This program was produced by Video Education Australasia and uses middle and long distance runners to examine what factors have led to faster athletic performances over time. Many interviews are used in this production from people such as miler Craig Mottram (3:53), marathoner Nick Harrison (personal best 2:10:22 and a 45th place finish in the Athens 2004 marathon in 2:21:53), coach Bruce Scriven, as well as many other experts. Several topics are explored including genetics, training and diet, coaching, psychology, money, drugs, male / female differences, and the technology of footwear and track surfaces. Historic footage of John Landy describing his mile training is compared and contrasted with modern techniques that are being used to improve athletic performance. Dick Telford introduces this video and 400 meter gold medal winner Cathy Freeman even appears briefly. You can view an Online Preview, in media player format, that lasts almost 10 minutes (nearly a third of this presentation). Lastly, an 18 page Teacher’s Notes document has been written by Robert Malpeli and it has the program outline, charts, and 31 questions in the format of "Student Worksheets". The answers to the questions are even provided so if you want to learn more about pushing to the limits of human performance than it is an excellent resource. This video is priced for a school, library, or sporting institute use. Another source for this film is from Uniview Worldwide which is based in the UK.
