For runners, movies are a source of inspiration and motivation. They provide a visual representation of what is possible, and can help to inspire ambition and drive.
Running movies can entertain as well as educate, and there are many great choices available for anyone looking for a fun and exciting running experience.
1. Race
Jesse Owens’ quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history takes him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he confronts Adolf Hitler’s vision of Aryan supremacy.
2. Chariots of Fire
Two British athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, compete in the 1924 Olympics.
3. I am Bolt
The legacy of the fastest man in history, Usain Bolt.
4. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
A young man in a reform school impresses the director with his ability to run, and the director encourages him to compete in the next race.
5. Running Brave
The story of Billy Mills, the American Indian who came from obscurity to win the 10,000-meter long-distance foot-race in the Tokyo Olympics in 1964.
6. The Athlete
Running the streets of Rome in 1960, an unknown, barefooted Ethiopian man stunned the world by winning Olympic gold in the marathon. Overnight, Abebe Bikila became a sports legend. A hero in his own country and to the continent, Bikila was the first African to win a gold medal, and four years later in Tokyo would become the first person in history to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in the marathon. This soldier and quiet son of a shepherd would be acknowledged by many as the greatest long distance runner the world had ever known. One evening while returning to his home in Addis Ababa from training in the Ethiopian countryside, Bikila was involved in a tragic car accident which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Unable to walk and faced with the greatest challenge of his life, he struggled to maintain his will to live and in the process discovered a deeper meaning of competition, taking up archery for the Paralympics and competing as a handicapped dog sledder in Norway. Though his running career had come to a tragic end, the race of his life had a new beginning. For the first time, the true story of Bikila’s epic quest for life and sport comes to the big screen. Not since Raging Bull has the life of an athlete been rendered with such emotional power and cinematic grace.
7. Without limits
The life of renowned runner Steve Prefontaine and his relationship with legendary coach Bill Bowerman.
8. 1 Mile to You
After a teenager’s friends die in an accident, he finds running allows him to remember them perfectly. Running, however, also brings him notoriety. He is caught between keeping the past alive and making new memories in the present.
