The Best Running Movies

With the anticipated broadcast of "Four Minutes" -- an ESPN movie that chronicles Roger Banniester's attempt to become the first man to run the mile in under 4:00.0 -- it seems fitting to offer my opinion about other movies that have managed to capture something of the magic of running on the silver screen.

I admit, there aren't that many to choose from. Hollywood has never seemed particularly smitten with the dramatic possibilities inherent in running. One might almost conclude that runners are boring people, but we know that is not the case. I guess it will remain a mystery why we aren't good at the box office.

Anyway, here's one man's list of the Bronze, Silver and Gold running movies ever made:


Bronze: Running Brave


A somewhat dated film about American Billy Mills, a Native American Sioux, who pulled off one of the greatest Olympic upsets in history to win the gold medal in the 10000 meters at the Tokyo Olympics. I have watched the actual race on film dozens of times, and it is still shocking to see the virtually unknown Mills charge past the world's best and win. The movie isn't so much about running as about the burden of living between two worlds -- the world of the reservation, with its tight-knit community but little hope for anything better, and the world of the mostly white University of Kansas.


Silver: Without Limits

One of two movies made about the Life and early death of Steve Prefontaine, "America's Distance Running Prodigy." Prefontaine had rock star appeal, a fierce individual spirit, and a ferocious front-running mentality that brought him both glory and heartache in his only Olympic appearance. The movie itself is not a work of art, but is redeemed by the performances of Billy Crudup as Pre, and Donald Sutherland as the enigmatic Oregon Coach, Bill Bowerman. In some ways, Bowerman was every bit as interesting a character as Prefontaine, and Sutherland very nearly steals the film.


Gold: Chariots of Fire

The gold medalist among running movies, Chariots of Fire is a mostly true account of a handful of British runners leading up to the 1924 Olympic Games. At the center of the film is Harold Abrahams, a brilliant and ambitious son of a Jewish businessman who demands respect from the anti-semetic upper crust of British society, and vows to take on all those who would keep him down and "run them off their feet." His chief rival is the preternaturally talented Eric Liddell, a Scottish footballer who has devoted his life to Christian missionary work. Their intertwined stories, and those of several other athletes who succeed or fail in their Olympic quests, are told to the background of a sublime musical score by Vangelis.