Endurance

Endurance is a 1999 docudrama about the famous distance runner Haile Gebrselassie with Gebrselassie playing the role of himself.

It was written and directed by Leslie Woodhead and Bud Greenspan, and produced and released by The Walt Disney Company. The movie features Gebrselassie's upbringing in Ethiopia and his subsequent triumph in the 10,000 meter track event in the Atlanta Olympic Games of 1996.

Plot
Ethiopian distance runner Haile Gebrsellasie, who won gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and is considered one of the greatest runners of all time, is a dramatization that often appears to be a documentary. Beautifully photographed, the footage shot in Haile's native land is often spectacular enough to make you think you're watching a National Geographic special. Haile's young life, such as a scene when his family is listening to a news report about warfare in Ethiopia and a report comes on about the 1980 Olympics, is portrayed with apparent accuracy, but not without a great deal of drama. There are many scenes of Haile running, past wildlife in the countryside or through crowded city slums, and while this gives what must be an accurate idea of him developing his athletic regimen, this is also not terribly dramatic on camera. Eventually, Haile is shown racing in Atlanta, valiantly overtaking all competition; his family back in Ethiopia is shown gathered around a television set, jubilantly watching his triumph. And while there's no denying that this is a touching and inspiring human story, the slow pace of the presentation tends to work against the inherent drama.

Production Credits

 * Actors: Haile Gebrselassie
 * Directors: Leslie Woodhead
 * Writers: Leslie Woodhead
 * Producers: Thomas Sumner, Werner Koenig, Erin O'Rourke, Sally Roy, Wallace Wolf
 * Studio: Disney
 * DVD Release Date: January 31, 2012
 * Run Time: 83 minutes