Running the Sahara

View Date: 12/5/09

Many people think that running a marathon is either commendable or absurd. Some would say, “Why push the human body to those lengths?” Others are of the opinion, “It is amazing what those runners can do, but I can never push my body like that.” This movie takes any reaction one might have and multiplies it by thousands.

This movie is about a group of three runners who decide to undertake the challenge of running across the Sahara desert. It takes the runners over three months to make the trip with pitfalls along the way. There are the physical hardships of running that distance in the heat of the desert, but there are also issues as sandstorms, terrorist activity, and obtaining government permission to even enter certain countries.

The movie mainly focuses on the three runners and thoroughly explores their motivations and emotions towards this run. The viewer is also introduced to the families, crew, and support staff of the athletes. This was really nice to see being an athletic supporter of a distance runner myself.

There were times that I really wanted to hit the main organizer/runner of this trek. I understood that he was doing this for the experience and was of the mindset that it should keep going until the end no matter the costs. But his refusal to understand the need for people to leave before the end of the journey, even after being told that such things would happen if the trip ran long (which it did by about 20 days) really left a sour taste in my mouth. But in the end, things seemed to be smoothed over.

Would I recommend this movie to everyone? No. It was very well made and an amazing story, but I feel that many people would not truly become invested in the story. However, if you are or know a distance runner and understand the struggles they go through to complete a standard-length race, you will appreciate this film. There is some beautiful scenery, but the main focus of the film is the goal

10 words or less: Good movie for distance runners and their loved ones.