Most marathon coverage follows the same script: lead runners break tape, cameras cut away, credits roll. The other 49,000-something finishers? Good luck finding footage.
“Final Finishers” is a 30-minute documentary short that makes the case that those runners — the ones still out on course long after the elites have showered and eaten — deserve their own close-up. And now it has a National Sports Emmy nomination to prove it.
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced this week that the film has been nominated in the Outstanding Sports Documentary Short category. Winners will be named at a ceremony at Lincoln Center on May 26.
The film was produced by New York Road Runners through its in-house studio, East 89th St Productions, in partnership with Tribeca Studios. It’s the organization’s first-ever nomination at the national level, following back-to-back New York Emmy wins for its TCS New York City Marathon broadcasts in 2024 and 2025.
“Final Finishers reflects our commitment to telling the full breadth of the running experience, spotlighting the everyday athletes whose journeys are just as inspiring as the champions.”
Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO of New York Road Runners
Who Made It
The film was directed by Rudy Valdez, a two-time Emmy Award winner, and co-produced with Tribeca Studios, the content arm of Tribeca Enterprises — the same organization behind the Tribeca Festival, where the film premiered in 2025.
It’s currently streaming on ESPN+ and Disney+. If you’re building a watchlist of the best running documentaries, this one belongs near the top.
Why It Matters for Runners
For anyone who has ever crossed a marathon finish line wondering if anyone was still watching — this film is the answer.
Back-of-pack runners make up the vast majority of participants in races like the TCS New York City Marathon, which drew a record 59,226 finishers in 2025. What counts as a “good” marathon time is a question that means something different to every single one of them — and “Final Finishers” gets that.
The Emmy ceremony takes place May 26 at Lincoln Center. The film is streaming now on ESPN+ and Disney+. And if the nomination is any indication, the running world’s best stories aren’t always happening at the front of the pack.
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