Movie Review - Runners High

When I was first commissioned (i.e. asked to volunteer) to provide the Saturday Inspirational Video I showcased a trailer for a film called ‘Runners High’ about a program in Oakland California that trains kids to run a marathon.

I recently had the opportunity to see the film and found myself deeply moved by the journeys of the 5 students featured in this film. The tagline for this film is “It’s 26.2 miles from East Oakland to anywhere they wanna go”.

Initially where these students wanted to go was to L.A., compliments of the program. Anyone who has run a marathon knows that a free trip to Los Angeles regardless of the itinerary isn’t reason enough to endure 4 or 5 months of training to run 26.2 miles. Where you want to go has to be a place much further away and much harder to get to than a big city 600 miles south of your home. It has to be a place that lives in your heart and soul and in your head.

This documentary does a stellar but well grounded job of taking us on the student’s journeys as they dig deep and look within to find the determination and strength to go the distance. There’s no cueing of dramatic music to set you on edge, no sob stories or drama. The viewer gets a birds eye view of their frustrations and triumphs as they struggle to travel the road to success.

Please visit the film’s site to find screening dates near you.