Imagine a human being aligned in perfection for a certain task. Kenyan marathoners are.
Imagine seeing up close the way human body can move when running at high speeds for hours. The mechanics of it. The strength. The spirit behind it.
That’s what the TRANSCEND film is about
I would like to skip, to scratch out the part of movie description from the site
– “Long-distance running allowed Wesley Korir to escape the grinding poverty of Kenya.”
That just gives a wrong message.
It’s not only about the struggles of simple ways of life in Kenya, though the part can not be denied. It’s about an enhanced vision of the phenomena of Kenyan runners. Shown from both social and spiritual sides. Shown with the highest quality of modern cinematography.
“…after winning multiple American marathons,
including taking running’s most cherished prize – the Boston Marathon,
he risks it all and returns home to help his fellow Kenyans create better lives for themselves.
In what proves to be the most challenging race of his career,
Wesley takes on a well-financed, big-party candidate to run for a seat
in Kenyan parliament,
attempting to balance the frenzy of campaigning with the demands of marathon training.
Transcend is the story of the elusive spiritual energy
that is somehow forged in the intense rigor of long-distance running,
an energy Wesley Korir is using to transform the nation”
From the TRANSCEND official site
” It’s such a consistent source of pleasure.
I’ve never gotten over this feeling of moving rapidly through space.
It takes you back to childhood. If you had asked me to define myself when I was 12,
I would have said I was a runner.”
Malcolm Gladwell
I haven’t been to cinema for what might be a couple of years. I could not find the right reason to spend couple of hours watching any video. This video – so worth it. The inspirational kick I got when I watched TRANSCEND in Chattanooga was good enough to make me hammer next morning run imagining I am a Kenyan! 🙂
Getting together to watch the movie with other runners – priceless. Getting to see packs of kenyans training together, getting to see Wesley Korir running, hearing his story, his thoughts, seeing a simple human being doing what he does – unforgettable.
What I want to do now – is to attempt to bring the movie to Atlanta. There are so many runners in Atlanta – there’s got to be something good coming out of this idea.
https://www.tugg.com/events/13226 – the TUGG.com page for the Atlanta Transcend screening
https://www.facebook.com/events/1538196353099342/ – the Facebook for the Transcend on 03/03/2015, Tuesday
at AMC Mansell Crossing 14 7730 North Point Parkway, Alpharetta, GA, US, 30022
The movie left an impression of a complete masterpiece from the point of view of how it’s made. The only violent parts of the story were the snapshots referring to the 2008 events in Kenya taken from mass media chronicles. For the rest of the movie it’s – the story of Wesley’s running. His victories, his struggles. His people. Cultural background. The scenic beauty of Kenya.
The harmony of runners movements – breathtaking, inspiring, humbling.
The film refers to that magical “flow” feeling runners get to experience sometimes.
“Flow for me is kind of when I am in that Zone .
And there is not ven much going on up here.
And it happens a lot during the marathons.
And I think part of flow comes with exhaustion .
You know, your mind is not going a million miles a second thinking about different stuff.
It is very single-mindedly doing something but
without actually really engaging into really deep thought”
2:04 marathoner, Ryan Hall, talks about
that enviable feeling that every runner has experienced at some point in their running.
So the title of the movie, Transcend, completely describes the movie highlight. If you need that extra kick some day going out for a run – get to see this film. It will be your additional notch of inspiration whenever you need it.
P.S. Wesley’s wife, Tarah, is also a talanted runner. They are both leading a Kenyan Kids Foundation – for the benefit of kids in Kenya.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE4-OUIeJCo]
- Jake and Zane Robertson – Two of the main characters in the documentary “Transcend” (thefilmtranscend.com) have been living in Africa the last 6 years without any sponsorship. At 17, twin brothers, Jake and Zane Robertson, left their family and friends in New Zealand and went to where the fastest runner’s in the world train. With no money at all they began training with the Kenyan and Ethiopian runner’s in the hope of becoming the best in the world.