Sun 20 Sep 2026
9 Jul 2026 • 5 minutes read
You asked for more after our first list, so we went back to the couch and did the hard work of arguing over what deserved a spot!
This time the mix is a little different. Some of these are documentaries, some are films based on real runners, and one is a comedy that’s more relatable than we’d like to admit.
Below are our next seven recommendations. Happy watching!
If our first list was full of superhumans, this is the one that will relate to more people (in the funnest of ways).
Brittany is broke, stuck, and nowhere near a runner, until a neighbour nudges her to run one sweaty block. That block turns into an almost unthinkable goal: the New York City Marathon. It’s funny, it’s honest, and it never once pretends the hard part is the running. Loosely inspired by a real person, it’s the closest thing on this list to watching your own start line story play out.
Watch via: Prime Video
The marathon film. It follows a handful of runners, everyday people and elites alike, as they train for and take on the Chicago Marathon. There are no gimmicks here, just the nerves, the early mornings, and the quiet obsession that comes with chasing 42.2km. Watch it a few weeks out from your own goal race and try not to feel ready.
Watch via: Prime Video (rent or buy)
A feel good true story with none of the cheese you’d expect. A struggling coach takes on a cross country team in a small farming town, made up of kids who run before and after full days working the fields. It’s about belief, belonging, and what a team can do for a community that’s been overlooked. Watch it with your run club and see who wells up first.
Watch via: Disney+
Every sport has its rockstar, and for running it was Steve Prefontaine. This is the story of the fearless Oregon runner who raced from the front and refused to hold anything back, and his bond with legendary coach Bill Bowerman, the man who’d go on to co-found Nike. Pre died at just 24, but the way he ran still shapes how we talk about guts today. If you’ve ever wondered why people romanticise this sport, this is your answer.
Watch via: Prime Video or Apple TV (rent or buy)
Proof that the best running stories aren’t always about winning. This short New Zealand doco follows a back of the pack runner chasing the Tarawera 100 miler, where finishers are gifted a pounamu, a hand carved greenstone that carries deep meaning in Māori culture. It’s only thirty minutes long and it will absolutely wreck you, in the best way. Tissues on hand again, we’re sorry.
Watch via: YouTube (Find Your Feet Films)
From a US Air Force missile silo to the very top of the ultra world, this is the story of Jim Walmsley becoming the first American man to win UTMB. What makes it land isn’t the winning though, it’s the failing. Four attempts, four different heartbreaks, and a partnership with his wife Jess holding the whole thing together. A good reminder that the best stuff usually sits on the other side of a lot of not quite.
Watch via: YouTube (OVRLND Studio)
For anyone who thinks running gets better the moment it gets a little unhinged. Ultrarunner Gary Robbins, yes, the Barkley legend from our first list, takes on a brutal, freezing backcountry adventure, filmed on the go by a mate. It’s raw, it’s funny, and it’s very type two fun. Best of all it’s free on YouTube, so there’s no excuse not to hit play tonight.
Watch via: YouTube
These are the films our team keeps coming back to, but we know there are plenty more out there. If there’s a running film you reckon deserves a spot on the next list, let us know. We’re always hunting for the next rest day watch!
Check out some of the amazing running events across Australia on RunDais. Whether it’s your first 5km or your first ultra, there’s something out there for you:
Every event, every review, every club you love. Start your free RunDais account and keep it all in one spot.
