Today, the 10th of October 2022, is World Mental Health Day. As part of this important day on the calendar, our friends at COROS have released What Goes Unsaid. The film shares the story of Tim Tollefson, and the professional ultra-runner’s struggles with mental health, body dysmorphia, and his efforts to find a sense of belonging within the running community.
“True strength is vulnerability”
Despite being an accomplished athlete himself, Tim, who was bullied as a youngster, has wrestled with internal demons throughout his adult life. Here, in no uncertain terms, he lays out his battle with an eating disorder that had consumed him, and the ways in which his journey with therapy has helped him to understand himself and his behaviours. By being open and honest with his story, it’s Tim’s hope that he can help others dealing with similar struggles.
The film underlines the message that you never really know what’s going on with someone beneath the surface. Most runners know Tim as a kind and a friendly pro who is always smiling. However, this is a happy exterior that’s long obscured the truth. For the last two decades, Tim has been counting calories, binge eating, and trying to mirror an unrealistic image of what a runner’s body (his body) should look like. As time went on, he hid the truth from everyone apart from his wife and, more recently, his therapist.
Now, after making notable progress to manage his mental health issues and develop tools to keep them in check, Tim has decided that it’s time to share his story and make others, who might feel like they’re on their own, realise that there’s no need to feel isolated any longer.
Some Information About Tim Tollefson
Tim Tollefson is a professional ultra-runner based in Mammoth Lakes, California. Two years after he qualified for the Olympic Marathon Trials in 2012, he switched to trail running and never looked back. Since then he’s won the Javelina Jundred, Lavaredo Ultra Trail 120k, Ultra Trail Australia 100k, and podiumed at UTMB. You can follow Tim Tollefson on Instagram here.
Useful Link
If you’re struggling with any of the issues raised in this film, there are people you can talk to. Visit nationaleatingdisorders.org for more information.