Spirit of the Marathon

I saw this movie with a friend who ran a marathon with me, and we both had the same feeling about it: it wasn't terribly motivating, and didn't even broach the idea of what a training schedule would look like, so that non-marathoners could have an idea of what it would take for them to train and run one. In fact there was almost zero technical information at all. I didn't expect this to be a tech-heavy instructional video, but when that info was near zero then the film just wasn't balanced, and wasn't particularly useful to non-marathoners contemplating their first run.

There were other problems. Some of the very first images were people collapsing near death while trying to run a race. Yeah, real inspiring. The timing was also hard to follow, because it was semi chronological, but the filmmakers rarely gave you any good clues as to what point in time you were looking at. And they withheld information. You see that Kantor has an injury, and you just assume it's from all her training, but then several scenes later they finally clue you in that it's because she tripped over a pine cone in her yard.

Some parts were very good, though, like the bit about a woman defying race officials who wanted the run to be men-only, and the coverage of a Chicago race where two of the runners portrayed earlier were vying for first place.

Off the top of my head, I'm thinking of other chronological documentaries, like Supersize Me, and Grass, where you always know where you are, and you feel like they told you everything you wanted to know.

In short, it wouldn't have been hard to make a better marathon film, and as it stands I can't recommend this to non-marathoners to educate and motivate them to try one, because I don't think it will have that effect.

What an inspiring film. I just love it. The film was beautifully shot, the pace of the film moved quickly, and the cast was great!

The film follows a 70 year old runner, Jerry, who is hysterical. And what an intense finish for both Daniel and Deena, I don't think I breathed during the last mile of their race. I love that the film showed the wide spectrum of runners from the young to the old, the injured to the elites, it was a well balanced film.

The history on the sport was fascinating. I liked the section on the Boston Marathon and Katherine Switzers story is very inspiring for woman today.

This has been one of the better films I have seen this year!

As a serious marathoner, I was seriously disappointed in this film. Its target audience is clearly those who have never run a marathon, or novice marathoners. Following the stories of 2 first-time marathoners, one senior, one injured runner, and two elites as they prepare for the Chicago marathon, the film dedicates the majority of its attention to one female beginner whose story is, for lack of a better word, boring. While I did enjoy the brief glimpses into the training sessions of Deena Kastor, the brief history of the Boston marathon and marathoning in general, let me emphasize: These were brief!! Watching some Joe Runners prepare for a Saturday run with their water bottles and talking about how they view the marathon is not inspiring, and the nonstop clichés about achievement and feel-good grinning runners will make you wish the film were about an hour shorter. If you are a first-time marathoner, this film may give you a feeling of "I can do it." For anyone else, run away.

I was so excited to see that there was a one time viewing of this awesome documentary. Even more excited to see how packed the theater was. I honestly thought I would be one of few to be sitting in the theater. It was great to run into fellow runners there, it seemed that almost everybody knew somebody else. Definitely the most friendliest movie theater experience I have ever had. Now, I have not run a marathon yet. And I have said that 2008 is my year, and I have not determined which one it will be. But watching this movie was great to see the excitement of the runners, and the small glimpse into their lives of training for such an event. I think it was great to incorporate all different levels, from elite runners like Deana and Daniel, to first time runners and even the "sweepers" as they called themselves. I recommend this to any runner, especially if you have run or plan on running a marathon. It was great that there was some humor and the whole theater laughed at points. So it wasn't your information only documentary. It was a huge inspiration for me, and if it wasn't 11:00pm when I got out of the theater, and only a chilly 17 degrees, I would have gone running myself. I look forward to this on DVD, and I hope it gets on DVD soon!

The movie focused on several people from all walks of life (professional, younger, older, etc.) who have decided to take on the challenge of the marathon. It presents all of their compelling stories and gives us insight into the training (both mental and physical) that goes into preparing for such an arduous run.

Additionally, the movie provides a good amount of detail about the history of the sport, with commentary from writers, historians, athletes, etc., who all think of this as the ultimate human competition.

The movie is well-written, well-scored, and has very, very genuine people who I could relate to. It does a great job in helping the audience live the marathon race through these characters, feeling elated at their successes, diminished when they fail, and anxious when they see the finish line in the distance.

Big thumbs up!