The Greatest Running Movies: Honorable Mention
When it comes to great running movies, documentaries and videos, there are dozens that didn’t make the cut.
When it comes to great running movies, documentaries and videos, there are dozens more that didn’t make the cut on our list of the 25 greatest running movies. Here are 20 more good running films worth viewing.
“Jim Thorpe: All-American” (1951) — This Warner Brothers film about Native American athlete and 1912 Olympic decathlon champion Jim Thorpe stars Burt Lancaster.
“Second Wind” (1976) — A story about a successful family man who is inspired by Olympic champion runner Kip Keino and takes up running as a hobby only to interrupt the balance of life and family.
“The Loneliest Runner” (1976) — A made-for-TV autobiographical film starring Michael Landon.
“The Terry Fox Story” (1983) — A true story about a Canadian cancer amputee who decides to run across Canada on one leg to raise money for cancer research.
“The Long Run” (2000) — A story about a washed-up coach who takes on an unlikely runner and coaches her for the Comrades Marathon in South Africa.
“A Race for The Soul” (2001) — A riveting documentary on the Western States 100.
“Lady Warriors” (2002) — A solid documentary on the girls cross-country program in Tuba City, Ariz.
“The Great American Footrace” (2002) — This film documents a 3,422-mile cross-country trek in 1928 won by 19-year-old Cherokee Indian Andy Payne.
“Five Thousand Meters: Nothing Comes Easy” (2004) — A documentary that follows several top U.S. runners, including Adam Goucher, Tim Broe and Jorge Torres, in their quest to make it to the U.S. Olympic Trials.
“Four Minutes” (2005) — The ESPN production of the story behind Roger Bannister’s quest to run the world’s first sub-4-minute mile.
“Runners High” (2006) — This documentary tells the story of four young teens in a program called “Students Run Oakland” and their quest to run the Los Angeles Marathon.
“The Athlete” (2009) — A film directed by Davey Frankel and Rasselas Lakew that focuses on the final years of double Olympic marathon champion Abede Bikila’s life.
“Fast Women” (2010) — A film that follows four women marathoners from the same local running club in their quest to run in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon.
“Running the Sahara” (2007) — This Matt Damon-narrated film follows Charlie Engle, Ray Zahab and Kevin Lin as they run across the Sahara Desert of Northern Africa.
“Volcanic Sprint” (2007) — A compelling film about the Cameroon Race of Hope up and down a 10,000-foot live volcano.
“UltraMarathon Man: 50 Marathons, 50 States, 50 Days” (2008) — This movie from J.B. Benna depicts Dean Karnazes’ epic quest to run 50 marathons in 50 days in every state of the U.S. in 2007.
“The Robber” (2010) — The true story of Australian marathoner Johann Rettenberger, who robbed small banks and literally ran away as his means of escape.
“Town of Runners” (2012) — A documentary about the rural Ethiopian town of Bekoji, which is home to legendary champions Tirunesh Dibaba and Kenenisa Bekele and dozens of aspiring young runners trying to follow in their footsteps.
“The Last Mile” (2013) — A film from John Burkett that tries to answer the question of why we run through the input and profiles of a variety of runners.
“In the High Country” (2013) — The best work yet of running filmmaker Joel Wolpert, this short film profiles American ultrarunner Anton Krupicka.
“Running the Edge: The Colorado Trail” (2014) — Matt Trappe’s debut film profiles Scott Jaime’s record-setting run on the Colorado Trail.
“Western Time” (2014) — A compelling video from Billy Yang Films about Sally McCrae’s strong performance at the 2014 Western States 100.
“Usain Bolt: The Fastest Man Alive” (2014) — An engaging documentary on Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt.