I love this movie so much

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

As a filmmaker and marathon runner I could see it being difficult to achieve what the filmmakers have done with Spirit of the Marathon. To mix some marathon history into the the stories of several amateur and professional runners might be tough. But they did it wonderfully. I particularly liked what was said by Dick Beardsley and Frank Shorter, two famous runners w/some very inspiring words.I think it was Shorter, who has a great line that kicks off the title sequence at the start of the documentary. Awesome! If you're looking for a "how do I train for a marathon" documentary this is not it! Do your own research, it's out there! Appreciate this film for what it is, a documentary about real people and some very interesting marathoning history.

As a serious marathoner, I was seriously disappointed in this film. Its target audience is clearly those who have never run a marathon, or novice marathoners. Following the stories of 2 first-time marathoners, one senior, one injured runner, and two elites as they prepare for the Chicago marathon, the film dedicates the majority of its attention to one female beginner whose story is, for lack of a better word, boring. While I did enjoy the brief glimpses into the training sessions of Deena Kastor, the brief history of the Boston marathon and marathoning in general, let me emphasize: These were brief!! Watching some Joe Runners prepare for a Saturday run with their water bottles and talking about how they view the marathon is not inspiring, and the nonstop clichés about achievement and feel-good grinning runners will make you wish the film were about an hour shorter. If you are a first-time marathoner, this film may give you a feeling of "I can do it." For anyone else, run away.

I was so excited to see that there was a one time viewing of this awesome documentary. Even more excited to see how packed the theater was. I honestly thought I would be one of few to be sitting in the theater. It was great to run into fellow runners there, it seemed that almost everybody knew somebody else. Definitely the most friendliest movie theater experience I have ever had. Now, I have not run a marathon yet. And I have said that 2008 is my year, and I have not determined which one it will be. But watching this movie was great to see the excitement of the runners, and the small glimpse into their lives of training for such an event. I think it was great to incorporate all different levels, from elite runners like Deana and Daniel, to first time runners and even the "sweepers" as they called themselves. I recommend this to any runner, especially if you have run or plan on running a marathon. It was great that there was some humor and the whole theater laughed at points. So it wasn't your information only documentary. It was a huge inspiration for me, and if it wasn't 11:00pm when I got out of the theater, and only a chilly 17 degrees, I would have gone running myself. I look forward to this on DVD, and I hope it gets on DVD soon!

This is a beautifully filmed, heartfelt look at the sport of running 26.2 miles. We follow six runners who cover the whole range, from beginners to world-class, through training and the race itself, the Chicago Marathon. Vintage film and comments by the experts - historians, champion runners - fill out the perspective.I myself have done 22 marathons, but not Chicago. That said, I believe the film succeeded in putting the viewer IN the race, with some sense of pounding away mile after mile, in a beautiful urban setting. The audience I was with tonight (Regal Cinemas, Abingdon, MD)included many veteran runners, who often shared a laugh with different people in the film. I thought it a measure of the film's success that this veteran crowd cheered as one of the runners (you'll know who)crossed the finish line when he/she did.A caveat about waiting for this to come to DVD: the aerial camera-work on the race itself is stunning! It will loose power on the small screen. Consider an overhead shot that starts as the first runners cross the start line, then slowly pans over all the starters-in-waiting, a veritable 'ocean of humanity', a shot that continued far longer than I expected. Then there are the high overhead shots during the race, showing the gorgeous but far-flung urban landscape, with tiny dots - each a runner - moving along the streets below. Such shots capture the scale of the event, the vast distance the runners are up against. I suspect that at home, one will need the zoom option on the DVD player to see the runners.Beyond this, I hope someday there will be a documentary from primarily within the race (personal cams - shades of CLOVERFIELD or BLAIR WITCH PROJECT!), to give the non-runner the closest feel that cinema allows for moving step by step 26 miles 385 yds. Until then, SPIRIT OF THE MARATHON will do wonderfully.