Made for NOVA by PBS station WGBH in Boston, this production is a combination of a documentary and instructional presentation that seeks to answer the question: "Can an average person on the sidewalk be transformed into an athlete crossing the finish line?" The selected participants in this study have a variety of obstacles to overcome including obesity, diabetes, HIV, heart disease, smoking, injury, grief, and a general lifestyle of inactively. Along the way a scientifically based analysis of each participant seeks to monitor and record their gains as they progress through their nine months of training. The team who guides these runners includes track coach Don Megerle of Tufts University, nutritionist Miriam Nelson, and past Boston Marathon winner Uta Pippig. Many of the athletes have never ran more than a mile and they gather each weekend for the 40 weeks to complete their long run and test their increasing level of fitness.
Although it is difficult to profile so many people in less than an hour, this show uses the experiences of the runners to highlight scientific principals that can apply to anyone who is seeking greater fitness and improved endurance. As expected from NOVA, the explanations and computer graphics are outstanding in exploring a range of components of physiology such as muscle cells, energy use, circulation, shin splints and stress fractures, evolutional changes that allow of people to run effectively, mental preparations, and these other aspects of physical health:
Body Composition: "What we see often now is somebody that is ideal body weight but overly fat. This happens all the time because they are simply sedentary and they haven’t used their muscles." ~Miriam Nelson, Friedman School of Nutrition
VO2 Max: "VO2 Max is really the measure of the person’s bodies ability to extract and utilize oxygen during exercise and it’s the best measure we have of the person’s cardiovascular or aerobic fitness" ~Roger Fielding, Tufts University
Bones: "Bones usually break from a single blow, but a stress fracture comes from repeated minor trauma, the kind of high impact pounding that happens in running." ~Lien Schreiber, Narrator
Body Weight: "When it comes to loosing weight, diet trumps exercise. Diet may be even more important that the exercise for the active weight loss component, but for eight maintenance and for the prevention of weight gain, physical activity, and a fairly high volume of physical activity, is absolutely critical." ~Miriam Nelson
Goals:"For many people that goal (of finishing a marathon) is important to get them kick started, but for most of the population getting out and exercising three to six times a week is what we need." ~Miriam Nelson
Originally broadcast on October 30, 2007, the DVD for home viewing became available for purchase in February 2008. You may order your copy by visiting Amazon.com and to learn more about each runner, their monthly training plan, and to get a glimpse into the scientific testing that captures the transformation visit pbs.org. The final test came during the 111th running of the Boston Marathon when this group started 30 minutes after the official qualifiers. With finishing times ranging from breaking 4 hours to exceeding 6 hours you can tell just how far these runners had traveled in transforming the way they looked at themselves and their relationship to their own body. You may find yourself cheering with the crowd as they complete their goal and then you may find yourself asking, "if they can do, can I?"
