Last Updated: December 7th, 2023
Searching about running movies? We all know that running motivation can come and go.
If you’re stuck in a running rut, a good way to reignite your running mojo is to watch some inspirational running movies.
There are a few great movies that you can watch to share your enjoyment of running. Movies on Netflix
Top 15 Running Movies
1. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)
Year – 1962
Director- Tony Richardson
Runtime- 104 mins
Synopsis :
The oldest movie on the ranking of the finest running films has themes that are still relevant today. It was created from a short storyline. In the movie, Tom Courtenay plays a young man who excels in long-distance running and earns advantages at his difficult boarding school. It’s a coming-of-age story in a manner that ought to be relatable to many individuals. It is one of the best running movies of all time.
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2. The Jericho Mile (1979)
Year- 1979
Director- Michael Mann
Runtime- 97 mins
Synopsis :
Inmate Larry ‘Rain’ Murphy spends time sprinting about the prison yard while imprisoned at Folsom State Prison on a charge of murder. Murphy starts running a mile in under four minutes, and his workout sprints get the notice of the jail guards.
They discover he runs so fast that he may compete in the Olympics, causing a warden to launch a public relations campaign to bring him to the Games.
The film is worth seeing. Murphy’s chilly, impersonal surroundings detract from the passion of his athletic training, casting an unnerving spotlight on the void at the heart of the film.
3. Chariots of Fire (1981)
Year- 1981
Director- Hugh Hudson
Runtime- 124 mins
Synopsis :
Chariots of Fire, maybe the most renowned sports film of all time, was produced to critical acclaim in 1981. Many fantastic running moments appear in the film, perhaps notably the classic opening shot of the athletes training barefoot down St Andrews beach.
Chariots of Fire also features one of the greatest film soundtracks of all eras.
4. Forrest Gump (1994)
Year – 1994
Director- Robert Zemeckis
Runtime- 124 mins
Synopsis –
Without adding Forrest Gump, the movie list wouldn’t be complete.
The sequence in which Forrest (played by Tom Hanks) embarks for a long run is one of the most iconic running sequences in history. Running is a tool for Forrest to transcend his limits, and the running sequence represents his capacity to prevail – a frequent motif throughout the film. When individuals in the film questioned Him why he was running, he simply stated, “I just felt like running,” which will ring true for many runners.
5. Personal Best (1982)
Year- 1982
Director- Robert Towne
Runtime- 124 mins
Synopsis
Mariel Hemingway is convincing as a bright teenage pentathlete among a group of true Olympic athletes, including a real-life Olympic hurdler who tells her, “You’ve got everything I’ve always desired.” Many imitators were inspired by Hemingway and Donnelly’s depictions of sprinting in the California dunes. Kenny Moore, an authentic Olympic runner and famed reporter, appears as Mariel’s second love interest, a water polo player.
6. Running Brave (1983)
Year- 1983
Director- Donald Shebib
Runtime- 106 mins
Synopsis
This movie perfectly portrays the small war between Ron Clarke, Billy mills, and Mohammed Gammoudi in the Tokyo Olympics in the year 1964. Robby Benson played a more significant role as a half-Sioux runner than he was as a basketball player, then comes mills who got many challenges as he struggles to overcome prejudice placed on him and struggle his way to get approval from his crazy, hothead coach who make it seem unreal that he ever made it to Tokyo. The film’s huge payoff comes when the coach tells Benson/Mills, “That was the finest race I ever saw a guy run,” and you agree.
7. Spirit of the Marathon (2007)
Year – 2007
Director- John Dunham
Runtime- 104 mins
Synopsis :
This film should be included on everyone’s list of marathon movies.
The film, directed by Jon Dunham, follows a team of six athletes, featuring 2004 Olympic bronze medallist Michael Phelps. The runners talk about how races have improved their lifestyles and helped them become good individuals. They’re all sure that sprinting is the most powerful medication.
As a result, the film’s central emphasis is on the fabled runner’s high, with a mix of running ailments and confidence issues with which all runners may identify.
8. Finding Traction (2012)
Year- 2014
Director- Jaime Jacobsen, Jaime Jacobson, Charles Dye
Runtime- 57 mins
Synopsis
Finding Traction is a documentary that follows Nikki Kimball’s attempt to surpass the women’s top speed and delves into the parts of her background that lead to such an endeavor.
The film depicts Nikki’s trip as she confronts Vermont’s Long Trail in an unrestrained., matter-of-fact manner. It’s an emotionally level-packed film that pays respect to what individuals, particularly women, can do when they put their hearts into it.
“I think too many females are trained to permit insecurity to limit their actions,” Nikki says at the end of the film. I want females to face and conquer their worries.
9. On the Edge (1986)
Year- 1986
Director- rob nilsson
Runtime- 95 mins
Synopsis :
This was a labor of passion for legendary University of Pennsylvania gold medalist Bruce Dern, and getting it out and viewed was difficult. The hero is the kind of thorn in everyone’s side that Dern excels at playing. A guy who paid a heavy price for upsetting the status quo during the hated amateur’s era seeks penance by preparing for another of America’s premier hill and trail races. The California beauty and race action are both fantastic, and the film is unpredictable.
10. The Running Man (1987)
Year- 1987
Director- Paul Michael Glaser
Runtime- 101 mins
Synopsis :
The Running Man is set in a futuristic authoritarian state and contains a competition in which Arnold Schwarzenegger competes.
Schwarzenegger depicts a cop who is transferred to a jail colony after disobeying instructions to shoot defenseless villagers rioting for foodstuff.
Schwarzenegger and his buddies flee from the prison colony someday, and a TV video of their escapade gets the attention of a TV celebrity.
He determines that Schwarzenegger is the perfect visitor for his program, which features convicts who are given the opportunity at liberty if they can overcome the highly armed murderers that appear on the program.
11. McFarland, USA (2015)
Year- 2015
Director- Niki Caro
Runtime – 129 mins
Synopsis:
McFarland, USA is based on the actual tale of Jim White a high school athletics teacher for an all-Latino cross-town running team at an underprivileged hs in California’s San Joaquin Valley.
When White and his family move to a tiny town in California, he decides to form a cross-country team with a motley group of students in high school.
He first leads his team to triumph after success, attracting the attention of local wealthy cities and schools, which tests his loyalty to his community and family.
McFarland USA is a motivational movie that almost everyone may enjoy.
12. Brittany Runs A Marathon (2019)
Year- 2019
Director- Paul Downs Colaizzo
Runtime- 103 mins
Synopsis :
The title of this film says it all: it’s about a woman named Brittney who races the New York Marathon, which is regarded as one of the biggest running events in the world.
Brittany chooses to restructure her life after receiving a dose of reality from her doctor, and she does a thing she would not ordinarily do: she runs. The movie focuses on Brittany’s health and weight reduction quest, as well as the cleansing and forgiveness required to achieve those aims. Brittany Runs A Marathon will undoubtedly speak to several runners who are tracking their own fitness goals.
The film takes pleasure in being one of the finest sports films ever made.
13. Unbroken (2014) – Biopic
Year- 2014
Director- Angelina Jolie
Runtime- 138 mins
Synopsis:
Louis “Louie” Zamperini competed in the 1936 Olympics in the 5,000 m (placing 8th) but this movie concentrates on what happened after he enrolls in the Military when World War II breaks out. He is apprehended by the Japanese navy after braving an aircraft accident in the Ocean and surviving more than a month adrift at sea. While running isn’t the main focus, the concept of never giving up applies on all levels.
14. Run Fatboy Run (2007)
Year- 2007
Director- David Schwimmers
Runtime- 100 mins
Synopsis :
Run Fatboy Run, directed by Friends’ David Schwimmer, is a narrative about the resilience of the human psyche.
Simon Pegg plays lackadaisical Dennis, who can’t seem to concentrate on anything and hence fails in happiness.
Six years before the events of the film, Dennis fled and abandoned his pregnant girlfriend (played by Thandie Newton) at the wedding.
Dennis, who is still longing for her, discovers that her new partner is completing a marathon and views it as an opportunity to improve his future.
This film is an inspiring and heartwarming narrative about a guy who struggles to attain his objective, with which many athletes will be able to relate.
15. I am a Bolt
Year- 2016
Director- Benjamin Tuner
Gabe Turner
Runtime- 102 mins
Synopsis :
I Am Bolt is a documentary that traces the biography of Usain Bolt, the fastest person in recorded history. The video goes behind the scenes of his performance career and his 9 gold medals from three games.
Which are your favorite running movies?