FROM SCOTLAND TO KONA: JOHNNY MCBETH’s IRONMAN FILM
The rain doesn't stop for Kona
Kona is more than 11,000 km from Scotland. It's lava fields, 30-degree heat and a race of 3.8 km swimming, 180 km cycling and a 42.2 km marathon.
Johnny McBeth trains in Scotland: wind, rain, short winter days and a full life to fit around it. This year he lined up at the Ironman World Championship anyway, and finished 14th.
An amateur with a world championship goal
Johnny isn't a professional. No warm-weather training camps, no big sponsor, no team behind him.
That's exactly the story Triathlon Scotland wanted told. You don't need perfect conditions or expensive kit to reach the biggest race in the sport. Anyone from Scotland can get there.
One day with Johnny
We spent one day filming with Johnny: running, in the gym, on the bike and in the sauna, finishing with a sit-down interview.
Inspired by MOnumont’s unique filming style, we kept it intimate. Natural light, close detail and Johnny's own voice carrying the film, with no narrator telling you how to feel.
We had no access to Kona, so the film lives in Scotland, where the work actually gets done. Hawaii is where the story is heading, not where it's set.
The result is From Scotland to Kona, a 10-minute film for Triathlon Scotland's YouTube channel, delivered alongside a social cutdown and a set of stills.
A story that travelled
The film has reached 835 views, 2.3 times the channel's average of 365 across its last 10 uploads. Then British Triathlon picked it up and took Johnny's story to a UK-wide audience.
A good story travels further than the channel it was made for.
Watch From Scotland to Kona
The full film is live on YouTube now. Give it ten minutes, and the next time you're out on a dark, wet Scottish morning, remember that Kona started somewhere just like it.
https://youtu.be/_cBs4O8W3-A?si=xws0ThSXZyfyz4X6
Your story could be next
Monumont Studios is a UK-based sport production studio and content partner for governing bodies, clubs, brands and athletes. We take projects from idea to finished campaign: strategy, documentary, brand film, social content, photography and reporting, all under one roof.
If you have an athlete, a team or a season that deserves more than a highlights reel, talk to us now. The organisations planning their 2027 content today are the ones whose stories get told.
