A Tracksmith Film
Church of the
Long Run
DIRECTED BY EMILY MAYE
Sunday mornings are a time for reflection. In the congregation of runners, we often single out that day as the one where we too, pay our penance. The Sunday long run becomes a weekly ritual where we allow for the time it takes. Whether in a group or in solitude, we carve out the space necessary to participate in physical communion. One received only through prolonged effort. Done correctly, it’s a truly hypnotic, meditative experience built at the altar of another week's worth of showing up. For the runner, this is deliverance. This is church.
"Church of the Long Run" follows nurse practitioner and runner Sam Roecker in real time on her Sunday long run in the foothills of Rollinsville, Colorado. The film is both a celebration and an acknowledgment of the importance of dedicating oneself to the process. It serves as an authentic portrait of a moment in time when the runner is truly engaged in her movement. We get to come along for the ride (run).
Remaining faithful to every inch of the road, the camera patiently leads and follows, moving around the runner to reveal a 360° perspective of her run and the scenery that surrounds her. Utilizing an arm car and shot on the Alexa LF and Cooke 30-95 FF Zoom, the film features long uninterrupted takes, while the camera interferes minimally, offering an honest and meditative look at the process of the long run. A testament to dedication and consistency, it is about going through the experience and taking what you can from it.