I finally watched Brittany Runs a Marathon last night. I’ve been meaning to watch this movie since it released into theaters, but life gets busy.
This was less a movie about running (although it had plenty of that – yay) and more about the transformation of a wretchedly flawed woman into one that was able to cope with what life threw at her.
The movie starts off following Brittany from one bad life decision to another. When attempting to score some Adderall from a ‘cheap doctor’ she has a truth bomb dropped on her about her health. She needs to clean up her act and get healthy. Part of the directive from her doctor is to lose 50 pounds.
Brittany starts running. We see that it’s hard at first. We root for her as she starts making healthier choices. She lets go of past relationships and starts respecting herself more as she gains confidence in herself.
Does she do everything perfect? No. Does she struggle along the way with plateaus and setbacks? Yes.
I found this movie to be very relatable. I thought they did a great job at showing the emotional rollercoaster that comes with training and making big life changes.
The movie was depressing but also showed a hopefulness and resilience that we must hold on to if we want to get through the bad times.
Overall, this was a good entertaining movie. It makes me wish there were more entertainment options for runners. But then again, most non-runners have zero interest in our sport.
If you were on the fence about seeing this movie, I recommend it. It has some great messages to those who want to do hard things in order to improve their lives.
