By Kyle Merber
September 27, 2023
There are not many opportunities for those of us in the running newsletter “space” to moonlight as film credits, and it would be an absolute shame to squander the few opportunities that do have. If you thought McFarland, USA or Tracktown had a niche intended audience (reluctant high school cross country runners conned into family movie night by their more sports-enthusiastic dads, and self-described braveys, respectively), then the pool of potential viewers for the mockumentary Limits might look more like your handful of running buddies who are still watching Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Fortunately, that population is probably subscribed to this newsletter, so I thought I’d let you know about it in case it did not come across your desk. For points of transparency, I am in the movie and the filmmaker/lead actor Daniel Winn is a friend. While conducting the interview for my “role” in the movie, I was not told what the film would be about so all of my answers and presumably that of others’ were sincere.
The story is about an aspiring professional runner who is confused why his agent is struggling to land him a contract while so many others were able to get one – it’s just not fair! As the fictional athlete, who is based on every unsponsored elite, navigates the confusing world of post-collegiate running, agents, coaches, and his value to brands, he descends into madness, basically, which is sort of the most logical response to it all.
The review I sent to Daniel was, “I hate how much I like this.” It caught me off-guard how painfully accurate it was in capturing the absurdity of semi- and full-on-professional track. While Limits was super enjoyable for me, and likely for you, I’d be very interested in hearing a review from a viewer who has not spent time in the presence of a 3:59-miler who can not understand why Nike is unwilling to fund their summer trip to Belgium.
Kyle Merber
After hanging up his spikes – but never his running shoes – Kyle pivoted to the media side of things, where he shares his enthusiasm, insights, and experiences with subscribers of The Lap Count newsletter, as well as viewers of CITIUS MAG live shows.
