Running is a tough business. Day in, day out, elite runners push their minds and bodies to the very limits of pain and endurance to have their success determined by hundredths of a second. But what motivates them?

Filmed over four years, Sam Blair’s Personal Best is a feature length documentary that follows the lives of four of Britain’s best sprinters in the run up to the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games. The film examines the lives of elite athletes both on the track, and off, and reveals the intense mental and physical challenges that they subject themselves to in order to succeed.

In this video, director Sam Blair and producer Jessica Levick talk about Personal Best, discussing the personal nature of the documentary filming process, the transformative power of athletics, and what has happened to each of the sprinters since the filming completed.

Posted on Tue 17 July 2012.

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