My Run

I saw this documentary at the Mammoth Film Festival and loved it! It was moving, inspirational, and authentic. The story of Terry and his family is compelling from the very first frame; from the story of how he and his wife met, to heartbreak, to triumph. And just watching Terry complete a marathon each day was enough to make my knees hurt. As a (former) long distance runner myself, I was truly awed by Terry's will and devotion. In a way, he's a real life Forrest Gump. The filmmakers utilize video footage from his marathon-ing days as well as present day interviews. I believe the film is just beginning it's festival run, so try and catch it if it plays in your city!

I saw this documentary at the Austin Film Festival and really enjoyed it. It will change the way you live. It's the story of Terry Hitchcock, who lost his wife to cancer then raised his kids by himself. After the kids were grown he decided to run seventy-five marathons in a row to raise awareness for single-parent households. Once he decides to run the marathons, the story really takes off. You see how hard it was for him. He was already in his late fifties when he decided to do it, and he had a bad heart. The fact that he never gave up, no matter what was put before him, is what makes the documentary so great. It shows you that if you really put your mind to something and believe in yourself, you really can do amazing things.

I'm not a runner but, then again, neither is the subject of this documentary. The challenge for the filmmakers is how to this tell this story, even though we already know how it ends, he makes it to Atlanta. But the real "story" of course, is his journey, personally but also with his family. I had the chance to see the world premiere at the Austin Film Festival and recently again at the Minneapolis/St Paul International Film Festival. The footage used from his original run in 1996 adds tremendously to the authenticity of the story. This film is truly a triumph of the spirit. I recommend it highly. You will laugh and you will probably also cry. When the house lights in Austin went up, people were on their feet, there wasn't a dry eye in the house and everyone was smiling,

Just caught this film at the 2009 Austin Film Festival for it's World Premiere. Audience gave a standing ovation to the filmmakers as well as Terry Hitchcock who was in attendance. Catch MY RUN when it comes to a theater near you - this is a wonderful uplifting film that will touch the heart and soul of anyone that sees it! This film has multiple messages throughout. One is that if someone operates out of faith and not fear, they will persevere - no exception, they will manifest the dream and success and do it as Terry Hitchcock so courageously did - one step at a time!! It will inspire and delight all and leave you feeling filled with hope and promise for better days ahead! You will be thinking about this documentary long after you leave the theater.

Recently a friend of mine gave me something he had written and challenged me "I dare you not to cry at the end." At the time I thought it was a bit of a silly and maybe just a tad presumptuous of a challenge. But I find myself, while thinking about this film, wanting to invoke the same challenge (goes to show me I guess).

And the thing is not that this film is so sad or heartbreaking at the end that you can't help but weep. Quite the contrary. Though of course it has it's sad and really heartbreaking elements, for me "My Run" really turned out to be a story about hope, about human challenges, and about how we can really achieve almost the most impossible things just by making committing our minds and mostly our hearts to it. Maybe I weeped at the end because it put my daily excuses of why I can't do this or that to shame. Of course i am kidding. But, I did weep at the end, and most unexpectedly, and mostly because I had just seen one of the most touching stories I had seen in a long time about the resilience and strength of the human heart.

So I don't mean to be lugubrious in my words. But the point I am trying to make, in case i haven't said it many times over :-), is that I loved this film. And if you ever get the chance to see it...do!!!

(for confidentiality purposes and to protect the innocent, I won't stay weather I did cry at the end of my friends project :-)... Cheers