Do we have better conversations when we run? Are we more open to answering the deeper questions when we’re on the move?
That certainly seems to be the conclusion of The Runners, an insightful short film that’s currently doing the rounds. The work of film directors Matan Rochlitz and Ivo Gormlay, it consists of a serious of on-the-move interviews with runners in Victoria Park, east London.
The directors skip the small talk and dive straight in with the profound stuff: “What’s the most important thing that’s happened to you?”; “Have you ever been in love?”; “Who’s your favourite person?” The answers are remarkable.
There’s the son struggling to come to terms with his dad’s dementia; the science teacher who worries she’s now too old to have kids; the male runner who talks frankly about battling depression in his late 20s. Not to mention arguments in favour of Creationism and marital pacts about having more sex.
It’s fascinating viewing, and it makes me think about the all the great conversations I’ve had while running. Maybe there’s something in the meditative quality of constant forward movement. Or maybe I’m just not running hard enough. Whatever it is, I’ve always found running to be a facilitator of interesting, honest discussion.
Certainly, The Runners’ co-director Ivo Gormley found himself becoming envious of a runner’s state of mind. Writing in The Guardian, he confessed: ‘I became quite envious of this state of mind and the focus that runners expressed. It made me excited about being human and of their sense of peace and understanding of the present.’ So, what do you think? Do runners have better conversations?
