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Running Movies

Here is my compilation of Trail Running and related movies.
  • 100 Miles High
    • The San Juan Mountains of Colorado is the setting for the Hardrock 100, one of the hardest ultra endurance events in the world. In July of 2013, Darcy Piceu Africa set out to repeat her 2012 victory - This is her story.
  • 100 Seconds to Beat the World: The David Radish Story
    • Produced by the BBC, this hour-long documentary tells the amazing story of young Kenyan track star David Rudisha, who shattered the world record in the 800-meter run (in an astonishing 1:40:91) en route to winning gold in the event at the London Olympics in 2012.
  • 15 Hours | with Ann Trason
    • Arguably the greatest American ultrarunner of all time, Ann Trason won an unprecedented 14 times at the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run while winning and setting course records at many other ultra races. 
  • 4 Minute Mile
    • A former track coach decides to train a student with natural athletic talent. Tragedy strikes, forcing the student to confront everything that has been holding him back.
  • Across the Tracks
    • When Billy returns from reform school he has to attend a different high school at the other side of town. He tries to start with a clean slate but his old rival doesn't make it easy on him and his buddy Louie tries to make him go astray again. His brother Joe, quite the opposite of Billy, is a good runner and determined to win a track scholarship. He suggests Billy to join his school's track team, which pits the two brothers against each other...
  • Chariots of Fire
    • Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, compete in the 1924 Olympics.
  • Desert Runners
    • A diverse cast of non-professional runners attempt to complete the most difficult ultramarathon race series on Earth. Their dramatic journey takes them across the World's most picturesque yet brutal landscapes, pushing their bodies, hearts and spirits through a myriad of external and internal obstacles. DESERT RUNNERS delves into the mindset of ultra-athletes, and the complex ways in which human beings deal with both heartbreak and triumph.
  • Endurance
    • The gold medal for the men's 10,000-metre race in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics is won by Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie.
  • Finding Traction
    • Finding Traction presents the inspirational story of ultra runner Nikki Kimball's quest to become the fastest person in history to run America's oldest hiking trail, the 273-mile Long Trail. Through Nikki's incredible journey, racing towards a dream and against time, we gain a new perspective on what we all share in terms of endurance and the human spirit.
  • Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story
    • Pre" embodied the spirit of athletic excellence. He had a belief in self and sport that transcended all but the outer reaches of human speed and endurance. As a freshman, he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, which hailed him as "America's Distance Prodigy".
  • Great American Footrace
    • Facing scorching temperatures, 19-year-old Andy Payne, a small-town Cherokee boy, takes home the gold after winning a grueling 3,422-mile foot race designed to bring attention to the newly constructed Route 66 Highway.
  • In the High Country
    • "In the High Country" is a super-exciting mountain running film starring Anton Krupicka. Filmed and Produced by Joel Wolpert with the support of Ultimate Direction, this film will take you where you've never been before.
  • Jericho Mile
    • Rain Murphy is a man sentenced to life in prison, choosing to do his time in near-isolation, and engages in distance running when given the opportunity for free-time. While his form and speed capture the attention of prison officials who believe he could be competitive for the Olympics, Murphy expresses disinterest. But when the one man he has befriended is taken advantage of by political groups within the prison, Murphy decides to pursue the opportunity presented to him in his memory. This action not only has profound changes on him, but also on the atmosphere of the inmates in the prison and their outlook on the accomplishments he can make.
  • Jim Ryun: America's Greatest Miler
    • A documentary on the life of runner Jim Ryun featuring exclusive footage of Ryun's record setting 3:58.3 mile run at the Kansas state championships.
  • Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
    • A rebellious youth, sentenced to a boy's reformatory for robbing a bakery, rises through the ranks of the institution through his prowess as a long distance runner. During his solitary runs, reveries of his life and times before his incarceration lead him to re-evaluate his privileged status as the Governor's prize runner.
  • Long Green Line
    • Coach Joe Newton has used the sport of Cross Country Running to teach simple but important lessons to high school boys for the last 50 years. "Always do your best", "be on time" and "it's nice to be great but far greater to be nice" are mantras, which have turned the Boys Cross Country team at the public York High School in Elmhurst Illinois into the most winning high school team in any sport in America.
  • McFarland, USA
    • Jim White moves his family after losing his last job as a football coach. He sees that some of the students are worth starting a cross-country team and turns seven students with no hope into one of the best cross-country teams.
  • Mile, Mile & a Half
    • In an epic snow year, five friends leave their daily lives behind to hike California's historic John Muir Trail, a 211-mile stretch from Yosemite to Mt. Whitney (the highest peak in the contiguous U.S.). Their goal - complete the journey in 25 days while capturing the amazing sights & sounds they encounter along the way. Inspired by their bond, humor, artistry & dedication, the group continues to grow: to include other artists, musicians & adventure seekers. Before they all reach the summit, hikers and viewers alike affirm the old adage - it's about the journey, not the destination. Mile... Mile & A Half is the feature-length documentary of that journey...
  • Of Fells and Hills
    • The term “fell” is an often used Northern England expression for hill or mountain. It is presumed that Shepherds were probably the first ever fell runners with the earliest documented accounts of running in the fells dating back to the 11th Century. By the 19th century organised fell runs began taking place in Cumbria in the United Kingdom. Locals raced each other up and down hills and a sport was born.
  • On the Edge
    • In one final attempt to achieve victory, an aging professional runner is training vigorously for a very tough marathon race.
  • On the Road
    • At 19, Rickey Gates dropped out of college and headed on a road trip to South America. It was a trip that would kick-start a life of adventure and travel.
  • Personal Best
    • The intertwined lives and loves of three highly-ranked athletes striving for the national team; Chris bounces between the beds of male coach Terry and her female friend, competitor, and role model Tory.
  • Prefontaine
    • Based on the life of Olympic hopeful Steve Prefontaine, a long distance runner who lived in Oregon and died young.
  • Run, Fatboy, Run
    • Five years after jilting his pregnant fiancĂ©e on their wedding day, out-of-shape Dennis decides to run a marathon to win her back.
  • Run for Your Life
    • Without one eccentric first-generation Jewish immigrant from Transylvania, the New York City Marathon simply wouldn't exist. Ehrlich's fun, loving, and inspirational tribute to the late Fred Lebow shows how one man's imagination, determination, and love for running created one of the world's most popular sporting events.
  • Running
    • American marathon runner Michael Andropolis sets his heart on representing his country at the Olympic games. Meanwhile his marriage has fallen apart and his children have no respect for him. He sets out on his task with determination and hope that his success will resolve his personal problems.
  • Running America
    • Follows ultrarunning veterans Marshall Ulrich and Charlie Engle as they attempt to set a new speed record for crossing the country on foot in 2008.
  • Running Brave
    • The story of Billy Mills, the American Indian that came from obscurity, to win the 10,000 meter long distance foot race in the Tokyo Olympics.
  • Running of the Sun: The Badwater 135 (2000)
    • Forty runners compete in the most grueling race on earth, the Badwater. The film documents the trials and tribulations of these athletes as they run 135 miles through Death Valley in July and explores the motivations behind this seemingly masochistic contest. A celebration of the perseverance of the human will beyond the limits of the human body.
  • Running the Edge
    • Family man and ultrarunner, Scott Jaime, is preparing for the most difficult challenge of his life - to run the entire 486-mile Colorado Trail to set a new FKT (fastest known time). Scott must run at an average elevation of 10,300ft while averaging 60 miles and 22,000ft of elevation change per day for 8+ days on very little sleep through the toughest mountain range in the United States. There are low points - an upset stomach, a wrong turn, a lightning storm - but Scott never falters, never complains and instead buckles down and presses on. A loving family, a stressful job and the will to test his limits balances Scott and leads to true success on the most demanding of challenges.
    • Running the Sahara
      • Three men attempt to become the first humans to run coast to coast across the Sahara Desert.
    • Running with Demons
      • Faced with insurmountable odds, Todd Crandell takes us on a journey from alcohol and drug addiction to running endurance races such as the Ironman and Ultraman Hawaii and Canada all to prove worthiness to himself, but also to fight for those still struggling with addiction.
    • Saint Ralph
      • Saint Ralph is the unlikely story of Ralph Walker, a ninth grader who outran everyone's expectations except his own in his bold quest of trying to win the 1954 Boston Marathon.
    • Spirit of the Marathon
      • The first ever feature-length film to capture the essence, drama and unique spectacle of the famed 26.2-mile race, the production features five runners - three amateurs and two elites - as they train for and ultimately run the Chicago Marathon.
    • Transcend
      • Long-distance running allowed Wesley Korir to escape the grinding poverty of Kenya. But after winning multiple American marathons, including taking running's most cherished prize - the Boston Marathon, he risks it all and returns home to help his fellow Kenyans create better lives for themselves. In what promises to be the most challenging race of his career, Wesley takes on a well-financed, big-party candidate to run for a seat in Kenyan parliament. attempting to balance the frenzy of campaigning with the demands of marathon training.
    • Ultramarathon Man: 50 Marathons, 50 States, 50 Days
      • Dean Karnazes also known as the UltraMarathon Man has inspired thousands of runners. This is the epilogue to Karnazes' 50 day expedition. Dean Karnazes completed 50 Marathons in 50 States in 50 Consecutive Days. "Sure its about running, but mostly it's about life."
    • Unbreakable: The Western States 100
      • In 2010, four of the greatest undefeated mountain runners on earth toed the starting line at the Western States 100-mile endurance run, the oldest and most prestigious 100-mile foot race in the world. While their lives may be quite different, the goal is the same: win the Western States 100-mile run. A win will require breaking the course record and running the fastest time in the history of the race. An epic showdown ensues, from Squaw Valley, CA in Lake Tahoe, up though the high snow covered Sierra Nevada Mountains, down through the extreme heat of the American River Canyons and finishing in Auburn, CA. Though all four are undefeated, three must break and only one can remain unbreakable.
    • Western Time | a Western States 100 Film
      • On June 28, 2014 Nike Trail athlete Sally McRae ran the original and most prestigious 100 mile race, the Western States 100 for the very first time. This short film documents her story and her journey leading up to this event including qualifying at the Montrail Ultra Cup race, the inaugural Sean O'Brien 50 mile earlier in the year. 
    • Why We Run
      • Bernd Heinrich is a retired Professor living in a log cabin in the woods of Western Maine. He has held numerous running records throughout his life and has committed much of his time to the study of the natural world. In Episode 01 we look back at this man's incredible life, his achievements, the lessons he has learned, and what we can possibly learn from him.
    • Without Limits
      • The film follows the life of famous 1970s runner Steve Prefontaine from his youth days in Oregon to the University of Oregon where he worked with the legendary coach Bill Bowerman, later to Olympics in Munich and his early death at 24 in a car crash.