The 2025 Numb Bum 24-hour Ice Race is scheduled for March 8th and 9th on Clairmont Lake, and this year, a special documentary screening will take place after more than a year’s worth of production.
Peace Country local and longtime filmmaker Darryl Haugen began production on her Numb Bum documentary “Ice and Iron” in 2023 after a $20,000 funding boost from TELUS Storyhive Editions. She says the bulk of the funding bump went into research, which was quite extensive, as the documentary examines four decades of Numb Bum racing.
“It is huge having that funding, especially for our area is fantastic, so it definitely does help bring these stories forward, otherwise, of course, everyone would be doing free work,” she says. “ Specifically for our project, a lot of it went into history, a lot of the budget went into newspaper clippings or old footage and putting that historical piece together, and then hiring our crew to film for the whole project.”
“We also had Peace Country musicians write an original piece of music for it as well.”
Now is an emotional time for Haugen as well. She explains a sense of “bittersweetness” has been in her mind since completing the documentary, but she says she is excited to share her work with the community.
“ We are going to put an inflatable screen out on Clairmont Lake Friday night for everyone,” she says. “ It’s a mixed bag of emotions, bittersweet, I’m happy we’re finished and it’s come to an end and I can share it, but a little bit sad that it’s coming to an end because I put so much time in it.”
“I’m also kind of inspired because when I started it, I didn’t really know what I was going to find or anything.”
One of Haugen’s main goals for the documentary was to focus on the community aspect of the race. She says one of the most interesting things she found while working on the piece was that most riders are not interested in winning, instead, participants are happy to do just that- participate.
“ They like to race, but it isn’t about that at all, they’re not going there to win a trophy, it’s just about bringing people together in the winter and having that time together,” she says.
The documentary will premiere on February 22nd at 2:00 p.m. at the Fairview Community Centre Theatre, and a second screening is planned for the same weekend as the race on March 7th at Clairmont Lake.
