A group from my walking club went to see Spirit of the Marathon tonight. As we entered the theater, it was interesting to see that most of the people there were in groups. I assumed they were walking or running clubs. There were 11 of us, and there were other groups that were quite a bit bigger.

The movie follows several marathoners as they train for and run the Chicago Marathon. Deena Kastor and a Kenyan named Daniel were the elite runners. (They said Daniel lives in Tokyo, but they showed him training in Kenya. I was confused.)

The non-elite runners include a young married woman who trains by herself. She is very cute! A young single mother, a gentleman in his 60s and his daughter who all train with a Chicago training group, and a young couple.

The highs and lows were very moving! And yes, at times my eyes teared up. The crowd clapped and laughed several times. Overall the movie was inspiring. I felt as if I’ve been a slug and should walk more. And I even thought for a moment about doing another marathon. It lasted just a moment.

Following the movie was a little more footage of deleted scenes and explanations. It was worth watching, too!

Whether you are a walker or a runner, I think you’ll find the movie worth seeing!
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Note: A couple people in the movie struggled. The single mother had the hardest time, followed by the father and daughter. I don’t know if anyone else saw it this way, but it seemed as if the people who trained with the organized group were the least prepared. Other than the elites, the woman who trained alone seemed to be the best trained. I found it interesting.

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