Steve Magness just Tweeted a preview of the forthcoming movie that has been adapted from the book (the preview is narrated by Tom Brokaw and aired during coverage of the Winter Olympics). Looks fantastic!

Ben asked if I could share the trailer to the film and spread the word about their Kickstarter campaign supporting the production. Given the local connection for me, as well as the fact that I’ll be pacing a friend through the last 30 miles or so of the race this summer (where they will be filming), I couldn’t help but share the trailer here.

Take a look, and if you like what you see, consider chipping in to support the production (I did)!

“The film tells the story of two young girls, living in a rural town as they try to run their way to a different life.

Narrated by their friend Biruk, it follows their highs and lows over three years as they try to become professional athletes. Through their struggle, the film gives a unique insight into the ambitions of young Ethiopians living between tradition and the modern world.”

Below are several clips from the film – looks fantastic!

Also check out this great video from the 2009 Ethiopian Youth Championships – lots of athletes competing barefoot and in sandals.

For more, visit the Town of Runners website.

ITEN – The Town of RED Dust Teaser Trailer from Erik O’Neill on Vimeo.

Here’s the trailer:

Hood To Coast Trailer from HoodToCoastMovie on Vimeo.
HOOD TO COAST follows four unlikely teams on their epic journey to conquer the world’s largest relay race. Each year, 1000 teams (12,000 runners) cover 197 grueling miles as a relay team, putting themselves through an arduous physical journey that as an individual would be impossible. Some run to test their personal limits, some to overcome personal obstacles, and others leap in blindly looking for a way to invigorate a complacent life. As we follow our four teams, we realize that winning isn’t everything in a documentary that takes a celebratory look at personal motivation and attempting the extraordinary.

Our Website: www.hoodtocoastmovie.com
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hood-To-Coast/318948180188

Here’s the description from the ATHLETE movie website:

“ATHLETE is a film that examines the growing popularity of endurance sports and profiles four everyday individuals – cancer survivor, blind senior citizen and twin sisters – who compete in marathons and triathlons and are redefining what it means to be an ‘athlete’.”

And here’s the trailer:

MY RUN (Official Trailer) – Inspirational from Tim VandeSteeg on Vimeo.
MY RUN (Documentary, 2009)

“Indiewood Pictures in Association with Destiny Pictures presents the award-winning MY RUN, the inspirational documentary of Terry Hitchcock, narrated by Academy Award winner Billy Bob Thornton.“

“After tragically losing his wife to breast cancer and struggling to raise three young children on his own, Terry Hitchcock seized on an idea. He wanted to accomplish the impossible: run 75 consecutive marathons in 75 consecutive days to bring attention to the incredibly difficult lives of single-parent families.“

“AUDIENCE AWARD” – 2009 Austin Film Festival

“BEST DOCUMENTARY” – 2009 Mammoth Film Festival

“AWARDED 5 DOVES and the Family-Friendly Seal”

– The Dove Foundation

www.myrunmovie.com

www.twitter.com/myrunmovie

www.facebook.com/myrunmovie

Below is the trailer for “The Long Green Line.”

The Long Green Line Movie Trailer from legendsoflala on Vimeo.

Very briefly, Marathon Challenge is an inspirational story that follows 13 formerly sedentary runners who train for and run the Boston Marathon. Among other things, the show documents the physical and emotional changes that each runner underwent during their training, and the finish-line scenes are about as emotional as you can get. If this documentary doesn’t prove to you that anyone can and should run a marathon, I don’t know what will – and with Boston coming up on Monday, what better time to watch than now!

Happy running, and good luck if you’re headed to Boston!

Spirit of the Marathon
If you have run or are planning to run a marathon, you absolutely have to watch this documentary. It features the stories of six different runners who are training for the Chicago Marathon, and finishes with their running of the race. The runners profiled range from first-timers to some of the best in the world (e.g., Deena Kastor). Marathons are inherently emotional events to watch and run in, and this documentary captures the emotion fantastically. Check out a clip below:

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Marathon Challenge
This is a NOVA documentary that follows 13 formerly sedentary runners who train for and run the Boston Marathon. As a scientist, I liked the focus on the physical and emotional changes that each runner underwent, and the finish-line scenes are about as emotional as you can get. If this documentary doesn’t prove to you that anyone can and should run a marathon, I don’t know what will.

Without Limits and Prefontaine
Both of these movies are essentially biographical sketches of the life of Steve Prefontaine (known to his fans as Pre). Prefontaine was a phenomenally tough and gifted American distance runner in the early 1970’s, but he died a tragic death before succeeding in winning an Olympic medal. I’ve watched both versions of Pre’s story, and they are equally good. Without Limits stars Billy Crudup, whereas Prefontaine stars Jared Leto.

If you don’t know Steve Prefontaine, here’s a great Nike commercial that features him:

Clips of Without Limits and Prefontaine are below:

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Chariots of Fire
This is a classic and is so well-known that it needs little further comment. In a nutshell, it tells the story of two runners from Great Britain, Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, and chronicles the events leading up to and including their participation in the 1924 Olympic Games. The underlying story is about faith, and the signature event is Liddell’s internal conflict regarding competing in an Olympic race on the sabbath. This is a classic, and won the Best Picture Oscar in 1981. Here’s a clip:

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Running on the Sun
I’ve saved the best for last. If you run long distance on a regular basis, you’ve probably earned some snide comments from friends, co-workers, etc. about how you’re going to ruin your knees, or how running marathons is just so bad for your body. I recommend that you force these people to watch Running on the Sun. This documentary recounts the running of the 1999 Badwater 135 Ultramarathon. If you don’t know about the Badwater, it’s arguably the most grueling race in the world. The course winds through Death Valley in July, when 120 degree temperatures are the norm, and ends on Mt. Whitney after approximately 13,000 feet of vertical ascent. This race is the ultimate in self-punishment, and seeing what these runners go through is intense. The documentary is graphic at times (there are some nasty looking feet, as well as various other health problems), and it gives a great insight into the mind of someone crazy enough to challenge a race like this. I watched it with my wife and mother, and they both could not believe what they saw – it makes my little 15 mile long runs look like a walk in the park. The DVD seems to be hard to come by, but it is available for rental through Netflix (click on the icon below to check it out at Netflix.com).

I highly recommend this one – it’s a must see for any runner. Couldn’t find a clip of the movie, but here’s a clip showing some of the medical knowledge gained from studying these runners.

Happy Running!

Below are links to each of these movies available for rent at Netflix.

Below are links to each of these movies available at Itunes:

Spirit of the Marathon – click button below

Marathon Challenge – currently unavailable on Itunes

Without Limits – click button below

Prefontaine – click button below

Chariots of Fire – click button below

Running on the Sun – currently unavailable on Itunes

Finally, here are links to each of these movies available for DVD purchase at Amazon.com.