Film Major: "We Grew Wings"

Just about every American Track fan could tell you about Steve Prefontaine, Alberto Salazar, Bill Bowerman and the Men of Oregon. But how many could tell you about the Women of Oregon? "We Grew Wings" does that and is required viewing for any true fan of the sport.

Ellen Schmidt-Devlin produced the film and introduced it to the media at the Track and Field Writers Association breakfast during the Olympic Trials. It debuted that week at historic McDonald Theatre in Eugene and was released on DVD this week.

Schmidt-Devlin's film introduces many to the stars of the 1985 National Champion team and the early stars of the Oregon Women's program; including Grace Bakari, Claudette Groenendaal and Leann Warren. The film also underscores the 40th anniversary of Title IX and its positive effect on Women's Track and Field.

Prior to the film, I was unaware of Leann Warren's excellent career at Oregon and her surprise qualifying for the 1980 Olympic Team in the 1500. Like Christian Smith in 2008, she was one of the last in, and would qualify in the third spot behind the heavy favorite, Mary Decker (Slaney). Slaney would be featured in much of the film as well, as she told of when she was a 14 year old prodigy, Prefontaine himself took her under his wing and told her "if you want to be good, come to Oregon." She didn't attend the U of O, but now resides in Eugene.

English Gardner competes in the 100 meters at the
 2012 Olympic Trials alongside Jeneba Tarmoh
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

The film also features the evolution of the Women's program at Oregon, specifically on the 2011 team and focuses on Jordan Hasay, Jamesha Youngblood and English Gardner. I had the pleasure of meeting Gardner's father on my flight from Charlotte to Portland this year before the trials and it was exciting to see her evolution as an athlete on film. Her and Youngblood are part of the "new Oregon" movement that includes more than just distance runners and are led by the sought after coach (and former Appalachian State star) Robert Johnson.

The film is very well done and is directed by the filmmakers of "Fire on the Track" and "There Is No Finish Line." As mentioned earlier, "We Grew Wings" is now for sale at Amazon.com and you can check out the film's website: WeGrewWings.com and follow the film on Twitter @WeGrewWings

Check out the trailer below:


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Film Major: "The Real Maine" debuts tonight for free online

Erik van Ingen's new film, "The Real Maine" debuts tonight (Monday, May 21, 2012) at 6pm Eastern at TheRealMaineMovie.com I was lucky enough to see the film in advance and I can guarantee that if you're a fan of distance running, you'll love the concept, the personalities and the delivery. You'll walk away from your computer wanting more. Hopefully van Ingen will release some more outtakes, as it's fun getting to know the guys.

It's been an exciting year for the cast of characters. Chris Derrick hit the Olympic A Standard in the 5000 and 10,000. Erik van Ingen, Kyle Merber and Riley Masters hit the Olympic Trials A Standard in the 1500. Mark Feigen also PR'd in the 1500 this week, and will be running in the NCAA East Regional this weekend (with Merber and van Ingen. Derrick and Masters will be running in the NCAA West Regional).

Get to know them better tonight and check the links below for a little more background on the film.

Check out 5 Questions with Erik van Ingen (from last week) here

Check out the excellent 10 Questions with that Flotrack did to give you an overview of the characters.

"The Real Maine" is on Twitter @RealMaineMovie

"The Real Maine" on Facebook as well

Finally, "The Real Maine" is on Vimeo with some extra footage

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Thanks to our sponsor, Adharanand Finn's new book "Running with the Kenyans" for sponsoring the blog this week. Read my review of it here. If you're interested in sponsoring writing about running (and other great sites like TrackFocus, Track Superfan, Paul Merca and the House of Run podcast) in the future, check out The Relay Network. You can also support the site by buying something on Amazon.com through this link

Film Major: Jenny Simpson "More Than Gold"

Check out the 15 minute mini-documentary below that New Balance Running has put together on their star, Jenny Simpson, and her rise from small town girl to World Champion. Follow her on Twitter while you're at it @trackjenny



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Thanks to our sponsor, Adharanand Finn's new book "Running with the Kenyans" for sponsoring the blog this week. Read my review of it here. If you're interested in sponsoring writing about running (and other great sites like TrackFocus, Track Superfan, Paul Merca and the House of Run podcast) in the future, check out The Relay Network. You can also support the site by buying something on Amazon.com through this link

Film Major: "There is No Finish Line: The Joan Benoit-Samuelson Story"

Joan Benoit-Samuelson is one of those people that truly amazes me. And after watching "There is No Finish Line: The Joan Benoit-Samuelson Story," it appears I'm not the only one. From Alberto Salazar to Bill Rodgers to Nike Co-Founder and Chairman, Phil Knight, everyone is equally in awe of how Samuelson has continued to run incredibly over a span of five decades.

"There is No Finish Line" was produced by the late Geoff Hollister and directed by Erich Little, both of whom served the same respective roles on the extremely popular, "Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story." The delivery is very similar to "Fire" and the only disappointment is the fact that the film is only 48 minutes long. At the end, you will want to hear more.

The film shows Samuelson's burst onto the international scene at the Boston Marathon in 1979, running 2:35:15, and then winning the first ever Women's Marathon at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, with admiring accounts from many people who are idols in their own right in the running world. Then the film talks about on thing I was aware of (her continued dominance into her 50's), and one thing I wasn't (her passion for environmentalism).

1984 Olympic Gold Medalist in the
 inaugural Women's Marathon

As noted in one of my earlier race reports, I tangled with Samuelson at Falmouth in the Summer of 2010. At the time, I was 31 and pretty fit (for me) and she was 53! I had no problem besting Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers that day, but Samuelson personified the title of the film in the way she ran this race. I heard the roar of the crowd when she rolled up on me about a mile and a half into the race. I immediately tucked in and dueled with her up and down the hills, for the next mile and a half, before she left me in the dust on the flats. I distinctly remember another competitor running along side her and stepping in front of her stride. She barked at him something along the lines of "watch the *** out." Maybe she cursed, maybe not. But I distinctly remember the guy moving over three feet and me being totally intimidated. She later went on to run 2:47:50 at the Chicago Marathon that Fall on a day where it was very hot and very uncomfortable. Once again, totally impressed.

The side I wasn't aware of about Samuelson was her dedication to the environment. Like running, she has a passion for her native Maine, where she has started the very popular and continuously growing Beach to Beacon 10k. One of her favorite causes is Friends of Casco Bay, which aims to improve and protect the environmental health of Casco Bay. She's involved in much more in her everyday life and you can check out more of the causes that she champions on the links section of her website.

If you didn't know much about Samuelson, this is a great place to start. And if you did, you'll still learn something new. To get more back story, you'll also want to check out her 1987 book, "Running Tide," or her 1995 book, "Joan Samuelson's Running for Women," which you can pick up very cheap on Amazon.com.

Get more information and buy the DVD at Amazon.com or download digitally at iTunes here. Follow Joan Benoit-Samuelson on Twitter here.

Check out the trailer below:


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Thanks to our sponsor (the above film) "There is No Finish Line: The Joan Benoit-Samuelson Story," for sponsoring the blog this week. If you're interested in sponsoring writing about running (and other great sites like TrackFocus, Track Superfan, Paul Merca and the House of Run podcast) in the future, check out The Relay Network. You can also support the site by buying something on Amazon.com through this link

Film Major: "Town of Runners"

Jerry Rothwell's "Town of Runners" gives us a timely look at how the Ethiopian running system works from the elementary level on up. It's nice to see this, in a moment where the international road racing scene has been called into question. In America, we see new faces pop up from Ethiopia and Kenya every year and this documentary shows us how they are brought up through the ranks, from their hometown to the club system and then on from there... if they are good enough.

The film starts in the small town of Bekoji, where you see a big crowd watching the Women's 5000 meter final from the 2008 Beijing Olympics on a flat screen television. The crowd roars as it becomes obvious that one of the stars of their town, Tirunesh Dibaba, will take the Gold Medal. Other stars from Bekoji include Derartu Tulu, Kenenisa Bekele and his brother Tariku. They were all developed by longtime local coach, Sentayehu Eshetu.

Coach Sentayehu Eschetu

The story then begins to focus on two middle school aged girls, Hawii Megersa and Alemi Tsegaye, who are training with Coach Eshetu, with hopes of showing enough promise to get picked up by a club. If they show enough talent at the Regional Youth Championships in Asella, they are rewarded with a two year contract with one of the clubs, which are located through out Ethiopia. Both the girls run well, with Hawii placing a little higher, but ultimately, Alemi gets into a better situation, as although the government supports the clubs, Ethiopia is still a developing country and some limitations can't be avoided.

Coach Eshetu doesn't have to do much convincing of the girls parents, as moving on from the 12,000 person Bekoji is something they are proud of. "Winning is not without reward. They get money" is part of his sales pitch. "Only education and running" are important, according to Hawii's mother. Unfortunately, Hawii is thrown into a bad situation in Woliso, with poor living conditions, lack of money for dinner for the entire club and a town that doesn't support the runners. She retreats home before falling into another tough situation in Asella. Alemi is a better situation in Holeta, which ultimately brings out the best in her at the Oromia Club Championships.

"Most atheletes in clubs in Addis Ababa are from Bekoji" says Coach Eshetu, whose advice for some young runners during a tough hill workout is "vomit and keep going!" His runners love him and his care is genuine and proven. He's aware that very few will truly make it, but that doesn't stop him from helping all of them.

Director Jerry Rothwell

It's noted that Bekoji had "roads of mud that not many people visit," but by the end of the film, it shows that the roads have been paved and "big trucks will now come through Bekoji." Will that lead to more injuries and more opportunities outside of running? Maybe.

The cinematography in "Town of Runners" is absolutely beautiful and there's a scene of Ethiopians doing the High Jump that you must see to believe. Most of the film is subtitled, as the official language of Ethiopia is Amharic, but that doesn't take away from the very entertaining subjects. It's a film that any running fan will be very happy to see.

Follow "Town of Runners" on Twitter here. "Town of Runners" opens Friday at the Tribeca Film Festival. For all upcoming screenings, go here.

Update: Watch in the US is online for free at the Tribeca Online Festival. You can watch the film online anytime between April 19th at 6:45 and 11:59 on April 29th and it is free to watch. But you do need to reserve a virtual seat (and there are only 1000).

Check out the trailer below:


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Thanks to our sponsor, 14 Minutes, the Alberto Salazar autobiography, for sponsoring the blog this week. I'll be reviewing it very soon! If you're interested in sponsoring writing about running (and other great sites like TrackFocus, Track Superfan, Paul Merca and the House of Run podcast) in the future, check out The Relay Network.

Film Major: "Marathon Boy"

Fame and fortune have led to many tragic downfalls. None are quite as evident as the reality inflicted in Gemma Atwal's extremely captivating documentary, "Marathon Boy." The old aphorism, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions," couldn't ring more true in the handling of "child prodigy," Budhia Singh. Although, as the film wears on; sometimes good intentions are better than the alternative; bad intentions.

The idea of anyone under the age of 18 running a marathon is pretty farfetched here in the United States. For the most part, I would imagine this would ring true internationally. So the thought that Budhia Singh had run 48 marathons by the age of four seems pretty sick. Who would put him up to this?

Coach Biranchi Das

The answer to that question was his adoptive father, and coach, Biranchi Das. Das ran an ophanage by the name of Judo Hall and coached the best judo competitors in India. Das took Budhia on when Singh's birth mother could no longer care for the child. Das allowed her to visit Budhia whenever she wished. Das also took in many orphans over the years and claimed to never take any government assistance to help pay for their needs.

As Budhia began to gain more fame and notoriety, his mother began to get the idea that Das was gaining large sums of money from other countries for Budhia's performances. Ultimately, she kidnapped Budhia from Judo Hall and threatened violence against Das if he were to try and get him back.

This is where the idea of who the villain is begins to change. To the average person, watching Budhia complete the 42 mile run from Puri to Bhubaneswar was more than exhausting. It comes off as borderline child abuse when Das encourages him to run another 1.8 miles to the stadium. When Budhia pukes up all the water and looks unresponsive, you feel like maybe he does need to be taken from Das.

Budhia was a true child star

Then you see the alternative as he lives in the slums with his mom and her brainwashing boyfriends. They convince Budhia to tell authorities that Das abused him. Das was jailed. Ultimately, those claims were proven false and Das was acquitted of all wrongdoing. Not long after his release, Das was murdered (at Judo Hall). Many think that it stemmed Das's rise to power and potentially was linked to the government. His killers have been jailed for life, but conspiracy theories live on.

As for Singh, he has continued running and has been given a scholarship to continue attending private schooling. He's still only nine years old, so it will be some time before the rest of the world sees if he truly has the talent to become an Olympic marathoner.

"Marathon Boy" was funded by HBO and BBC Storyville and is on HBO and HBO On Demand right now. I highly encourage checking it out. There's a trust fund to save Judo Hall in Das's absence as well. Pick up "Marathon Boy" on Amazon.com here.

Check out the Marathon Boy website here and their Twitter account here. There was an excellent follow-up article on Budhia a few weeks ago on CNN.com as well.

Here's the trailer:


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Film Major: "The Robber"

There's a new "running" film available on DVD/Blu-ray. It's "The Robber" (aka Der Räuber), which is the Benjamin Heisenberg-directed film based on the true story of Austrian bank robber/marathoner, Johann Kastenberger. The screenplay was adapted from Martin Prinz's 2006 book, "On the Run." The film made the film festival rounds in the spring, but the DVD/Blu-ray release will be most's first exposure to the film. It's also available on Netflix Instant. The film is in German, but is sub-titled in English and is very easy to follow, as the dialogue is very deliberate.

German headlines of Kastenberger's demise

So who was Johann Kastenberger? According to the film, and to Wikipedia, Kastenberger was a convicted bank robber, who was first arrested in 1977 for robbing an Austrian bank. He served a 7-year prison term and trained extensively while in person. Upon release, he made an instant splash in the marathon, setting an Austrian national record (the film shows 2:20, but I can't corroborate that anywhere online and haven't read Prinz's book yet). The film does show him winning the ultra difficult Kainach Mountain Marathon in a still standing record of 3:16. Not long after being released from prison the first time around, Kastenberger reverts to his bank-robbing ways and becomes known as "Shotgun Ronnie," due to his penchant for wearing a Ronald Reagan mask during his robberies. This is something that is left out of the film.

Andreas Lust does a very passable job in portraying a competitive runner. He's fit, has good form and most importantly, looks the part. There are some excellent action scenes in "The Robber," particularly one after a robbery nearly goes awry and he runs through multiple buildings being followed by a single camera, and ends up hopping on a trail to evade the police. It's a very entertaining film and is well worth 90 minutes of your time.

Pick up "The Robber" at Amazon.com (on DVD / on Blu-Ray) or watch instantly via Netflix.

Check out the trailer below:

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Film Major: "Hood to Coast"

The Hood to Coast Relay is something that I had heard about for years in passing, but being from the east coast, the only relay near us worth competing in was the Blue Ridge Relay. The release of the Hood to Coast Movie has changed that and has truly propelled the relay to a worldwide destination event.

If you are unaware of the Hood to Coast Relay, in short, it is a 12-person, 197 mile relay that starts at Mt. Hood in Oregon, and ends in Seaside, OR (not the one where Jersey Shore is filmed). There are 36 legs, so each runner generally will run three legs each, with each leg spanning 3.5 to 7.8 miles. 1250 teams are allowed to compete and are started slowest to fastest (based on self reported 10k times). Each team is allowed two 12-person vans and must support themselves with food, etc.

In the fashion of "Spirit of the Marathon," Hood to Coast's storyline is based on four teams competing. Team Heart N' Sole is based around Kathy Ryan, a competitor who was pronounced dead at the previous year's event and is on a quest to complete a marathon in every state. Dead Jocks in a Box are a group of aging Masters runners who have been doing the event for 25+ years and are still quite competitive. Team R.Bowe is a group of family and friends running in honor of Ryan Bowe, a guy about my age who died far too young of a heart condition. The final team was Thunder and Laikaning, which is a group of artsy beer drinkers, who enjoy life and just wanted to do the event for the challenge. These are probably a pretty good sample of the types of teams you would see competing at Hood to Coast each year.

Runners have the most fun

All in all, it's fun to watch how the different groups navigate through the course and overcome their own personal demons (or lack there of). Personally, I would have liked to see the film focus a little more on the course, the race and it's history and the more competitive groups up front, but I realize that story wouldn't translate to the masses and the "marathon craze" that we've been experiencing over the past few years in America. The film does have some excellent shots of the breathtaking Pacific Northwest that will make any runner consider the event and does take about the wild expansion that started as eight teams who wondered if anyone would want to do it the following year. Runners of all ages and competitive divisions will find something to like about Hood to Coast, and if you're like me, you'll want to compete in the event after seeing the documentary.

For those of you interested in competing, the registration period for the 2012 Hood to Coast Relay opens October 12 (here's the entry form). And if you need another person to complete your team, email me!

Some extras that you will get with the DVD that you wouldn't see in the theatre are tons of deleted scenes, running tips, a "Making of Hood to Coast" piece and my favorite segment of any documentary DVD about groups of people; the "Where are they now?" featurette. Since this was filmed at Hood to Coast 2008, it's fun to see the changes in the lives of some of the members of the four teams that were followed three years ago.

Pick up a copy of the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD (or Blu-Ray) from the Hood to Coast Movie website or from Amazon.com (DVD / Blu-Ray).

Check out the "Hood to Coast" trailer here:



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Film Major: "Running America"

In one year from today, Greensboro, NC's Charlie Engle will be released from prison. Right before he was indicted, his film, "Running America," had just been released. Much of the promotion tour for "Running America" was cancelled, due to Engle's arrest, but Charlie isn't really the star of "Running America." That title goes to grand master (over 50) Marshall Ulrich.

Ulrich is a long time endurance runner from Colorado that faces obvious internal conflict as he attempts the 50+ cross country speed record. His story truly picks up in "Running America" when Charlie's ends. Charlie gets injured early into the film and can't continue the 3000+ mile jaunt across the country. Where Charlie's charisma is demanding of the audience's attention, Ulrich's struggle is equally, if not more, enthralling. Ulrich's wife succumbed to cancer at 28, and as his daughter Elaine states, he's been running from that ever since. Seeing Ulrich carry on day after day, averaging ~58 miles per day for 52 days is enough to make most of us feel pretty soft! Ulrich has also written a book about his nationwide trek, entitled "Running on Empty."

Engle and Ulrich take off on their journey

The scenery in "Running America" isn't quite that in "Running the Sahara." The film's B-story is the restlessness with the government and the economy surrounding the 2008 election. While many "locals" along the nationwide journey are interviewed about their disillusionment with the state of the nation, the running story still leads the way. Those interviewed seem most bothered towards the beginning of the journey/film and seem more hopeful by the time Ulrich is finishing up and Barack Obama is winning the 2008 election. It's filmmaking. It just seems a little odd as there are really two stories going on that don't really weave together.

That being said, "Running in America" is indeed entertaining, especially for those that have not seen "Running the Sahara," as there are many familiar scenes of blister popping and just watching grown men deal with the agonizing pain that comes with running an average of 2+ marathons per day! When Engle is on screen, he commands it. His passionate attitude and dealing with those with special needs is excellent. Hopefully he'll continue more of that when he's released a year from today. If you aren't already, follow Charlie's always entertaining twitter feed about life inside Beckley Prison and his introspective and also comedic blog, the aptly titled "Running in Place." Finally, check out Adam Higginbotham’s article, "Nowhere to Run," in the September 2011 issue of Men's Journal (click here for the article).

Pick up "Running America" on Amazon.com here.

Check out the "Running America" trailer here:



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Film Major: "Running the Sahara"

When I started running again in 2008, there was an article I distinctly remembered reading about a guy who had pretty similar high school running credentials to mine and then had gotten into some trouble while attending the University of North Carolina, ultimately getting back into running later in his 20’s with a great deal of success. This article was Jeff Pearlman's Runner’s World profile on Greensboro’s Charlie Engle. Now while my twenties weren’t nearly as wild as Charlie’s were, running was something that took a back seat to "socializing" and then came back into play around my 30th birthday. So when the opening scenes of the film showed Charlie running on Irwin Belk Track at Fetzer Field and in the Eddie Smith Field House, I was hooked.

All this being said, I found it shocking earlier this year when news surfaced that Charlie had been arrested for fraud as “IRS special agent Robert Nordlander began looking into Engle’s finances after reading a story about the ultramarathon across the desert and wondered how Engle could afford to pay for such an adventure.” This just goes to show, don’t try to cheat the IRS, “they read the newspaper.”

All this aside, “Running the Sahara” was an enjoyable documentary about Charlie, Ray Zahab, and Kevin Lin running over 4300 miles in 111 days across Africa, the equivalent of 170 marathons with no days off. Quite a feat to say the least! The cinematography was great as was the narration, which was done by Matt Damon, who also was an executive producer on the project. There were some expected testy moments as runners can get a little grumpy and running in sandstorms would likely make one extremely on edge. As you would expect, ultimately the three men and their crew soldiered through and they finished up at the Red Sea with a little daylight to spare (and with their friends and family looking on).

While admittedly I am a fan of the "bigger picture" Charlie Engle story and not just the movie, I can assure you “Running the Sahara” is worth a few hours of your time (and it is available on Netflix and on Showtime with regularity per the Track Superfan blog). Also, they started a charity, H2O Africa, that raises “awareness about the African water crisis, and facilitates cost-effective and impactful work that eradicates the problem in targeted regions of Africa.” They were able to secure a slot on the Jay Leno show to tell about their trek through Africa and to champion their noble cause.

And if you are interested in following Charlie’s case, he’ll be sentenced January 10th and has just written an excellent note over on his blog and tweets occasionally as well. Best of luck to him in a tough situation. It sounds like he is pretty remorseful of what happened and is doing his best to make the best out of a difficult situation.

Pick up "Running the Sahara" on Amazon.com here.

Pre-Sentencing Update: Quick update (1/9/11) from the Greensboro News & Record before sentencing tomorrow: Click here for the article

Sentencing Update: Charlie got 21 months today (1/10/11). Probably about as best as he could hope for. Here's the link to the story

Check out the trailer for "Running the Sahara" here:



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