Top 5 Running Movies (In Our Opinion)

Looking for some inspiration to keep you excited about your training? Or just looking for a god laugh about the sport we all love so much? Well, this list of our Top 5 favorite running movies will have something for everyone.

Prefontaine (1997)

Steve Prefontaine was a distance runner in the 1970’s. In this movie, Jared Leto portrays the inspiring character. Prefontaine had a charismatic personality that introduced many people to running and greatly expanded the accessibility of the sport. He is still celebrated today, as there are famous track events named after him and held in his honor. The movie is a tearjerker, given Prefontaine’s short career.

Run Fatboy Run (2007)

This movie was directed by David Schwimmer and stars Simon Pegg. It is a hilarious tale about a man’s efforts to use running to win back his lost fiancé. The main character, Dennis, had a freak out and left his fiancé at the altar. He fell out of shape and thought he had lost her forever. He decides to sign up for a marathon to try to win her back, and to compete with her new partner. The movie has a lot of laughs, but also takes us to the heart of running. We’ve all experienced the heartache the sport can bring, but also the relief we experience when we reach our goals. Lots of runners start out with a specific goal in mind and find out their real goals once they’ve gotten further along the training path.

Chariots of Fire (1981)

This British film is a dramatization of two runners that were in the 1924 Paris Olympics. Harold Abrahams was a Jewish man from the UK, and Eric Liddell was a devout Christian from Scotland. The film explores the class, racial, and religious divisions that were strong in that era. It also gives an interesting view into sportsmanship, collaboration, and competition. And don’t forget the soundtrack! The main theme song of this movie has been endlessly played whenever inspirational music is needed for a backdrop.

Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019)

Another hilarious movie about someone using a marathon to get in shape, Brittany Runs a Marathon tells the story of a woman who goes to a routine doctor’s appointment and finds out that she’s been partying too hard. She has put her health in danger and needs to get back in shape. To clean up her life and her body, Brittany decides to take up running. Her eventual goal is to run the New York City marathon, and the movie tells an inspiring story of her journey to get there, including all the setbacks and problems that happen along the way.

MacFarland, USA (2015)

Kevin Costner stars in this movie about a high school track team. The town set in California has a mostly Latino population. The kids in the school have a lot of assumptions made about them, but when the new track coach arrives, he finds a team of talented runners that just need some coaching to be put in the right direction. Definitely a feel-good story about the power of running!