <b>[Laughter]</b> <b>I couldn't even do that, and I'm half your age.</b> <b>We can all do more than we think we can.</b> <b>I've found out, yeah.</b> <b>Good luck. See you at the end.</b> <b>Yep, see you again, no doubt.</b> <b>[Music]</b> <b>I'd say it's as simple as putting</b> <b>one foot in front of the other.</b> <b>And if you've got the mindset to do it, then you'll do it.</b> <b>If you think you can't</b> <b>do it, then you won't.</b> <b>If you think you can do it, then you can.</b> <b>And it's just plodding</b> <b>on, just keep on going.</b> <b>[Crowd cheering]</b> <b>[Laughter]</b> <b>He's 21 years old, this guy, don't be fooled.</b> <b>Awesome effort once</b> <b>again, congratulations.</b> <b>Across the finish line he goes.</b> <b>Well done.</b> <b>Thank you.</b> <b>Brilliant, well done, mate.</b> <b>Oh, thank you, Jo. Thank you very much.</b> <b>The only time I ever had Prosecco</b> <b>is at the end of one of these events.</b> <b>We've just travelled 50k over some pretty muddy terrain,</b> <b>I've been carried through by Ian and Jo,</b> <b>and we've just enjoyed</b> <b>the whole experience.</b> <b>I do this because I want to, first of all, fundraise for Viva, the animal charity,</b> <b>who does a lot of good for the animals.</b> <b>But I also want to do it to show people</b> <b>you can be fit and healthy into old age.</b> <b>I'm just having a ball, I really am.</b> <b>[Music]</b> <b>When I go running, when I do the ultras, it's for the animals.</b> <b>All my training is for the animals, </b> <b>the actual ultras are for the animals.</b> <b>Everything I do really is for the animals.</b> <b>[Music]</b> <b>This is why I do what I do.</b> <b>Yeah, for these moments.</b> <b>It's just worth everything.</b> <b>[Pig snorting]</b> <b>You're a really good scratch mate.</b> <b>[Laughter]</b> <b>Yeah, it does make me happy.</b> <b>Yeah, it makes me very content.</b> <b>Is that the word? Yeah.</b> <b>I'm just going to see if these</b> <b>sheep will take a biscuit off me.</b> <b>I've heard they like ginger biscuits, so let's see.</b> <b>Hello.</b> <b>Do you want a biscuit mate? No? Biscuit?</b>
Injury, Recovery, and Staying Healthy 11:00
<b>I'm not doing very well here, am I?</b> <b>How about you two? Fancy a biscuit? No?</b> <b>I was a big meat eater, a big cheese eater,</b> <b>and I started looking</b> <b>at the dairy industry,</b> <b>and I didn't like what I saw.</b> <b>First of all, I gave</b> <b>up cow's milk cheese,</b> <b>and I started eating goat's cheese, and then I found out what happened to goats,</b> <b>so I started eating sheep's cheese,</b> <b>and then I found out what happened to sheep, and I just gave it all up.</b> <b>And at the same time, I think there was a documentary on Channel 4</b> <b>about male chicks being killed at birth,</b> <b>so I thought, "Oh, I don't want to be a part of that."</b> <b>So I just became vegan.</b> <b>Well, I became plant-based.</b> <b>I didn't become vegan, really,</b> <b>until I became an animal rights activist.</b> <b>That's when I gave up my leather wallet</b> <b>and my leather belt and my leather shoes,</b> <b>but I hadn't thought of it until then.</b> <b>Although I did have a long-running</b> <b>argument with Teresa, my wife,</b> <b>about she wanted a leather sofa,</b> <b>and there was no way I was going to have a leather sofa.</b> <b>It took about five years to resolve that.</b> <b>We got a faux leather suite in the end.</b> <b>That was before I went vegan, actually, yeah.</b> <b>And before I went really vegan, I mean.</b> <b>This is a story of Boris the Pig.</b> <b>About May, it might have been June last year,</b> <b>I was alerted to the fact that this pig had been raised by the school,</b> <b>and they were going to send it to slaughter.</b> <b>As a way of teaching the youngsters,</b> <b>"This is what happens in animal agriculture."</b> <b>But the kids had become fond of it. They used to pet Boris,</b> <b>and they were gutted and devastated to find out</b> <b>he was going to be taken away to be slaughtered.</b> <b>So I put the word out,</b> <b>and one guy came forward,</b> <b>and he offered 500 quid to the school if he wouldn't send it to slaughter.</b> <b>And Boris was saved, and now he's living his best life</b> <b>in a sanctuary up in Yorkshire somewhere.</b> <b>So I'm quite proud of that.</b> <b>And then I think Viva,</b> <b>on the strength of that,</b> <b>they've now got to campaign for schools not to do that sort of thing.</b> <b>To cease and desist, because</b> <b>animals are not ours to use.</b>
2023 Races and the Cooperative Ultra Community 13:00
<b>What we're doing to the animals is just incredibly, heartbreakingly cruel.</b> <b>It doesn't bear to think</b> <b>about it, so I try not to.</b> <b>But the only time I ever look at any animal cruelty videos</b> <b>is when I'm outreaching.</b> <b>I never look at them at home or any other time.</b> <b>You have to when you're showing people</b> <b>what goes on in the animal exploitation world.</b> <b>I'm in action to do a street</b> <b>demonstration with We The Free.</b> <b>We're going to show three-minute videos to people.</b> <b>They could have a prize at the end of it.</b> <b>If they see the film, we could have a chat about what they've seen.</b> <b>Three minutes, that's all we're asking.</b> <b>I'm hoping to attract people</b> <b>to see this three-minute video.</b> <b>I'm hoping to persuade them that what we do to animals is wrong.</b> <b>And we shouldn't be doing it to animals.</b> <b>Animals are here with us, not for us.</b> <b>I ask people, are you against unnecessary cruelty?</b> <b>Everybody's against unnecessary cruelty.</b> <b>But they all agree that they can live without consuming animals.</b> <b>So by the definition,</b> <b>if you're eating animals,</b> <b>you're participating in unnecessary cruelty.</b> <b>There's a young man here who wants to find out what's going on.</b> <b>Once they've seen it and they come away,</b> <b>we ask them how they feel about it while they're watching that.</b> <b>When you say it makes you feel bad,</b> <b>what is it about it that makes you feel bad?</b> <b>So we ask them to look into it specifically as to how they felt</b> <b>and why they felt that way.</b> <b>Okay, no worries, guys.</b> <b>Three minutes, that's all we're asking.</b> <b>Okay.</b>
Race Strategy, Rest Stops, and Press-Ups 15:00
<b>Yeah, I think it's gone very well.</b> <b>I think we had lots of interactions with the public.</b> <b>Lots of people saw the video</b> <b>and were suitably surprised by the amount of</b> <b>cruelty that takes place in the animal industry.</b> <b>And we saw a few seeds today, I think.</b> <b>And a lot of people</b> <b>are going to take some</b> <b>interest in what they eat in future, I feel sure.</b> <b>[Music]</b> <b>Going back to Thames Path this year, it's unfinished business.</b> <b>I really want to do that 100.</b> <b>[Music]</b> <b>I've always felt able to do that next step.</b> <b>And if I can keep doing that next step, then I should get to the end of the 100k.</b> <b>Well done.</b> <b>Thank you very much.</b> <b>Let's get you checked in.</b> <b>Yeah, sure.</b> <b>Massive well done.</b> <b>Thank you.</b> <b>Come down this way.</b> <b>How amazing.</b> <b>Thanks a lot, guys.</b> <b>Yeah, thank you, Paul.</b> <b>Thank you very much, mate.</b> <b>[Clapping]</b> <b>Well done Paul.</b> <b>That's amazing.</b> <b>Thank you.</b> <b>Thanks a lot, mate.</b> <b>We did 16k to the first rest stop.</b> <b>We spent about 20, 25 minutes there.</b> <b>And then we just carried on and here we are</b> <b>at 28k at the second</b> <b>rest stop, had some lunch.</b> <b>And feeling all ready to get on with the next leg.</b> <b>[Music]</b> <b>For you, you know the score?</b> <b>I do indeed.</b> <b>50% halfway there.</b> <b>We're nearly half way.</b> <b>Well, we're just over halfway.</b> <b>Medical, food, all down the lane of pain just down there.</b> <b>Good to see you again.</b> <b>Nice to see you Dave.</b> <b>The first time I did the Thames ultra,</b> <b>we tried to hurry a little bit along in the dark.</b> <b>And that's when I tripped over this root</b> <b>and fell over and banged</b> <b>my head on the path.</b>
Finishing the Ultra and Why He Runs for Animals 17:00
<b>So I got to 61k and retired there.</b> <b>The final and probably</b> <b>most important thing is</b> <b>the whole of the rest of the route has tree roots.</b> <b>This next section particularly.</b> <b>Please be careful.</b> <b>They'll leave the trip here or they'll slide you or whatever.</b> <b>But look after each other, take care and enjoy it above all.</b> <b>I've never walked through the night before so that's going to be a new experience.</b> <b>But I've got two good</b> <b>companions, Jo and Ian.</b> <b>And between the three of us I'm sure we can do it.</b> <b>[Music]</b> <b>Well, I'm very pleased that I got through this 58k mark when I fell over last time.</b> <b>We started at 7.30 this morning so it's now 5 past 11.</b> <b>And I don't know what time we're going to get there to be honest.</b> <b>But I'm keeping going.</b> <b>I'm going to my place and Jo and</b> <b>Ian are being very accommodating.</b> <b>They're looking after me.</b> <b>And I feel confident that we'll do this.</b> <b>I haven't come all this way just to come all this way.</b> <b>[Music]</b> <b>[Phone rings]</b> <b>There was this hard compacted</b> <b>earth and stones for the trail.</b> <b>And one rock stuck up a bit more from the</b> <b>trail and I just hit it with</b> <b>my foot and went down.</b> <b>I crashed into my face.</b> <b>What An idiot.</b>
Animal Rights Outreach and Saving Boris the Pig 19:00
<b>They want me to get checked up by a medic so I'm going to do that.</b> <b>I'm going to go back to the rest stop and get it checked out.</b> <b>And then Ben's coming to pick me up and take me back to Taunton.</b> <b>Yeah, that's the end</b> <b>of my attempt at 100k.</b> <b>I think I can forget that now.</b> <b>[Music]</b> <b>Medics are inside aren't they?</b> <b>Yes.</b> <b>[Music]</b> <b>I've got to get out and do stuff, yeah.</b> <b>I've got to get 100 ultras</b> <b>before my 100th birthday.</b> <b>[Traffic noise] </b> <b>How are you doing Paul?</b> <b>I'm feeling really good.</b> <b>It took a couple of days.</b> <b>I was, initially I was</b> <b>pretty stiff and achy.</b> <b>But that faded away</b> <b>after a couple of days.</b> <b>I felt really, almost back to normal again.</b> <b>On this level straight stretch for about 8k,</b> <b>I was leaning forward looking down.</b> <b>And I always felt as if I was walking downhill.</b> <b>That was the overwhelming feeling I got.</b> <b>My pace was picking up and I didn't want it to pick up.</b> <b>I wanted to stay at a steady pace.</b> <b>And then I hit this rock and down</b> <b>I went and hit my head on the trail.</b> <b>Everybody else comes down to that ultra with one souvenir.</b>
Thames Path Attempt, Crash, and Long-Term Ambition 21:00
<b>I've got three.</b> <b>I've got two lovely</b> <b>black eyes and a medal.</b> <b>Yeah, I'll hang it up here.</b> <b>That's 20 medals now I've got.</b> <b>So that's one of my way to 100 by the 100th birthday.</b> <b>Three virtual ultras and</b> <b>three actual events a year.</b> <b>That's 6 a year if I do</b> <b>that for the next 13 years.</b> <b>I should be roughly near 100 and I'm well off course for that.</b> <b>I do it for the animals and I want to do as much as I can for the animals.</b> <b>That's my main impetus, my main goal.</b> <b>I'd like to see a world without cruelty.</b> <b>Every day I wake up I want to increase</b> <b>the amount of well-being in the world.</b> <b>And that could be done overnight if everybody went vegan.</b> <b>I'm as healthy as I've ever been.</b> <b>I'm as fit as I've ever been and I am living my best life.</b> <b>And I get to do what I want to do.</b> <b>I get to walk by ultras and I'm working on behalf of the animals</b> <b>and I'm just enjoying life and life's an adventure.</b> <b>And I keep going out for these</b> <b>adventures, these ultras and that.</b> <b>And I just love it, the whole thing.</b> <b>[Music]</b>
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