If you're struggling to find inspiration to run when it's dark and stormy, an inspiring flick may be just what the doctor ordered.
Whatever it is you find daunting, chances are someone else has endured and overcome something more challenging. It's also likely that it's been captured on film in some way, shape, or form.
So, without further ado, here are a few excellent 'movies that move'.
The Endurance
While there is a documentary about Haile Gebrselassie called Endurance (which admittedly and embarrassingly, I haven't seen), The Endurance is a decidedly different film that has nothing to do with running, but in some ways everything to do with running.
The Endurance is about Sir Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated expedition across the Antarctic continent from 1914 to 1916. To put things in perspective, the idea of crossing the Antarctic continent during this time was as daunting and challenging as going to the moon was in the 1960's. In short, no one had ever crossed the Antarctic continent and death was considered a near certainty.
The film includes some staggering current day footage of Antarctica that is inspiring and terrifying. Simply put, this is a place that manages to be one of the most beautiful and simultaneously hostile places on the planet. Combined with this footage is archival footage taken on the actual expedition itself. You see firsthand just how harsh the conditions were and what Shackleton and his men endured.
What Shackleton and his crew 'endure' is simply unfathomable. Without giving too much away, there's simply no way you can't be inspired after sitting through a viewing of this film.
The Endurance while not directly about running underscores the idea that consistency, commitment, and the ability to persevere despite adverse circumstances are the keys to moving forward. Sound familiar?
More information about The Endurance can be found at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264578/
The Long Green Line
How can you not love a film that features a coach who fires off inspiring quips such as "However fast you are running, run faster!"
Coach Joe Newton is the kind of coach other coaches (myself included) aspire to be. While he has exhaustive knowledge of the sport of running, he also has an infectious passion that never fails to inspire his young pupils. He is the perfect storm.
Coach Newton has passed along running knowledge and life lessons to thousands of impressionable young men for 50+ years. His cross-country program at York High School is a staggering assemblage of hundreds of runners who actively recruit for the cross-country team at Newton's behest every season.
To give you some sense of Newton's power and influence, more kids try out for cross-country than football at York High School. If you've ever wondered what an elite level high school cross country program looks like, The Long Green Line sheds some light and then some.
