Runners can be movie buffs too, especially when you’re watching a film that features your favorite activity as a central theme. On rest days or while you’re nursing an injury, kick back and watch some of these titles that feature athletes and running events.
1995’s Higher Learning takes place on the fictional campus of Columbus University and follows the love story between track athletes Deja (Tyra Banks) and Malik (Omar Epps). The couple trains for the upcoming season and pushes each other to be their best; this is especially important for Malik who is only able to attend college because of his track scholarship. At some points, Deja has to bring Malik back down to earth as his speed propels his ego out of this world. The Internet Movie Database did find one goof in the movie: Track and Field is a spring college sport, but the movie takes place during the fall semester. Real track fans will appreciate that one.
Love can be a strong motivation to run, especially when you’re trying to repair a broken relationship. Run, Fatboy, Run tells the story of a slow, down-on-his-luck, not very motivated guy named Dennis (Simon Pegg) and his plan to win back his fiancée Libby (Thandie Newton) after running away on the day of their wedding. In order to do that, he decides to run a marathon to prove to her that he can make a commitment. After some questionable training from his landlord and best friend that involves boxing, a spatula, short shorts, and an egg smoothie, Dennis enters the race and finishes... hours after the route has closed. Run, Fatboy, Run is also the directorial debut of everyone’s favorite "friend" David Schwimmer.
Speaking of races, two films about the same legendary athlete were released within a year of each other. The first was 1997’s Prefontaine and the second was 1998’s Without Limits, two films about the beloved track star Steve Prefontaine who died in 1975 in a car accident at the age of 24. Prefontaine stars Jared Leto as the track star in a biopic that focuses on his emerging love for the sport through the eyes of his assistant coach and girlfriend. Without Limits is told from the point of view of Prefontaine’s head coach and eventual Nike founder Bill Bowerman. Both films portray Prefontaine as a determined young athlete with one goal in mind, becoming an Olympic gold medalist.
Being the best of the best is a great motivation, but sometimes it’s a lot simpler than that. Sometimes, you just feel like running, at least that’s what got Forrest Gump off of his bench. This much-loved film takes us through some of American history’s most significant events through the eyes of Forrest himself, a man with a slightly lower IQ than the average man. When he gets an idea in his head, he goes for it, so when Forrest “just felt like running,” he did just that, and he ran for a total of 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours.
Do these films inspire you to move?
Films that Move Us
