“Running Film Festival” in Eugene Sure to Be An Unforgettable Experience
Posted May 25th, 2008 at 3:30 PM by Jesse Squire
Section: News & Results, Announcements, Marathons, Cross Country, Track & Field, Olympics, Trail / Ultra, High School
I’m going to this summer’s Olympic Trials—my first-ever Trials trip—and I’m getting pretty excited. Not just about the meet, but everything else as well. It seems like everyone in Tracktown USA is going all-out to make it an unforgettable experience.
The community at large is putting on a massive “Eugene ’08 Festival” complete with a temporary sports bar, music stage, kids’ activities, and excursions to sites like Pre’s Rock and the Nike campus. The whole effect is like the NCAA basketball tournament combined with the Newport Jazz Festival and the Ann Arbor Art Fairs, with the Tribeca Film Festival on top.
In fact, one entry from Tribeca will be shown in Eugene. Without a doubt, the biggest off-track happening during the Trials will be the upcoming Running Film Festival (RFF)– where a percentage of ticket sales will benefit the Ryan Shay Memorial Fund. Entries are still being accepted, but the schedule of feature-length films, documentaries and shorts currently includes the following:
Run For Your Life
This film premiered at Tribeca, so you know it must be good. The documentary covers Fred Lebow and the rise of the New York Road Runners Club. People in the film whose names you might recognize include Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, Grete Waitz, Ed Koch and (my personal favorite) Ted Corbitt.
Spirit of the Marathon
This film portrays six marathoners – two professionals and four midpackers – as they prepare for and run the Chicago Marathon. It’s the first feature-length nonfiction film to cover the marathon footrace.
Indulgence: 1000 Miles Under the Colorado Sky
Brought to you by the makers of Five Thousand Meters, this film covers Everest Award-nominee Anton Krupicka, a rising star in the ultramarathoning world.
Run Like Hell
This 2007 release covers the life, training and racing of Anthony Famiglietti, an odd man in the world of professional runners because he trains alone and in New York City.
Showdown: Five Elite Distance Runners, One Dream
Released last summer, this documentary examines Abdi Abdirahman, Alan Culpepper, Meb Keflezighi, Dathan Ritzenhein and Jorge Torres as they prepare for and race in the 2007 USATF Cross Country Championships in Boulder, CO.
The Long Green Line
The line the title refers to is York High School’s dominance of scholastic cross country. In 50 years of coaching, Joe Newton led his teams to 25 state championships. This documentary covers the 2005 season and the more than 200 boys that take part in the program—two of which end up on the wrong side of the law.
Will all this take you away from on-the-track action? Never—the film schedule is built around the meet schedule, allowing the true fan to soak it all in. All films will be shown on the University of Oregon campus, just a short jog from Hayward Field.
The cool thing about this film festival is that literally anyone can submit an entry of literally any length. As long as you have a digital camera, an internet connection, and filmmaking talent, you could be in it.
The RFF is being presented by Nissan and sponsored by TheFinalSprint.com and Running Times. Several running stars promise to be on-hand as well for Q&A’s and autographs – including Gabe Jennings and Jason Hartmann!
Check it out – tickets go on sale June 1st! - http://www.runningfilmfestival.com
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Tags: Abdi Abdirahman, Alan Culpepper, Alberto Salazar, Anthony Famiglietti, Anton Krupicka, Bill Rodgers, chicago marathon, coach newton, cross country, Dathan Ritzenhein, Ed Koch, Eugene, eugene 08, eugene 08 festival, film festival, five thousand meters, Frank Shorter, fre lebow, Gabe Jennings, Grete Waitz, hayward field, indulgence, Indulgence: 1000 Miles Under the Colorado Sky, Jason Hartmann, joe newton, Jorge Torres, marathon, Meb Keflezighi, new york road runners, nike campus, nissan, nyrr, One Dream, pre, pres rock, run for your life, running film festival, running times, ryan shay, ryan shay memorial fund, showdown, Showdown: Five Elite Distance Runners, spirit of the marathon, Steve Prefontaine, ted corbitt, the long green line, TheFinalSprint.com, tibeca, tibeca film festival, track and field, tracktown USA, tribeca film festival, u.s. olympic track & field trials, ultramarathoning, university of oregon, york high school
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The Final Sprint
[…] Jesse Squire created an interesting post today on âRunning Film Festivalâ in Eugene Sure to Be An Unforgettable …Here’s a short outline […]
May 21st, 2008 at 4:16 pm[…] megwood: […]
May 21st, 2008 at 5:04 pm[…] The Final Sprint posted an article on the upcoming Running Film Festival in Eugene Oregon. Yes, running film festival! No, not running while watching a film but actually watching a movie about running. Endurance junkies unite! […]
May 30th, 2008 at 7:36 am