Spirit of the Marathon

This movie is inspiring and well done with several interesting story lines.
We watched it as a family. My daughter, who has vowed never to run, enjoyed the movie.

Beware that the movie previews that come on before the main movie are extremely "risque". If you want to watch it with your kids skip to the main event before your kids are in the room.

I saw this movie at the Chicago Film Festival in 2007, the day before I ran my first marathon in the blistering hot 2007 Chicago Marathon. This was a great movie and one that I will own and return to again and again for inspiration.

My husband (who ran the 05 Chicago marathon) and I (a wanna-be runner) saw this at the 06 Chicago marathon/Chicago Film Festival. The audience was largely full of those running the marathon the next day. The atmosphere was electric as the movie began and throughout it did not disappoint. The story follows 2 elite runners, someone trying to qualify for Boston, 2 women running their first marathon and a master's runner trying to complete his fourth. Each person has such a compelling story from Deena Kastor who is attempting to win at Chicago to Leah, a woman who is trying to pick up the pieces from a divorce and gain back some physical fitness in the process.

The sweeping shots of stunning Chicago and chill inducing music make this an especially entertaining and inspiring movie. Whether you're a long time marathoner or a couch potato, you will find yourself identifying with at least one of the featured runners. You may even find that you're lacing up those running shoes and heading out yourself after watching!!

I am an "everyday" runner who ran the Chicago 05 marathon...I cried when I saw this in the theatre (both times)! It brought back so many memoris for me - I ran with two friends and it was so special for me....I kept looking for us, and for my husband and our son who were cheering us from the sidelines..so much effort goes into training for a marathon and it was amazing to see the different levels of athletic ability portrayed in the movie. I saw Deena Kastor before she went to sign course maps and posters at the marathon expo-not realizing who she is - now she is my running hero! This really is a must see movie for anyone training for a marathon!
SW

I saw this movie at the theatre. It was remarkably inspiring. I wanted to go out that night and run a marathon. The director does a beautiful job of weaving the stories of several runners who are training for the Chicago Marathon. He takes both elite runners and everyday middle of the pack runners. Many, many inspiring stories! I plan to own it and show it to my cross country kids. THIS IS A MUST SEE FOR ALL RUNNERS!!!