Haven Johnson went from quitting drinking to completing the Squamish 50. A new film tells the story.
Most people don’t run the Squamish 50 while blowing a kazoo. But Haven Johnson isn’t most people.
Two years into her sobriety from alcohol, the 43-year-old ran and completed her first ultra-marathon—an achievement set in motion by the emotional realities of recovery.
“I literally quit drinking and smoking at the same time. And I was losing my mind. I had never had, really, any experience running, and that was the only thing my body felt like doing. I needed to go hurt myself a bit to get out of that headspace, right? And it was horrible, but I got the relief I needed from doing that,” she said.
Johnson began by going for short, one-or two-kilometre runs. Soon after, an old friend recommended she start running socially with Capra Running, a store that hosts weekly trail running events throughout the year. Before long, the seed he planted took root.
“Trails 101 started, and it’s like the introductory to trail running. And I’m like, that seemed maybe doable, and it was scary. I’m like, ‘Oh, I got to go run five kilometres on the trails with all these “athletes?’” she said. “I was so terrified, but I went, and it was all over from that day. I was in love. I love every aspect of it. The people were amazing… And I just kept—I haven’t stopped going.”
That non-stop mentality bleeds into every part of Johnson, who sat down with The Squamish Chief ahead of the debut of a film about her running and recovery journey at the Brackendale Art Gallery.
‘HAVEN’ heads to the BAG
While building her running community, Johnson struck up a friendship with Amanda Palmer, a video producer and director who would go on to pitch Johnson on being the subject of a documentary.
“I’d always wanted to do a short film that was led by myself, a chance to work with other collaborators. And one of the things I’m learning in filmmaking is you can’t force a story. You have to get out in your community, meet people, and then figure out who has a story you might be able to tell,” Palmer said.
She emphasized it’s not only about having the story. It’s about being the right person to help weave the narrative together.
“There are a lot of great stories out there, but I’m not the right person to tell them. I think because we met so naturally and organically, became friends, it kind of grew from there,” Palmer said.
When asked to be involved in a project about her own life, Johnson—true to form—went all in.
“I wouldn’t go out seeking to tell my story in that context at all, but I trust Amanda and the people I run with a lot. It puts a purpose to the chaos I caused for so many years—to hopefully give back and give somebody else some inspiration that their life can have a better outcome,” Johnson said.
On June 2, “HAVEN” debuts at the Brackendale Art Gallery. If attendees want a ticket, they are out of luck, since the Squamish premiere is already sold out. It originally showed in Vancouver at the Trail Running Film Festival.
The short film chronicles Johnson’s challenges navigating early life and subsequent addictions, her role as a mother of three young children, and her recovery from alcoholism, which culminates in completing the gruelling Squamish 50.
The journey of sobriety and ultra-running is hard. Johnson makes the most of it anyway. Throughout the film, and in person, she speaks with a raw honesty that many in recovery come to.
Built by the community
One throughline of the documentary is that Johnson’s journey in sobriety and along the trails wasn’t possible without the people around her.
Countless runners, filmmakers and producers got involved throughout the shoot, which Palmer says is a testament to the value of the story they told, and to how loved Johnson is in Squamish.
“When everyone sees the story we’re telling, they kind of get on board and want to celebrate it and work together,” Palmer said.
For anyone interested in sober running, Johnson is creating a community specifically for people in recovery. Follow Instagram @pinkcloudrunclub to get involved.
