By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The New York City Marathon’s often unheralded “back of the pack” runners will get their place in the spotlight at Tribeca Film Festival next month, as race organisers debut their first documentary under a newly launched content studio.
While the fastest runners usually dominate headlines, “Final Finishers” focuses on the last to cross the line in Central Park late into the night, as fans and race officials cheer them on.
This approach differs from many large-scale marathons, where slower runners are “swept” from the course and not allowed to finish.
“We have really prided ourselves for a long time on the inclusiveness of our event and the fact that we know there are people who dream of running the New York City Marathon who don’t have the ability to run in four or five or six hours,” said New York Road Runners CEO Rob Simmelkjaer.
“The sun goes down, the music starts and it really turns into a party scene – we are celebrating with music and we’ve got thunder sticks and a whole party to celebrate these runners.”
One featured runner was 62-year-old Janelle Hartman from Queens, who was the last person to cross the line in 2018 at 10:07 p.m., finishing in 10 hours 57 minutes and 56 seconds.
Hartman, who began volunteering at the marathon in 2013 and will hand out medals this year, hopes her story will inspire other runners who don’t believe they fit the part.
“There’s personal pressure. I thought, ‘oh, I have to lose weight and look a certain way to do this’,” said Hartman, who will attend the Tribeca premiere. “And part of me thought ‘if I wait till I am at a certain weight or look… I’m not gonna get this goal’.”
The New York City Marathon benefits from a Central Park finish line, where operations can continue without disrupting traffic, and dedicated workers and volunteers who keep runners safe after the roads reopen.
The documentary is the first under NYRR’s new content studio – East 89th St Productions – as it expands media offerings under Simmelkjaer, a former ESPN executive.
Since he was named CEO in 2022, NYRR hired its first head-of-content and launched a podcast amid booming popularity in distance running.
More than 200,000 people applied for the marathon lottery this year, up 22% from 2024.
“What makes us interesting and special is the quote-unquote ordinary people who do extraordinary things,” Simmelkjaer said.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Toby Davis)
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