“What we are doing in this project is something a bit different. Our focus is on the individual challenge, and the idea of Tor as a “hero’s journey,” in which we change and learn something about ourselves through adversity. Along for the trip, lurking in the background, will be the dragon that is part of the mythology of Tor des Geants. A playful character with a coy attitude, he follows the main character, sharing wisdom, watching over the runners, and in his own cryptic way, encouraging the main character on.
Massimiliano Riccio interviews for us the author of the new book dedicated to the Tor: Doug Mayer
Max: Doug, you have already been working for a couple of years on a new book on the Tor des Géants: yours will be a special story in several respects. Let's start with the decision to develop it as a graphic novel, a modern narrative form never before seen in the trail world. How did you come up with this idea?
Doug: I have been slowly plugging away on it, but now we’re getting down to business. One other book had to take precedence. Now, I am excited to be working on the Tor project!
As for graphic novels, I have always enjoyed reading them. The visual medium can vividly depict both emotions and landscapes accurately. The genesis of the idea goes back to a day I was visiting with the founder of Helvetiq, Hadi Barkat. I was telling the story of Tor in a very animated style, and he stopped me and said, “You know, I’m thinking this would make a great graphic novel!”
As we are working on it, I find it incredibly fun and flexible. With a few pencil strokes, the artist can create a diverse range of characters, each with their own perspectives and stories.
And who doesn't enjoy trying something new?
My hope is for a wide range of readers to find depth and immersion in a topic I'm passionate about, and in a way that words alone cannot convey.
Max: Who will be in charge of illustrating the book?
Doug: Helvetiq found a wonderful graphic artist, William Windrestin. We adore his style of illustration. He works in TV and has a great sense for complex scripts, so that really helps on a project like this. He has a very well developed sense of creativity and a real clarity in his thinking that brings original solutions that will help us avoid too-linear storytelling. That could be a risk with a story like Tor des Géants, where participants go from one point to the next, until they are done.
Max: TOR is an experience, a journey but also a challenge against ourselves: what story did you decide to tell in this book?
Doug: What we are doing in this project is something a bit different. Our focus is on the individual challenge, and the idea of Tor as a “hero’s journey.” The concept was created by Joseph Campbell, an American professor and writer from the 1940s and 1950s. He wrote a book called The Hero with a Thousand Faces, that captures this idea of a journey that is roughly the same across cultures and time periods.
The hero's journey has a number of key elements: a call to adventure, natural and supernatural help, challenges and temptations, an abyss or a crisis of some kind, and then a revelation. In Tor, the crisis is something Ivan Parasacco first told me about– the idea of meeting a dragon on the trail.
Following the crisis, the hero experiences some kind of transformation. The idea is that the hero brings back to society a gift of some kind -- some kernel of wisdom about how to live our lives and what we are made of.
So, we’re using Tor to tell a broader story, one about human nature and personal discovery. Trail running is the vehicle here for a bigger, more profound tale. We hope it resonates well beyond the Tor audience.
Max: When will it be published?
Doug: We’re hoping to have it available for Tor des Géants 2024.
Doug Mayer and his girlfriend, met on Tor des Géants
Max: You will be at the start of the TOR again this year with two goals: to collect new material for the book and to hit the qualifying time for the Tor des Glaciers. Even if it is a bit premature, is a graphic novel dedicated to TOR450 also conceivable?
Doug: Oh, gosh, really my only goal is to finish. That’s always enough for Tor!
I have the most fun pushing myself into new spaces and challenging myself. (Hence, TOR!)
Maybe it’s time for a movie. Thanks for the thought…
I’m going to see if George Clooney has anything planned for 2025! 🙂
