Running (film)

Running is a 1979 Canadian sports drama film written and directed by Steven Hilliard Stern and starring Michael Douglas and Susan Anspach. It is about the fictional American marathon runner and Olympic hopeful Michael Andropolis and his struggle to compete in the Olympic Games.

Plot

Michael Andropolis is a US hopeful for the 1976 (Montreal) Summer Olympics as a marathon runner. However, his life is fraught with trouble. His marriage, which produced two children, has fallen apart and his wife wants a divorce. He struggles with unemployment and at one point in the movie is seen snapping due to frustration with the unemployment office bureaucracy. Additionally, his coach is reluctant to endorse him for the games. Andropolis always starts races strong, but because of his over-competitive strive, he pulls ahead of the pack too soon, sapping strength he'll need for the final minutes of the race. So he tends to not come in first, having used his stamina too early. His coach feels he is a quitter.

However, he providentially makes it through to Montreal by finishing fourth in the qualifiers, but getting the ticket due to an injury in one of the top three finishers. Andropolis surprises everyone, by pacing himself early in the race, only pulling ahead halfway through the race. Well on his way to the finish line ahead of the main pack, Andropolis slips on wet leaves rounding a turn. The fall leaves him with shoulder and leg injuries as other runners pass him by.

As darkness falls, paramedics tend to him where he fell. Andropolis is overcome by the need to "finish" the task of the race. He gets up, limping by and winding his way through traffic on roads that have been re-opened, as the marathon rules mark, and since the presumed final competitor had crossed the finish line hours earlier. Exhausted by the grueling ordeal of finishing the race with numerous injuries, Andropolis is greeted with cheers and support from the entire Olympic Stadium. He is met at the finish line by his wife, who has come to Montreal to watch him and promises that he will come home with her whatever happens. His coach witnesses his finish with a proud smile, while his daughters watch him on TV.

Cast

Production

Many of the scenes including the start of the marathon as well as scenic shots were filmed in Georgetown, Ontario, Canada.

Additional scenes were filmed at Lakeshore Studio in Toronto, Ontario; Montreal, Quebec; and New York City.^{[citation needed]}

The film was made for $4 million and sold to TV for $5 million even before it was released.^[1]

Reception

• List of films about the sport of athletics

References