Video: From Mountain Roads to Markets, a Cross-Country Run Highlights Haiti's Beauty

Earlier this year, 20 runners, including top trail/ultra athletes Dean Karnazes and Hillary Allen, set out to complete the first organized ultramarathon in Haiti. The 386-kilometer (230-mile) Run Across Haiti took place over eight days, and presented some unusual challenges: crowded city streets, extreme humidity, air pollution and illness. (Seven of the 20 runners finished.)

But the run also highlighted the beauty and cultural richness of a country often associated with only poverty and disaster. That was a goal of Haitian runner Tassy Fils-Aime, who completed the cross-country run in 2015 and inspired this year’s event.

This 10-minute film was directed by Kevin Bennett and Andrew Campbell and released by The North Face, which sponsors Karnazes and Allen.