''Spirit of the Marathon'' is a 2007 documentary film directed by Jon Dunham. The film chronicles the journey six marathon runners experience while training and competing in the 2005

Chicago Marathon The Chicago Marathon is a marathon (long-distance foot race) held every October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the six World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago Marathon is the fourth-largest r ...

. It was screened at the

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

on October 5, 2007 and received a limited release in the United States on January 24, 2008.

Synopsis

In the beginning of the film, a brief overview of the history of the marathon is shown, with footage of dramatic races involving

Dorando Pietri Dorando Pietri (; often wrongly spelt Petri; 16 October 1885 – 7 February 1942) was an Italian long-distance runner. He finished first in the marathon at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London but was subsequently disqualified. Biography Earl ...

Abebe Bikila ''Shambel'' Abebe Bikila ( am, ሻምበል አበበ ቢቂላ; August 7, 1932 – October 25, 1973) was an Ethiopian marathon runner who was a back-to-back Olympic marathon champion. He is the first Ethiopian Olympic gold medalist, winnin ...

and

Rod Dixon Rodney Phillip Dixon (born 13 July 1950) is a former New Zealand middle- to long-distance runner. He won the bronze medal in the 1500 metres at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, and in 1983 won the New York City Marathon. Biography Dixon was b ...

. Notable marathoners such as

Frank Shorter Frank Charles Shorter (born October 31, 1947) is an American former long-distance runner who won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. His Olympic success, along with the ac ...

, Dick Beardsley,

Alberto Salazar Alberto Salazar (born August 7, 1958) is an American former track coach and long-distance runner. Born in Cuba, Salazar immigrated to the United States as a child with his family, living in Connecticut and then in Wayland, Massachusetts, where ...

Grete Waitz Grete Waitz (, 1 October 195319 April 2011) was a Norwegian marathon runner and former world record holder. In 1979, at the New York City Marathon, she became the first woman in history to run the marathon in under two and a half hours. Waitz wo ...

Paula Radcliffe Paula Jane Radcliffe MBE (born 17 December 1973) is a former British long-distance runner. She is a three-time winner of the London Marathon (2002, 2003, 2005), three-time New York Marathon champion (2004, 2007, 2008), and 2002 Chicago Marath ...

, Joan Benoit-Samuelson, and

Kathrine Switzer Kathrine Virginia Switzer (born January 5, 1947) is an American marathon runner, author, and television commentator. In 1967, she became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as an officially registered competitor. During her run, race man ...

provide commentary about the sport. The focus is then on the six featured runners and their training for the 2005 Chicago Marathon. American

Deena Kastor Deena Michelle Kastor (née Drossin; born February 14, 1973) is an American long-distance runner. She was a holder of American records in the marathon (2006-2022) and numerous road distances. She won the bronze medal in the women's marathon at t ...

and Kenyan Daniel Njenga are both elite runners, and are determined to win the race. Kastor was the bronze medalist at the 2004 Olympic Marathon, but has yet to win a marathon. Njenga had finished second multiple times in previous Chicago Marathons. Kastor is shown training and recovering from an injury in

Mammoth Lakes, California Mammoth Lakes is a town in Mono County, California, and is the county's only incorporated community. It is located immediately to the east of Mammoth Mountain, at an elevation of . As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 7,191, r ...

, while Njenga's life as a sponsored runner in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

is profiled. The rest of the runners featured live in Chicago. Ryan Bradley and Lori O'Connor are both married young professionals; Bradley is a veteran marathoner who hopes to earn a qualifying time for the Boston Marathon, and O'Connor is running her first marathon. She finds it humorous when colleagues ask if she expects to win. Jerry Meyers is a jovial 70-year-old who claims to run marathons for the T-shirt. Leah Caille is a new runner that took up the sport to help recover from an emotional divorce. While preparing for the race, Bradley suffers a knee injury and is unable to compete. He is clearly upset by this, and takes out his frustration by going for a long bike ride. O'Connor and Caille go through the new experience of the long training sessions necessary for a marathoner. Meyers lends his veteran knowledge while leading slower training runs with his daughter, who is running her first marathon. All of the long and dedicated training culminates on the day of the marathon. There are panoramic shots of the city that display the mass numbers of race participants and spectators. Njenga runs with the lead pack, but once again falls short in third place. Kastor has a lead for most of the race, but is challenged by

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

Constantina Diţă-Tomescu Flavia Valeria Constantina (also sometimes called ''Constantia'' and ''Constantiana''; el, Κωνσταντίνα; b. after 307/before 317 – d. 354), later known as Saint Constance, was the eldest daughter of Roman emperor Constantine the Great ...

at the very end of the race. In a dramatic finish, Kastor is able to fend off Diţă-Tomescu for the victory. Bradley cheers his wife, Colleen, as she races to a 3:51:54 finish, while O'Connor seems to have a smooth race, and enjoys seeing friends in the crowd. Caille struggles with IT Band Syndrome, but eventually has a successful finish, crossing the line in 5:01:15. Meyers wears his favorite "Kansas" shirt and enjoys his race, finishing in 5:59:39.

Production

Jon Dunham, the director of the film, was inspired to make a documentary about the marathon because of the impact running marathons had on his life. He said that running a marathon was the most difficult thing he had done in his life, until he started to make a documentary about it. Following storylines of runners training all over the world, and filming the subjects in the crowded Chicago Marathon are some of the challenges Dunham encountered when making the film. Initially, Dunham filmed Kastor while financing the production himself. Eventually, the Chicago Marathon provided Dunham some financial resources to help him film the event. In post-production, Dunham and co-producer Gwendolen Twist raised money from investors to fund the completion of the film. To film the subjects running the marathon, the camera crews rode in

pedicab The cycle rickshaw is a small-scale local means of transport. It is a type of hatchback tricycle designed to carry passengers on a for-hire basis. It is also known by a variety of other names such as bike taxi, velotaxi, pedicab, bikecab, ...

s. They directed the amateur runners to go on a side of the road at specific areas in the course to help with filming. In addition, the amateur runners had other runners alongside them holding up signs to help the crew identify them in the crowd. Dunham originally thought that the film should focus on the amateurs more than Kastor, but said he found her enthusiasm, talent, and determination "irresistible". In an explanation to why Dunham choose to follow the six runners he selected, he says he finds the marathon to be an "incredible mixing of elite runners with the amateur runners from all across the globe and all ranges of human experience". He said that he wants the film "to offer inspiration for anyone who sets out to achieve a goal that takes the determination, effort and attitude of running a marathon". On being filmed, Kastor said that she "went about her normal routine and training", and commented it that was not distracting, but "motivating". Kastor also revealed that the six runners did not meet until a

brunch Brunch is a meal eaten between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., sometimes accompanied by alcoholic drinks (typically champagne or a cocktail). The meal originated in the British hunt breakfast. The word ''brunch'' is a portmanteau of '' breakfast'' ...

after the marathon, and felt an "immediate bond of friendship". The film was edited by Christo Brock over a 12-month time period.

Film score

Jeff Beal Jeff Beal (born June 20, 1963) is an American composer of music for film, television, recordings, and the concert hall. Highly regarded as a jazz instrumentalist and versatile composer, Beal creates music that often incorporates a synthesis of im ...

, an Emmy award-winner film composer, wrote the score for the film. The music was performed by the

Prague Philharmonic Orchestra The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra was established in 1995, under the German conductor Friedemann Riehle. The orchestra has since produced many classical and film music recordings, working with labels such as Decca, EMI, Sony BMG and various in ...

. Active.com's review compliments the score, noting that it "beautifully blends the emotion, strain and exhilaration of the marathon".

Release

The film premiered to sellout crowds at the 2007

, right before the running of the 2007 Chicago Marathon. Daniel Njenga, one of the subjects of the film, was in attendance. National CineMedia distributed the film by satellite to over 500 theatres as a special one-night only viewing, with an encore a month later. The release grossed over $1 million for the film.

Critical reception

The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' gave the film a favorable review, calling it an "efficient yet comprehensive study". The footage of Chicago is praised, as is the capture of the "inspiring journey of physical endurance and personal achievement". ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' compliments the film's enthusiasm toward the marathon, and the commentary provided by former marathoners. Australia's ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

'' offers a mixed review, writing that "In its more tranquil stretches, ''Spirit of the Marathon'' might be mistaken for a feature-length sneaker advertisement, but if you're looking for inspiration, you could do worse."

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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Interview with director in ''Runner's World''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spirit Of The Marathon 2007 films 2007 documentary films American track and field films American sports documentary films Films scored by Jeff Beal 2000s English-language films 2000s American films