Movie Review--Running on the Sun

On Friday night I watched "Running on the Sun", the documentary about the Badwater 135 race through Death Valley in July where the temperatures can reach 130F. They run from Badwater in Death Valley (a couple hundred feet below sea level) to the Mt. Whitney portal--135 miles and about 20,000 feet of climbing, up to +8,000 feet. Oh boy, I need to go watch that race. Those are my kind of people!!!

The movies covers the 1999 race and chronicles a number of the participants. One guy (the previous year's winner) just stops running at one point and lays down in the gravel on the side of the road for a little shut-eye!! He pops up and takes off again like nothing has happened. The eventual winner had DNFed the prior two years and before the race, he said he'd trained for the heat and the distance, but he wondered what would jump up this year that he hadn't planned for. A rookie to the race, Kirk Johnson, (who wrote a book about his experience, "To the Edge"), just passes out at one point, sitting in a chair. There is a comment by Dr. Ben Jones, the Mayor of Badwater and medical director of the race, "There isn't one thing about this race that is good for you." That's the kind of race Badwater is.

The winner of the women's race was Angelika Castaneda, age 50-something!! Amazing! Then there was Marine Captain Curt Maples who had to DNF (dehydration, had to get an IV) and instead of hanging it up, took his men (from Camp Pendleton!!)/crew and helped out a gal from England who only had one guy as a crew. If not for their help, she may not have finished the race. But the funniest thing was 60-something Jack Denness, an Englishman, who was going pretty slow, so his wife and other mate took a can of Murphys Irish Stout *his reward for the finish line* and tied one can to the back of the van and then pulled in front of him until he saw it, then they sped up. And so did he, chasing the stout.

There are a number of other inspirational stories and I very highly recommend this movie! Also watch the director's interview and the interview with the race director. I've never been to Death Valley, but I think I now need to take a trip there.

Comments

[JT]

It was a great film. I got it from Netflix. A new marathon movie is coming out the preview can be found at www.calico1880.com.

[Marissa]

did you rent? or netflix? i wonder if le video has it.... thanks for the heads up! ps i started my new blog - it's slow going for me...but come see it when you have a chance....

[Margaret and Glyn]

I read your blog on "Running on the Sun" at 5pm tonight on New Year's Eve...then Glyn and I called 5 blockbusters stores, went to 2 local video shops, and Borders, but had NO LUCK. We were on a mission...but it wasnt accomplished. Where did you rent or buy it from?