For those who missed it in January, there will be an encore screening of “Spirit of the Marathon” in theatres throughout the United States tonight. Visit http://www.fathomevents.com to find a theatre near you.
The movie will be released on DVD this summer, according to the producers.
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In Episode 121 of TheFinalSprint.com Podcast I had the pleasure of being joined by Jon Dunham; Director/Producer of the running documentary “Spirit of the Marathon”.
The feature-length film, which will be shown at select theatres around the country tomorrow evening, January 24 at 7:30pm, is the first ever non-fiction feature film to capture the drama and essence of the famed 26.2 mile running event. Filmed on four continents, the movie brings together a diverse cast of amateur athletes and marathon luminaries. The past and present running legends showcased in the film include: Paula Radcliffe, Bill Rodgers, Grete Waitz, Frank Shorter, Deena Kastor and Kathrine Switzer.
Download the podcast to hear Jon discuss the concept and purpose behind the film, his personal love and admiration for running and specially the marathon, what it was like to work with some of the sport’s greatest heroes, the potential for a related, spin-off documentary about the history of the marathon, and much more!
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Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Jon Dunham
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt, Darnell Perkins
File Size: 13.2 MB | Length: 19:18 MIN
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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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“Carpe Diem! Seize the day, lads!
Make your lives extraordinary!”- Dead Poets Society
The running documentary “Spirit of the Marathon” sold out its three debut showings at this month’s Chicago International Film Festival.
The Chicago Tribune called the film by Jon Dunham and Mark Jonathan Harris “a moving, clever, heartfelt examination of the marathon both as elite athletic competition and as “the Everyman’s Everest.”
For more information on “Spirit of the Marathon”, please visit: www.MarathonMovie.com
The long-awaited distance running documentary, “Showdown,” will be released soon on DVD, according to Peter Han who wrote and directed the hi-res video with Andrew Ernst.
The documentary focuses on the clash which was building between Abdi Abdirahman, Alan Culpepper, Meb Keflezighi, Dathan Ritzenhein, and Jorge Torres at the 2007 U.S. Cross Country Championships (Keflezighi ultimately did not take part). Much of the video was shot in Boulder, and includes interviews with many athletes, coaches and journalists shot in a punchy style, according to the clips your editor has watched.
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Episode 52 of The Final Sprint Podcast features my interview with Charlie Engle; one of America’s top ultra- endurance athletes and Running the Sahara’s Expedition Team Leader. Charlie, along with Canada’s Ray Zahab and Taiwan’s Kevin Lin, successfully became the first humans to run across the
Sahara Desert this past winter. The statistics of their historic and life-changing adventure are almost incomprehensible. In average temperatures of 112 degrees Fahrenheit, 
these three men ran for 111 days, accumulated a total of 4,300 miles, crossed 6 countries and drank enough Gatorade Endurance Formula (3,300 liters) to fill an entire swimming pool!
This fall the documentary “Running the Sahara”, directed by James Moll and narrated by Matt Damon (both of whom are Academy Award winners) will chronicle Charlie, Ray and Kevin’s incredible feat.
In this in-depth interview Charlie talks about how the idea evolved, the drive to realize such a unthinkable goal, staying hydrated and nutritionally fueled, the critical assistance of partners like Gatorade and Magellan GPS, and the multitude of dangers and obstacles (such as scorpions, wind storms and a lack of water) that they encountered (and overcame) along the way.
Download the podcast to hear Charlie discuss these topics, as well as, how they were received by the local communities, H2O Africa (the charitable organization they created to raise awareness of and help solve the water crisis in Africa), the documentary, his plans for this year’s Badwater Ultramarathon, and much more!
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Host: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Charlie Engle
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 25.7 MB
Length: 37:32
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Oscar Pistorius, the elite South African amputee runner, is now a step closer to becoming the first amputee and/or physically handicapped-runner to qualify for the able-bodied Olympics.
Last Friday, Oscar set a new P.R. and broke his own 400m Paralympic world record (47:34) with a time of 46 seconds flat at the Yellow Pages Track and Field series meet. If Oscar is able to run the 400m about a second faster, he should be able to qualify for South Africa’s Olympic team.
Two days later, The Times reported that Tom Hanks, who won an Oscar for his leading role in Forrest Gump, will bid on the rights to Oscar’s incredible life story with the intention of producing a film via his Playtone label.
Forrest Gump (1994), a modern classic that earned six Oscars, demonstrated the obstacles faced by amputees through Gary Sinise’s portrayal of Lt. Dan Taylor and a love for running via Forrest Gump (Hanks).
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In today’s podcast, I am joined by Billy Mills - a true hero of running and a compassionate warrior.
At the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Billy set an Olympic record and won a gold medal in the 10,000m; becoming the first and still the last American to win a gold in the event.
After his successful running career, Billy has channeled his love for running into a passion for fighting against poverty and discrimination as the national spokesperson of Running Strong for Native American Youth. He is also the subject of the 1983 movie “Running Brave”.
Download the podcast to hear Billy to discuss what has been called the “biggest upset in Olympic history”, running in borrowed shoes, how he has felt and been treated as a Native American athlete, teaching younger generations the importance of “Global Unity Through Global Diversity”, the possibility of him entering the 2007 Marine Core Marathon and much more!
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[MP3] Direct Download (Right click, select “save as”).
[RSS] Add The Final Sprint Podcast RSS feed to your RSS reader to have the show delivered to youHost: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Billy Mills
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 24.0MB
Length: 00:35:04
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