Path runner, filmmaker, and podcast host Billy Yang is famend for operating camera-in-hand alongside athletes on essentially the most iconic race programs, sitting down with members of the group to report in-depth conversations, and toeing the beginning line as an athlete himself. Most just lately, Yang stepped into the function of being part of the 15-member board of the nonprofit Western States 100.
Billy Yang out on the paths with digital camera in hand. All photographs courtesy of Billy Yang.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Yang lives within the small beachfront group of Hermosa Seashore, which he’s known as house for practically a decade. Rising up, he had a youthful sister Connie and older brother Allen, and he was obsessive about soccer and basketball — operating “appeared dorky or as they are saying, it was our punishment in ball sports activities. I didn’t take to it till later in life,” stated Yang, who went by way of a extremely gifted program from junior excessive by way of highschool. To his “mother and father’ chagrin,” he began school however by no means completed.
“There’s the very typical Asian immigrant path of getting a high-level schooling, which I by no means fairly subscribed to and it by no means felt proper. I used to be at all times much more artistic than I used to be e-book sensible,” stated Yang, and added, “I examined excessive IQ-wise and was surrounded by college students who knew as a child what they needed to do, however I felt I didn’t belong. I knew my life wasn’t going to be that structured. I went into the longer term blindly, by no means figuring out what my future could be however having a stage of confidence that issues would work themselves out.”
Yang (proper) getting accustomed to a digital camera from a younger age.
Yang went by way of a sequence of company jobs together with a job in advertising. He was a smoker, “primarily directionless and main a purposeless existence,” and residing for consuming on the weekends. Then his dad was tragically murdered in 2004 when Billy was 27 years outdated, and the whole lot modified.
“Dropping my dad actually compelled me to change into a person in a short time and to seek for which means and goal. I assumed changing into a police officer would accomplish that,” stated Yang, who began operating to get in form for the police academy. Finally, he didn’t get the job, which was “the most effective factor that would have occurred, as a result of I’m not reduce out to be a police officer, and I can’t think about one other situation that will have led me down this path. It took a seismic shift to knock me out of the orbit I used to be on — that, greater than something, led me to seek out distance operating and I’ve been doing it ever since,” stated Yang.
Billy Yang (proper) at his first half marathon in 2006.
As soon as he began operating, Yang stop smoking, a behavior he’d had for 12 years. In 2006, he signed up for a highway half marathon with a buddy and favored the expertise, so he “saved the prepare rolling,” signing up for the 2007 L.A. Marathon. A yr later, he found path operating by way of a neighborhood meetup known as Path Runners Membership that met weekly on Sundays with a bunch of old-timers. The group was led by the late Stan Swartz, the creator of “50 Path Runs in Southern California.” He overcame his intimidation to run with the group and fell in love with the paths.
“I had no concept such inexperienced trails existed exterior my again door. L.A. doesn’t have an enormous window of inexperienced area, nevertheless it was like I used to be transported to Scotland. I used to be blown away,” stated Yang.
On the similar time, Yang began the corporate Excessive Gear Movies, alongside Cody Westheimer, who was engaged on a movie to share the story about dropping his father to mind most cancers. The loss resonated with Yang, and he began serving to Westheimer, who lived a number of blocks away on the time, to supply the movie.
“I had no concept what I used to be doing aside from piecing collectively the story. We premiered the movie and determined to type a manufacturing firm. He was extra on the technical aspect, and I used to be extra on piecing collectively the story and producer aspect. That lasted 1.5 years. Then he went again to full-time movie composing. I continued as a hobbyist, discovering individuals to profile and virtually begged individuals to let me do a narrative on them,” shared Yang. To help his new ardour, Yang reached out to Hollywood CPR (Cinema Manufacturing Sources) to attend a movie program for a few years. He constructed a consumer base by way of non-endemic content material, from advertising to actual property.
All through his artistic profession improvement, his operating adopted a linear development, too. The then 31-year-old signed up for the 2009 Malibu Creek 50k, organized by the Pacific Coast Path Runs (PCTR) group.
“It was two 25-kilometer loops, which is evil as a result of after the primary 25k, you cross by the primary hub and also you see individuals lounging with beer, chili, and sodas — and to be despatched out on that second loop with the complete California solar out … I didn’t need to head out, however I’m glad I did. The second half was much more depressing than the primary. Then, you get the thought of ‘what’s subsequent?’ You retain signing up for the subsequent problem,” stated Yang.
Finally, it was the sense of group that hooked him. “The PCTR race sequence drew me in, as a result of the race administrators did such a superb job of curating group and ensuring each runner felt seen and acknowledged. That drew me in additional versus the highway scene the place everyone seems to be a face and a bib. The group facet made me come again for extra,” stated Yang and never lengthy after he signed up for his first 50 miler, the 2010 PCT 50 Mile.
Yang taking a break from filming to pin on a race bib.
By 2014, Yang determined to start out producing artistic supplies about operating. “I noticed a dearth of high quality operating content material that will encourage you to get out and go run. I noticed a void,” stated Yang, who dove in with a spotlight reel of the 2014 Sean O’Brien 50 Mile, spotlighting a number of athletes together with Sally McRae and Dominic Grossman. “Once I posted the spotlight reel, my social media blew up. It was this ah-ha second of, ‘Oh wow, that is resonating with individuals,’” stated Yang, who subsequent captured the 2014 Lake Sonoma 50 Mile with Rob Krar, which was Zach Miller’s breakout race. A yr later, he adopted McRae on her Western States 100 journey, which was actually when he began to “delve extra into intimate, in-depth single-person storytelling,” he stated.
Immediately, Yang has created dozens and dozens of movies, lots of which can be found on his YouTube channel.
Yang filming on the 2022 Western States 100.
Up to now, a number of movies stand out as significantly memorable for the producer. That prime checklist consists of “Zach,” which profiled a multi-year journey of Zach Miller “chasing a proverbial white whale to get the primary win as an American [male] at UTMB,” stated Yang, who first adopted him to Europe in 2017, “when it was essentially the most aggressive males’s area ever assembled, with runners like Tim Tollefson and Kilian Jornet. He ended up ending high 10, nevertheless it was a mixed-bag consequence. I assumed the next yr we should always come again in case it occurred — if he have been to win, and I couldn’t doc it, it could have ate at me. We went again in 2018 and 2019. The movie itself advanced to telling extra about Zach and his rise within the sport, and that resonates with me, as a result of it was a real documentary. It wasn’t surrounding one occasion and was extra an entire story about his mother and father and the way their sense of labor ethic was instilled in him,” shared Yang.
One other movie fully exceeded his expectations with the way it was acquired: “The Why,” which paperwork Yang’s expertise of operating the 2017 Leadville 100 Mile, stays one of the crucial widespread movies he’s ever created. “As a runner, I’m a middle-, or in some circumstances, back-of-the-packer. I didn’t have expectations for Leadville aside from my day could be my day. I did need to strategy and movie it in another way, and forged a wider internet that speaks to the lay individual versus individuals who know the ins and outs of ultramarathons. It was a really robust race; I used to be uncooked and forthcoming and confirmed not simply excessive moments however low moments and that resonated with individuals,” stated Yang. “The quantity of people that have informed me they have been racing Leadville due to that movie or the feedback I get about how “The Why” modified their life, or they ran their first 5k or signed up for his or her first marathon or they watch it earlier than every race occasion — these feedback blow me away,” he shared.
After seeing the recognition of “The Why,” Yang has stepped in entrance of the digital camera a bit extra to supply brief tales on his journey and a few of his adventures. Then in 2017, he launched the Billy Yang Podcast.
“The podcast was one thing I’d lengthy needed to do as a fan of the medium. I used to be at all times a fan of speak radio after I was a child, and I’d report fake broadcasts on tape recorders. It took me going to podcasters that I respect and listening to their first episodes and listening to everybody had a place to begin. And it wasn’t good by any stretch of the creativeness, and typically you dive in and develop because the viewers grows,” stated Yang.
Yang conducting a dwell podcast in Austin, Texas, with native legend and creator Gilbert Tuhabonye.
“The primary episode I recorded I used to be going to make it extra of a story podcast. I did it and it simply sucked — it was not what I envisioned, so I pivoted towards a one-on-one, or one-on-two podcast format, and I launched with Anton Krupicka,” stated Yang. Immediately, he’s recorded practically 75 episodes. Often, the podcast takes a backseat whereas Yang juggles his different movie and inventive commitments.
For the podcast, “I severely lack in consistency of output. I care very a lot about authenticity and being real, and if you happen to’re simply banking episodes, that’s not the atmosphere I thrive and work greatest in. The demand exceeds the provision in a lot of cases. The place there’s video content material and podcast content material that tons of if not hundreds of individuals need extra of from you — that may be a little bit of a strain to repeatedly put out the extent of content material you’re used to and the viewers is used to. That’s why you hear of creators getting burned out, and I don’t need to fall into that or be painted in that nook and create an unsustainable atmosphere,” stated Yang.
Of his function, he stated it’s “been an absolute honor” to affix the Western States 100 board. “I look again at my movie I made with Sally, in 2014, that launched this complete endeavor. Western States was lengthy on my bucket checklist of races I needed to not solely run however expertise, and I acquired to try this by way of Sally. The e-book ‘Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night time Runner,’ by Dean Karnazes, was additionally an enormous catalyst to me discovering path operating and ultrarunning, and Western States was an enormous a part of that e-book. To see the place my story began with highway operating and being intimidated to run with a path group and the primary time I drove into Olympic Valley, California, [where Western States starts] and being starstruck and wide-eyed. Now, virtually a decade later, I’m part of the 15-member board of administrators — it’s like, how did I find yourself right here? It’s been lots of work, strain, and it’s been tremendous rewarding and nice,” stated Yang.
Filming Dean Karnazes on the end of the 2018 Western States 100.
New for 2021, he spearheaded the dwell broadcast at Western States, which he’ll proceed to develop subsequent yr for the fiftieth yr anniversary of the race.
As for different new developments, Yang just lately adopted a stray pet, a blue heeler and Jack Russell Terrier cross named Charlie, who he got here throughout on the aspect of a freeway in Arizona whereas road-tripping to the 2022 Hardrock 100.
Finally, Yang’s motivations and connection to ultrarunning tie again to group and connecting with good, real individuals.
“The true attract of my first ultrarunning race have been the those who frolicked afterward, whose calves, ankles, and faces have been coated in mud, and over bowl of chili or IPA you’re exchanging tales. That was the true distinction between triathlons or highway races and the path scene. Everybody has been so welcoming, beautiful, and passionate concerning the sport — I can’t think about a greater group of individuals. It doesn’t matter if you happen to’re Asian, in my case, or white or Black and everyone seems to be so accepting and prepared to assist out. You would be dirtbagging at the back of your truck, or a Fortune 500 CEO and you’d by no means know — this sport is class-less. It comes right down to the individuals and that’s what makes the game of ours so nice and why I preach the gospel of path operating and ultrarunning. I believe it’s the most effective sport on the market.”
Name for Feedback
- What’s your favourite Billy Yang movie or podcast?
- Have any resonated with you particularly and why?
