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Lead Stories: Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Marathon Comes to Big Screen, But For Only One Night

Posted January 7th, 2008 at 10:07 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Motivation, Movies

In an unusual arrangement, a full-length feature documentary film on marathon running will be shown in USA theaters, but only for one night: Thursday, January 24.

The film, “Spirit of the Marathon,” presents the stories of six runners who competed in the 2005 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, from from first timers to elite runners like Deena Kastor and Daniel Njenga. The film explores how recreational runners use the marathon as a device to confront other issues in their lives –like divorce– and how elite runners are in it for equal amounts of glory and cash.

“The normal person, they want to make their body slim,” Njenga says over shots of him warming up before the race. “But for us, we want to make money. This is like a job and I love my job.”

Filmed on four continents, the two-hour movie chronicles the training of these athletes, interspersed with interviews from well-known marathon runners and experts, like Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Amby Burfoot, Dick Beardsley, Joe Henderson, Roger Robinson, and Kathrine Switzer. Shot in hi-def video, the footage of the Chicago Marathon is both varied and majestic; the producers had a crew of 62 on the scene and used 15 camera operators. There is also a rousing score.
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“Spirit of the Marathon” to Debut at Chicago Festival

Posted September 4th, 2007 at 5:58 PM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Motivation, Movies

The full-length documentary film “Spirit of the Marathon” has been accepted to the Chicago International Film Festival and will have its world debut with back to back screenings on October 5, 2007.

Four years in the making, Spirit of the Marathon is the collaborative effort of three-time Academy Award winner Mark Jonathan Harris, Telly Award winner and marathon runner Jon Dunham and producer/marathoner Gwendolen Twist.

Billed as 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 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.

For more information, please visit: MarathonMovie.com
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