The Best Movies About Running

Ranker Film
Updated May 15, 2024 30.8K views 13 items
Ranked By
1.2K votes
495 voters
1 reranks
Voting Rules
Only movies that feature running as a plot point.

With nearly 500 movie fans casting votes, this list of the best running movies is sure to get your heart racing. Running has always been a popular activity for many of us - whether it's jogging around the neighborhood or competing in races with friends. It offers us a chance to push our physical and mental limits and strive for personal goals.

It makes sense then that running movies have become so beloved. These films capture not only the thrills of competition but also explore elements such as friendship, perseverance, and self-discovery. Whether you're an avid runner or just starting out on your fitness journey, these films will inspire you to lace up those sneakers and hit the pavement.

Some favorites include Chariots of Fire (1981), Forrest Gump (1994), Unbroken (2014), Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019), and McFarland USA (2015). Each one tells its own unique story filled with high stakes drama and inspiring moments that will stay with viewers long after they've watched them. Even if you don't run yourself, there's something about these stories that make them universally appealing no matter who you are or where you come from.

So why not check out this list now? Vote up your favorite running movies today.

  • Chariots of Fire
    1

    Chariots of Fire

    Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, John Gielgud
    51 votes
    Released: 1981
    In the celebrated film Chariots of Fire, we find ourselves in the post-World War I era. Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) and Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), two British runners, emerge as central characters. Their paths to victory, driven by personal convictions and defiance against societal norms, intertwine in this tale of athletic prowess. The film is a compelling historical drama, brimming with determination and human spirit. It won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, underscoring its cinematic significance. The narrative unfolds amidst the backdrop of the 1924 Olympics, yet it transcends beyond mere sportsmanship into themes of faith, identity and class distinction. Director Hugh Hudson masterfully encapsulates the essence of these real-life figures - their struggles, triumphs and indomitable will. From training grounds to triumphant tracks, Chariots of Fire races through an engrossing journey that leaves a lasting impact on its audience.
    More Chariots of FireRight Arrow
  • Race
    2

    Race

    Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, David Kross
    16 votes
  • Forrest Gump
    3

    Forrest Gump

    Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise
    57 votes
    Slow-witted Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) has never thought of himself as disadvantaged, and thanks to his supportive mother (Sally Field), he leads anything but a restricted life. Whether dominating on the gridiron as a college football star, fighting in Vietnam or captaining a shrimp boat, Forrest inspires people with his childlike optimism. But one person Forrest cares about most may be the most difficult to save -- his childhood love, the sweet but troubled Jenny (Robin Wright).
    More Forrest GumpRight Arrow
  • Without Limits
    4

    Without Limits

    Billy Crudup, Donald Sutherland, Monica Potter
    32 votes
    Released: 1998
    Before Steve Prefontaine (Billy Crudup) makes it to the 1972 Olympics in Munich, he is an unlikely track star at the University of Oregon. At school, after Steve initially clashes with coach Bill Bowerman (Donald Sutherland) over his style of front-running -- running the race at maximum speed from beginning to end -- he develops a strong bond with the man. Steve also has a profound effect on a beautiful co-ed named Mary (Monica Potter), who becomes the object of his affection.
  • Prefontaine
    5

    Prefontaine

    Jared Leto, R. Lee Ermey, Ed O'Neill
    34 votes
    Released: 1997
    Olympic defeat matures a selfish distance runner (Jared Leto) into a sports activist before his 1975 death in a car crash.
    More PrefontaineRight Arrow
  • Marathon Man
    6

    Marathon Man

    Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, Roy Scheider
    23 votes
    Released: 1976
    Thomas "Babe" Levy (Dustin Hoffman) is a Columbia graduate student and long-distance runner who is oblivious to the fact that his older brother, Doc (Roy Scheider), is a government agent chasing down a Nazi war criminal (Laurence Olivier) -- that is, until Doc is murdered and Babe finds himself knee-deep in a tangle of stolen gems and sadistic madmen. Even his girlfriend, Elsa (Marthe Keller), becomes a suspect as everything Babe believed to be true is suddenly turned upside down.
    More Marathon ManRight Arrow
  • Personal Best
    7

    Personal Best

    Mariel Hemingway, Patrice Donnelly, Scott Glenn
    28 votes
    Released: 1982
    Young sprinter Chris Cahill (Mariel Hemingway) is having difficulty reaching her potential as an athlete, until she meets established track star Tory Skinner (Patrice Donnelly). At first the two women form a friendship as Tory and her coach (Scott Glenn) help Chris with her training. Gradually, Tory and Chris start having a sexual relationship and become very close. Their intimacy becomes complicated when Chris' improvement causes them to be competitors for the Olympic team.
    More Personal BestRight Arrow
  • The Games
    8

    The Games

    Sam Elliott, Ryan O'Neal, Charles Aznavour
    3 votes
    The Games is a 1970 film based on the Hugh Atkinson novel and adapted to the screen by Erich Segal. It was directed by Michael Winner. The plot concerned four marathon competitors at a fictitious Olympic Games in Rome, played by Michael Crawford, Ryan O'Neal, Charles Aznavour, and Athol Compton. Elton John recorded one song for the soundtrack. To simulate vast crowds of people, thousands of life-sized dummies were placed in the stadium's seats.
  • Run Lola Run
    9

    Run Lola Run

    Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup
    19 votes
    Released: 1998
    In this visually and conceptually impressive film, two-bit Berlin criminal Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu) delivers some smuggled loot for his boss, Ronnie (Heino Ferch), but accidentally leaves the 100,000 mark payment in a subway car. Given 20 minutes to come up with the money, he calls his girlfriend, Lola (Franka Potente), who sprints through the streets of the city to try to beg the money out of her bank manager father (Herbert Knaup) and get to Manni before he does something desperate.
    More Run Lola RunRight Arrow
  • The Maze Runner
    10

    The Maze Runner

    Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Aml Ameen
    20 votes
    Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), a teenager, arrives in a glade at the center of a giant labyrinth. Like the other youths dumped there before him, he has no memory of his previous life. Thomas quickly becomes part of the group and soon after demonstrates a unique perspective that scores him a promotion to Runner status -- those who patrol the always-changing maze to find an escape route. Together with Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), the only female, Thomas tries to convince his cohorts that he knows a way out.
    More The Maze RunnerRight Arrow
  • McFarland, USA
    11

    McFarland, USA

    Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Morgan Saylor
    1 votes
    Track coach Jim White (Kevin Costner) is a newcomer to a predominantly Latino high-school in California's Central Valley. Coach White and his new students find that they have much to learn about one another, but things begin to change when White realizes the boys' exceptional running ability. More than just physical prowess drives the teens to succeed; their strong family ties, incredible work ethic and commitment to their team all play a factor in forging these novice runners into champions.
    More McFarland, USARight Arrow
  • Brittany Runs a Marathon
    12

    Brittany Runs a Marathon

    Jillian Bell, Michaela Watkins, Utkarsh Ambudkar
    5 votes
    Brittany Runs a Marathon is a 2019 American comedy film directed by Paul Downs Colaizzo. A 27-year-old New York woman, Brittany Forgler (Jillian Bell) takes up running as a way to find direction in her life.
  • Unbroken
    13

    Unbroken

    Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund
    0 votes
    As a boy, Louis "Louie" Zamperini is always in trouble, but with the help of his older brother, he turns his life around and channels his energy into running, later qualifying for the 1936 Olympics. When World War II breaks out, Louie enlists in the military. After his plane crashes in the Pacific, he survives an incredible 47 days adrift in a raft, until his capture by the Japanese navy. Sent to a POW camp, Louie becomes the favorite target of a particularly cruel prison commander.
    More UnbrokenRight Arrow