“Homegrown,” a film by The North Face and Sports Shoes, introduces U.K. rising star Josh Wade and follows his preparation for the 2024 UTMB.
Wade has recently made headlines internationally by placing third in the 2025 Transgrancanaria, having held second position for much of the race, but he has been making waves closer to home for a few years now. In 2023, he won the arduous Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 100 Mile by close to 90 minutes, setting a new course record. He also won the 2022 Spine Challenger 110 Mile and placed third in the 2023 Eiger Ultra-Trail 101k.
[Editor’s Note: If you can’t see the film above, you can watch it at this link.]
The film opens with a candid introduction to Wade — from Kendal, England — who is busy working his day job as a gardener. He says cheerfully, “I’m pushing lawnmowers up the hill sweating, this is exercise and working, and I think it’s definitely helped.”
The film tracks Wade’s arrival in Europe first for training and eventually for the race and his journey around Mont Blanc, with support and insights from wife, Mel, and brother, Jamie. He suffers stomach issues in the earlier part of the race and is ranked 117th in Les Contamines, 31 kilometers in, but has turned a corner a worked his way up to 58th by Courmayeur — roughly halfway through the race.
A screenshot from the film “Homegrown” of Josh Wade training at home in England.
In the race’s second half, Wade finds his rhythm, and it is satisfying to watch him grind his way up the field to finish 11th, as his wife and brother beam with pride.
In his summary at the end he says, “I’m just a guy from Kendal, training really hard to try to race the best in the world.” And following both this race and his more recent one at Transgrancanaria, his is a name that is bound to be repeated in the history books of ultrarunning.
Call for Comments
- Have you seen Josh Wade in action?
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A screenshot from the film “Homegrown” of Josh Wade’s bib for the 2024 UTMB.
