TDF
Through sheer tenacity and resolve, Sarah Brown epitomizes the sporting spirit. Pursuing a dream of participating in the Olympics, she was sidelined by a shattering injury during the trials for the 2012 games. A championship runner who operates with extreme discipline, she was determined to tread the Olympic tracks four years later. The struggles she endures on the road to her comeback, and the qualities that define her as a champion, form the basis of the moving documentary Run Mama Run.
In her quest to reclaim her spot in the next Olympics, Sarah is hit by one seemingly insurmountable challenge after another. In 2015, while she is in the throes of intense training and managing to top her own speed records, she becomes pregnant. Initially shocked at the unexpected hurdle life set before her, she decides to forge ahead.
Can she balance the demands of motherhood with her dreams of achieving Olympic glory? Her husband is a strong motivational force in her life. An accomplished runner himself, he works to focus and inspire her through every step of her training. The fundamental challenge is mental. Following the birth of her child, she feels she has lost ground and confidence.
That confidence continues to be tested when she discovers she’s suffering from spinal stress fractures and a possible debilitating tumor.
The film is structured like a personal video diary. We follow Sarah into the delivery room, on the race track, and into the doctor’s office where she receives the traumatizing diagnosis. She questions her ability to succeed, and her reasoning for continuing to pursue her life goals. Will she have enough time to get into competitive shape? Are her athletic pursuits sacrificing precious moments with her daughter? Will her strength of mind overcome the possible limitations of her body?
A palpable tension blankets the climax of the film as Sarah stands at the starting line of the next Olympic trials. The ultimate outcome of that race delivers a range of emotions and lessons for both Sarah and the audience who cheers her on.
Run Mama Run is deeply intimate and comes upon its inspirational elements with great candor.
