A Tracksmith Film

Church of the
Long Run

DIRECTED BY EMILY MAYE

Sunday mornings are a time for reflection. In the congregation of runners, we often single out that day as the one where we too, pay our penance. The Sunday long run becomes a weekly ritual where we allow for the time it takes. Whether in a group or in solitude, we carve out the space necessary to participate in physical communion. One received only through prolonged effort. Done correctly, it’s a truly hypnotic, meditative experience built at the altar of another week's worth of showing up. For the runner, this is deliverance. This is church.

"Church of the Long Run" follows nurse practitioner and runner Sam Roecker in real time on her Sunday long run in the foothills of Rollinsville, Colorado. The film is both a celebration and an acknowledgment of the importance of dedicating oneself to the process. It serves as an authentic portrait of a moment in time when the runner is truly engaged in her movement. We get to come along for the ride (run). 

Remaining faithful to every inch of the road, the camera patiently leads and follows, moving around the runner to reveal a 360° perspective of her run and the scenery that surrounds her. Utilizing an arm car and shot on the Alexa LF and Cooke 30-95 FF Zoom, the film features long uninterrupted takes, while the camera interferes minimally, offering an honest and meditative look at the process of the long run. A testament to dedication and consistency, it is about going through the experience and taking what you can from it.

Tracksmith: What was the inspiration for the film and how did it come to be?

Emily Maye:  As we've photographed so many days of continuous runs over many years, we thought, “It would be really cool to watch this in its simplest form: to see a whole run unfold uninterrupted.” That element of letting a run occur naturally has been an essential part of our storytelling. This film is the fullest extension of that idea.

Sam, what was this long run like for you?

Sam Roecker: It was different because I have definitely fallen out of what people would call “tip top shape” this year as I’ve been focusing on other goals, mainly school and finishing my degree. I took this year off from racing and long runs have been the staple of my training. But there was just this new kind of pressure for this long run, with it being completely non-stop and completely alone in a place that I've never run before.

Coming from sea level and going up to over 9,000 feet was really intimidating. I've had a few injuries since my marathon PR, which was two years ago at this point. I felt like I was almost preparing for a race when I was doing it. It was exciting to feel the adrenaline of getting ready for a big event in a different way.