Running Flicks
By Ryan Craven

As both a track and film geek, I have always had a soft spot for running movies.  Some are great and true to the sport, others full of hilarious inaccuracies, but all are must sees for track and field nerds everywhere. 

Without Limits VS Prefontaine

I’ve had many arguments over the years defending the good name of Without Limits against the mediocrity that is Prefontaine.  Both films follow the fascinating career of Steve Prefontaine, but they go about it in very different ways.

Steve Prefontaine 

Prefontaine stars Jared Leto as an unlikely roob from Coos Bay, Oregon.  Leto’s performance is disappointing at best.  I’ve come to find that his best roles are when he’s an out of control drug addict (Lord of War, Requiem for a Dream), not a blossoming sports star. 

Without Limits could have been a similar disaster if producer Tom Cruise had donned the trademark moustache of Monsieur Prefontaine as he originally intended to do.  Instead, Pre is played by a cocky and enthusiastic Billy Crudup, who nails the role. He’s just as good, if not better, than his performance as Russell Hammond in Almost Famous with all the same energy and swagger.

The Girl

Monica Potter plays an unforgettable Mary Marckx in Without Limits...I mean you’re talking about a girl that the Counting Crows once recorded a whole song for. This chick is the real deal.  I was about to look up the girl who played Mary in Prefontaine, but I feel like I forgot her for a reason.  She didn’t really bring anything to the film in the first place and I’d probably forget her just as soon again anyway.

The Other Girl

In Prefontaine, Steve injures himself before the NCAA championships by clowning around and hitting his foot on the edge of a pool after jumping off of a roof.  The scene isn’t terribly convincing and it always troubled me to think that Pre would have been so careless before such a big race. 

Without Limits goes a bit further and has Prefontaine injure himself while “getting to know” a character known only as “Iowa’s Finest.”  As a bonus, this character is played by the actress who was Kimberly on the Power Rangers…The Pink Ranger aka a generation of young boys first TV crush.  To summarize…upside down sex or poolside shenanigans…I think you know which makes for more interesting cinema.

Pre’s Post Olympic Meltdown

Jared Leto cries in Prefontaine.  Enough said.  Oh but don’t worry, Al Bundy was there to comfort him.  I will say that I enjoy the line “They’ll probably name a street after me…4^th street.” But save that, the performance is just ugly.  So much for enough said.

Everything from the heated argument between Bowerman and Pre outside of The Pad to the training montage is decidedly perfect in Without Limits.  My senior captain once loaned me his coveted DVD of the movie and told me “It will make you want to go for a run”.  If one scene defines that feeling, it is Pre training for his comeback and deciding to pursue Olympic glory at Montreal instead of taking a $200k deal. 

Pre’s Death

Surprise, surprise … the death scene in Prefontaine is boring and laughable all rolled into one.  The random stranger off in the distance screaming for help fits perfectly in this tacky end to a tacky attempt of a film.

Everytime I have watched Without Limits, I find myself wanting to shout at the TV as Pre does pull-ups on Don Kardong’s front porch.  What if in those precious seconds Steve would have been on the road and well ahead of the wreck?  Ah!?!?  It gets me every time and if that’s not a sign of great film-making, I’m not sure what is.  Also, gotta love the shot of the headlight fading out as Elton John (speaking of Elton, WL has a badass soundtrack as well) sings “I think it’s gonna be a long, long time”.  And what a long time it has been. 

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The Jericho Mile

This is one my high school coach turned me onto while off on a weekend trip for a meet.  It is the heartwarming story of Lickety Split, a convicted murdered who passes his time in Folsom Prison running laps around the yard.  This made for TV movie (1979) features a hilarious depiction of mile training.  Most of this training involves light calisthenics in the prison cell and 3x4:00 minutes a day.  One at breakfast, one at lunch and one after dinner…yep, really sophisticated stuff here.  Most of this is set to a song that sound suspiciously like the Rolling Stone’s hit Sympathy For The Devil.  Through his conquests on the track, Lickety is able to unite the prison yard and get a regulation track built for his attempt at a sub four mile.  (Maybe the Austin Track Club could learn a thing or two?) 

And the thrilling conclusion is…I don’t know, he looks at the watch and chucks it over the Prison Yard.  I haven’t seen an ending this confusing since Inception.  Overall though, this film is an enjoyable watch for any runner.  The inaccuracies throughout combined with made for TV prison talk are sure to put a smile on your face and a cheap rip off a Stone’s song in your heart.

The Long Green Line

I truly enjoyed this documentary about high school powerhouse, the York Dukes.  I have a bit of a bias for this award winning film as it took place during my senior season and captured a lot of what I love about high school cross country in Illinois.  (I took particular delight in hearing Mr. Newton call me “Cravens”). That season, York was poised to win yet another national title when two of their top five were arrested for burning down a model home.  The team manages to pull together and still pull of a second place showing at nationals in addition to the team’s 25^th State Title. 

I wish that they could have focused a bit more on Justin Jones and Brian Marchese (who is actually a very humble a great guy by the way), but I can understand why they chose not to.  If you have the time, check out this great documentary feature about a high school dynasty in one of its biggest triumphs.

Four Minutes

I was very disappointed when ESPN released Four Minutes…it had such promise.  The producers of Seabiscuit, a fascinating comeback story itself, were on board and Neal Bascomb’s novel was a brilliant look at the mythical barrier.  The whole production was overly British and they included an unnecessary love interest as well.  Meanwhile, none of the excitement of Wes Santee or John Landy’s pursuits were really given much attention despite the important role they play in the real story of the first sub four mile..  I can’t recommend you go and watch this movie (if you could even find it), but I do highly recommend the book for an interesting look at the art of the Mile.

Once A Runner…?

The cult book has long been poured over by young runners everywhere, but as of yet there hasn’t been a movie made to capture the essence of Quenton Cassidy.  I figured I’d share a youtube link to a trailer that someone made a little while back…if you haven’t watched this be sure to check it out!