Spirit of the Marathon

so motivational! love this documentary!

I should have read the fine print. The trailer makes it out that you're going to hear the thrilling stories of some of the great marathoners, Frank Shorter in 72, Paula Radcliffe's WR, Alberto Salazar, Bikila who's shown in the trailer, etc. But instead - apart from a brief bit on Kenyan runners and a nice story about women getting into the sport - we're left with profiles of everyday folks who run a marathon. That's nice. I'm sure they're wonderful people, and maybe it'll make a few folks get off the couch. But watching a young woman run a 6 hour 15 minute marathon didn't really stir very much emotion. (Nice to see Deana Kastor though!) If you've never run a marathon, maybe this will get you moving. Fantastic! But if you've run a few, and are trying to break 4 hours, or 3:30, etc … you probably won't be too riveted, listening to a guy in his 60's explain how he has to put a chip on his shoe, because the chip tracks his time, etc. There's a lot of very basic Marathon 101. ("Today we're going to run a 10 mile training run" etc) Nice movie, but the trailer is hugely misleading. If you want to be inspired to run, read the book 'Born to Run' - that will really get you moving!

I find myself watching this film over and over. It inspires me when I need that extra push to get out and run!

This documentary follows runners of all shapes and sizes - a couple of runners who are running their first marathons, a couple of runners who have run many marathons but are normal folks, and a couple of world class runners. Inerspersed throughout their stories are bits of wisdom and anecdotes about both running in general and the marathon specifically. If you're a runner you will love this documentary. If you're thinking about becoming a runner, you'll find some great insights here.

very inspiring

This films tries too hard to dramatize the marathon event. I found Dunham's portrayal too corny for my liking.

If you have ever run, or considered running a marathon you must see this movie.

Coming from someone who has never run a marathon, this documentary illustrated so brilliantly the strength and determination of these runners. Absolutely inspiring. I've watched this several times, I just fell in love with the five people followed to marathon. You feel like you really know them, celebrate with them, suffer with them, cry with them.

This is an amazing documentary that drives home the point "if you can dream it, you can achieve it!" A transcendental tag along...I highly recommend this film.

My hat goes off to those who decided to take a chance and film a documentary about running. The irony is that this isn't a film just for runners. The unique insight into the lives of those who choose to run the 26.2 will inspire anyone and everyone - highly recommend renting/buying this movie!