Mark Your Calendar - October 22

NCM Fathom and Citizen Pictures are bringing never before seen footage of the 2009 Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race held in Leadville, Colorado, to the big screen for a one-night-only special event.

Don't miss a specially-cut presentation of the race featuring Lance Armstrong, Dave Wiens and other elite cyclists as they battle the elements during this epic 100-mile race. Screenings will be in select theaters nationwide on October 22, 2009. For more information on the screening, including ticketing information, stay tuned to raceacrossthesky.com.

At 10,000 feet, against the misty backdrop of the sleepy former mining town of Leadville, Colorado, 1,400 cyclists mass at the starting line. For many, it will be the most difficult race of their lives. For some, a bragging right to say they raced alongside the best in the world. Some imagine victory. Most hope only to finish.

What began 25 years ago as a running race to drive tourism in Leadville has now grown to an event that is not just a race of man against man, but also man vs. self, man vs. elements and man vs. time.

Racing against a clock set for 12 grueling hours, competitors slug through 100 miles and over 14,000 vertical feet of climbing—some two miles above sea level—through extreme climate changes ranging from heat to hail, from rain to snow. To the racers, the risks of injury, fatigue and mechanical failure pale next to the chance that they will fall behind and be eliminated.

In addition to the showdown between six-time defending champion Dave Wiens and seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, the 2009 race also featured inspirational stories of human triumph such as Roxanne Hall, critically injured by a car while training for last year's race, Grace Ragland, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, and over-50 competitor Rick McDonald, who has raced every year since the event's inception.

More info can be found at raceacrossthesky.com.