“The Long Run” is not one of your better-known running movies. The only reason I had ever heard of it, is that it got a passable review from “Entertainment Weekly.” The Long Run is the story (supposedly true) about a German-South African coach obsessed with the Comrades Marathon.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Comrades Marathon, it is a race that has been run for several decades in South Africa. Despite its name, the actual distance is around 90 kilometers, or roughly 55.6 miles.
Every other year, the race is run the opposite direction: one way known as the “uphill direction” and the “downhill direction.” Additionally, due to the climate in South Africa, it is usually HOT the whole way!
The center of the story deals with Christine, an illegal immigrant who is “discovered” and rescued from deportment. What follows is her trials and travails in going from a non-runner into a successful long distance runner.
From a running standpoint, this is a very entertaining film. In most long distance races, it is impossible for any of the race to be watched – unless it is a short circuit, and then it is boring for the runners! The movie demonstrates quite ably the loneliness of the long distance runner and the difficulty in trying to live another person’s dream.
The Long Run isn’t the most exciting movie about running, but for those of us that enjoy running, it is exciting to see someone learning how to run well and achieve goals, especially because there aren’t many movies out there about strong successful women, and in a running movie, well, it’s simply inspiring!