Spirit Of The Marathon

The marathon ... arguably the toughest long-distance event an average runner can face. Born from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek soldier, who was sent from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon in the first century AD, it has long been recognized an Olympic event since the modern games were founded.

In more recent times, the sport has grown with immense popularity, with more than 800 marathons being organized annually worldwide. Each enticing literally hoards of determined runners with dreams of long-distance PRs and glory. The current world record time for men over the 42.195 kilometres (26 miles 385 yards)distance is 2 hours, 4 minutes and 26 seconds, was just recently set by Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia in the Berlin Marathon this same year on September 30, 2007. Truely, the marathon has come of age.

"Spirit of the Marathon", the first ever non-fiction feature film, captures the drama and essence of this famed 26.2 mile running event. Filmed on four continents, the movie brings together a diverse cast of amateur athletes and marathon luminaries, including that of Deena Kastor and Daniel Njenga. As six unique stories unfold, each runner prepares for and ultimately faces the challenge of the Chicago Marathon. More than a sports movie, Spirit of the Marathon is an inspirational journey of perseverance and personal triumph; a spectacle that will be embraced by runners and non-runners alike.

The following clip is a trailer of this upcoming inspirational movie, coming hopefully soon to a theatre near you.