List of films about the sport of athletics

The following is a list of films featuring the sport of athletics, including track and field.

List

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Title Year Genre Event(s) Notes
College 1927 Comedy Silent film with Buster Keaton trying multiple sports.
Olympic Games 1927 Comedy Our Gang children's version of the Olympics.
Local Boy Makes Good 1931 Comedy Sprints Shy librarian (Joe E. Brown) joins a college track team to impress a girl.
Million Dollar Legs 1932 Comedy Shot put W. C. Fields fable of team from "Klopstokia" competing at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
A Million to One 1937 Drama Decathlon After his dad is stripped of an Olympic gold medal, Johnny Kent trains to win one.
The Bob Mathias Story 1954 Biographical Decathlon A look at career of two-time Olympic gold medalist Bob Mathias.
Geordie 1955 Comedy Hammer Story of Scotsman out to get to the Summer Olympics.
It Happened in Athens 1962 Comedy Marathon Jayne Mansfield in story set at 1896 Olympics in Greece.
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner 1962 Drama Distance running Acclaimed film from UK starring Tom Courtenay.
Billie 1965 Comedy Sprints Patty Duke as a high school athlete who competes with boys.
Walk, Don't Run 1966 Comedy Race walking Final film of Cary Grant, set during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
The Games 1970 Drama Marathon Ryan O'Neal and Michael Crawford as fictional distance runners.
The World's Greatest Athlete 1973 Comedy Track Disney tale of a jungle boy who becomes a star athlete.
The Loneliest Runner 1976 Drama Marathon Made for TV, written and directed by Michael Landon.
See How She Runs 1978 Drama Marathon Made for TV
Crossbar 1979 Drama High Jump Made for TV
The Jericho Mile 1979 Drama Mile Made for TV about a prisoner trying to qualify for the Olympics.
Our Winning Season 1979 Drama Mile Story of a high school senior during time of the Vietnam War.
Running 1979 Drama Marathon Michael Douglas as fictional Olympic distance-running hopeful.
Goldengirl 1979 Sci-fi Sprints A scientifically enhanced girl (Susan Anton) trains for the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
A Shining Season 1979 Biographical Running True story of John Baker, a girls' track coach dying of cancer.
Chariots of Fire 1981 Drama Sprints True story set during 1924 Olympics. Four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Graduation Day 1981 Horror Track Slasher film about school's track athletes being murdered.
Personal Best 1982 Drama Track Mariel Hemingway in fictional story of women's track and field.
Running Brave 1983 Drama 10,000 m Biographical film on the life and career of Billy Mills, starring Robby Benson.
On the Edge 1985 Drama Trail running A distance runner (Bruce Dern) fights for amateurs' rights during California's Dipsea Race.
The Jesse Owens Story 1985 Biographical Sprints, long jump True story of legendary 1930s athlete Jesse Owens, portrayed by Dorian Harewood.
Cracked Up 1987 Drama Track A high school athlete has a serious problem with cocaine.
Run for Your Life 1988 Drama/Thriller Marathon Italian-British production starring David Carradine.
The Four Minute Mile 1988 Biographical Mile Record-breaking run of Roger Bannister, made for television.
Across the Tracks 1991 Drama Track Brad Pitt and Rick Schroeder as brothers who compete in high school track and field.
Forrest Gump 1994 Comedy-drama Running Forrest Gump, among other things, runs repeatedly across the continental United States.
Pentathlon 1994 Thriller Pentathlon An East German pentathlete (Dolph Lundgren) defects to USA, where his former coach, now a neo-Nazi, finds and harasses him.
Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story 1996 Biographical 100m H True story of hardships and success of great U.S. athlete Gail Devers.
Prefontaine 1997 Biographical Running True story of Oregon middle distance runner Steve Prefontaine, played by Jared Leto.
Without Limits 1998 Biographical Running Another version of life and death of Steve Prefontaine, starring Billy Crudup.
Endurance 1999 Drama Distance running Biographical film about Haile Gebrselassie.
The Long Run 2000 Drama Ultramarathon Story of the Comrades Marathon, an annual 55-mile foot race in South Africa.
Pumpkin 2002 Comedy Christina Ricci in story about a developmentally challenged youth.
Hitler's Pawn – The Margaret Lambert Story 2004 Documentary High Jump True story of Gretel Bergmann, kept out of 1936 Olympics for being Jewish, replaced by an athlete who turned out to be a man. Later dramatized in Berlin 36.
Miracle Run 2004 Family Cross country A young autistic boy (Zac Efron) becomes interested in cross-country running.
Four Minutes 2005 Biographical Mile Made for TV. Chronicles the successful quest of Roger Bannister to break the four-minute barrier in the mile.
The Ringer 2005 Comedy Johnny Knoxville bad-taste spoof of Special Olympics.
Saint Ralph 2005 Drama Marathon A 15-year-old boy attempts to run in the 1954 Boston Marathon.
Terry 2005 Documentary Road running Made for TV. Documents the Marathon of Hope, 1980 attempt of cancer patient and amputee Terry Fox to run across Canada.
Run Fatboy Run 2007 Romantic comedy Marathon David Schwimmer-directed comedy about an out-of-shape British man (Simon Pegg) who enters a marathon.
Spirit of the Marathon 2007 Documentary Marathon Follows six runners training for the 2005 Chicago Marathon
Racing for Time 2008 Track Made for TV. Based on a true story about youths in a correctional facility.
Salute 2008 Documentary Multiple events Australian film looking back at 1968 Mexico City Olympics, focusing on Peter Norman, who stood alongside Tommie Smith and John Carlos in support of their protest after winning medals in the 200 metres. Directed by Norman's nephew Matt Norman.
The One Man Olympics 2008 Biographical Track Biographic of China's first ever Olympian Liu Changchun and his journey to compete in 1932 Summer Olympics.
Berlin 36 2009 Drama High jump Top athlete Gretel Bergmann is excluded from Berlin Olympics for being Jewish.
Chasing a Dream 2009 Drama Mile run TV film on emotionally scarred boy who attempts to run a sub-4-minute mile.
The Runner 2009 Ultra Trail
Into the Wind 2010 Documentary Road running Made for TV as part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Another look at Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope, co-directed by NBA's Steve Nash, who followed Fox's run as a child.
Marion Jones: Press Pause 2010 Documentary Sprints Made for TV as part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. On career of Marion Jones, her 2007 admission of performance-enhancing drug use, and subsequent prison sentence.
The Robber 2010 Drama Marathon German film about an Austrian bank-robbing runner.
Paan Singh Tomar 2012 Drama Steeplechase Indian film based on the true story of an athlete Paan Singh Tomar.
9.79* 2012 Documentary 100 m Made for TV as part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. On men's 100 metres of 1988 Olympics, where Ben Johnson set world record but was disqualified after positive test for steroids.
Fast Girls 2012 Drama Sprints British film about two women sprinters.
Ethir Neechal 2013 Comedy/Drama Marathon Story about a Common Young man having talent as a runner, who strives to make his identity into a pride one.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag 2013 Drama Running Indian film based on true story of an athlete Milkha Singh.
Runner 2013 Documentary Distance Running Made for TV as part of ESPN's Nine for IX series. The stunning collision that defined the one thing missing from the otherwise brilliant career of distance runner Mary Decker
Spirit of the Marathon II 2013 Documentary Marathon Runners train for the 2012 Rome Marathon
Unbroken 2014 Biographical Running An Olympic runner becomes and survives being a World War II prisoner of war
4 Minute Mile 2014 Drama Mile Run A coach decides to train a student with natural athletic talent. Tragedy strikes, forcing the student to confront everything that has been holding him back.
McFarland, USA 2015 Biographical Cross country Kevin Costner portrays Jim White, who built the predominantly Latino McFarland High School into a California cross country power.
Race 2016 Biographical Sprints A new dramatization of the life of Jesse Owens, highlighted by the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Tracktown 2016 Drama Long distance running Training for the Olympics
The Infinite Race 2020 Documentary Ultramarathon Made for TV as part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series. The story of the Tarahumara, an indigenous people in Mexico famed for their long-distance running culture who inspired an worldwide ultrarunning craze, while at the same time being ravaged by the country's drug wars.
The Life and Trials of Oscar Pistorius 2020 Documentary Sprints Four-part film made for TV as part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series and premiering on the ESPN+ streaming service. Examines Oscar Pistorius from his childhood in the last days of apartheid, to worldwide celebrity as the first double-leg amputee to compete in the able-bodied Olympics, to convicted murderer.
Zero to Hero 2021 Biographical Sprints Hong Kong film based on true story of para-athlete So Wa Wai
Listen 2023 Documentary Multi-event ESPN+ film documenting the multiple failures of University of Utah officials to address concerns raised by Utes heptathlete Lauren McCluskey, culminating in her 2018 murder.

See also

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