Long after the winners of the New York City Marathon break the tape, hours after the media interviews wrap and most spectators have moved on, a quieter but no less determined group of runners is still on the course.
Some are using headlamps or glow sticks handed out by volunteers. Others are walking. A few are near tears. But they are all still moving forward.
A new short film, Final Finishers, which premiered last month at the Tribeca Festival, turns its lens on these late arrivals, runners who complete the 26.2-mile course well after dark, often in nine or ten hours.
The film, produced by New York Road Runners (NYRR), departs from the usual sports documentary approach that centers on elite performance and instead highlights the persistence of people whose goal is simply to finish.
Among them is Michael Ring, who appears in the film.
In 2014, he was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder that left him temporarily paralyzed. Years later, after slowly regaining mobility, he completed the 2017 NYC Marathon with the help of ankle braces.
His time, just under 10 hours, wasn’t fast, but it marked a personal milestone that many elite runners might never face: learning to walk again, then deciding to run.
Another subject is Martinus Evans, founder of the Slow AF Run Club, which champions body inclusivity and slower paces in the running world.
He began running after a doctor dismissed him with a laugh when he said he wanted to train for a marathon. Instead of backing down, he started running, and kept going.
He’s now completed eight marathons and is training for his ninth.
The stories aren’t framed around inspirational clichés or dramatic transformation. Instead, the film emphasizes how finishing a race, regardless of time, can be meaningful in ways that aren’t always visible from the outside.
“Getting to the finish line, no matter how many hours it takes you, is life changing,” Meb Keflezighi, the 2009 NYC Marathon and 2014 Boston Marathon winner, said at the film’s premiere. He was joined by Olympians Conner Mantz, Clayton Young, and Beverly Ramos in the Tribeca audience.
The project marks the first release from NYRR’s new production arm, East 89th St Productions, which the organization launched earlier this year to tell more stories rooted in recreational and community running. A docuseries may follow, though distribution plans have not yet been finalized.
According to NYRR CEO Rob Simmelkjaer, Final Finishers is part of an intentional shift. “These runners are the most relatable to so many people out there,” he told The Guardian. “Watching someone win the marathon in two hours and five minutes isn’t going to make most people feel like they can be a runner. But these runners do.”
According to Running USA’s 2023 National Runner Survey, more than half of race participants identify as casual or recreational runners, and average marathon finish times have slowly crept up in recent years.
While elite athletes still dominate media coverage and brand deals, there’s growing recognition that they represent only a small part of the larger running ecosystem.
Events like the NYC Marathon have responded by extending finish line operations and adding support for those who take longer to complete the course.
London Marathon’s tailwalkers, who follow the final participants all the way to the finish, are one example of that shift. So is the addition of glow sticks and DJ booths late in the day in Central Park.
Whether Final Finishers finds a broader audience remains to be seen.
The film is still seeking distribution, and not all production companies were initially convinced of its premise. As Simmelkjaer noted, some asked if the project would feature global stars like Eliud Kipchoge. It won’t. That was never the point.
Instead, the focus is on the people who are easy to overlook; those finishing alone, sometimes with tears in their eyes, and without crowds to cheer them in.
They’re still finishing. And maybe that’s the story worth telling
