Press
ESPN Films’ “26.2 to Life” to Premiere April 8 at 9pm ET on ESPN
“ESPN Films announced its newest documentary “26.2 to Life” will premiere April 8, 2024 at 9pm ET on ESPN, and available to stream on ESPN+ immediately following its linear debut. The winner of over a dozen festival awards, “26.2 to Life” tells the story of incarcerated men at San Quentin Prison who are members of the 1000 Mile Club, the prison’s long distance running club, who train all year for the prison’s 26.2 mile marathon.”
You’re Not Your Worst Crime: How a Prison Marathon Changes Lives
“In her new documentary, Christine Yoo explores a chance for inmates in the beleaguered U.S. prison system to be defined by more than just their crimes. The film, "26.2 to Life," goes behind barbed wire to capture the running club of the infamous San Quentin Prison.”
Inside story: the San Quentin prison marathon
“Running a marathon is life-changing for many, but for those who make it to the finish of the San Quentin Marathon – 105 laps around the yard of the Californian prison immortalised by Johnny Cash – the journey can be truly transformative.”
26.2 to Life’ Review: Running in Circles
“Christine Yoo’s new documentary follows the inmates of San Quentin Prison in California who train to run a grueling marathon inside its yard.”
From prison to the finish line: Documentary chronicles marathon runner's journey
“ABC News’ Linsey Davis spoke with Christine Yoo, director of the documentary “26.2 to Life” and former inmate Markelle Taylor on the prison marathon that changed the course of his life.”
Prison inmates train for marathon in the inspiring '26.2 to Life'
“The new documentary '26.2 to Life' tells the story of incarcerated men who are members of the 1000 Mile Club, the San Quentin prison's long distance running club. Director and Producer Christine Yoo and former inmate, runner and film subject, Markelle Taylor, discuss.”
Run With Joy and Love
“Markelle Taylor started running as part of the 1000 Mile Club in San Quentin State Prison. Now he’s returning as a mentor."
How the San Quentin Marathon Changes Lives, One Lap at a Time
“It’s hard enough to train for a marathon. But what if you could only train in a crowded prison yard, with borrowed running shoes, on a small track with potholes and six 90-degree turns?"
Documentary spotlights San Quentin marathon runners
“In San Quentin State Prison, they are known as convicts doing time for burglary, drug trafficking, assault or murder. But on one day in November, they are known as marathon runners, and now their stories have been chronicled in a new documentary."
Watch a documentary about San Quentin’s marathon runners this weekend in Berkeley
“The new film ‘26.2 to Life,’ shot almost entirely within the walls of the Marin County prison, opens Friday at Rialto Cinemas Elmwood."
26.2 TO LIFE: Running, Prison Reform, & Personal Transformation (Ep.181)
“Does running have the power to transform the prison system? According to the data, it might, and it definitely has the power to ignite personal transformation, as you will see in the remarkable new documentary, 26.2 TO LIFE.”
26.2 TO LIFE – Review by Valerie Kalfrin
“When you think about it, running often is punishment, someone notes in the documentary 26.2 to Life. How many times in a sport has a coach told players to run ten laps?”
HERE ARE THE MOST ANTICIPATED MOVIES of FALL 2023
“What’s the anatomy of a fall movie season? Here’s a select list of features coming to theaters and streaming services beginning later this month."
Trailer for Doc '26.2 to Life' About the San Quentin Prison Marathon
“ It's a community now. If you can't live in a community in here, you can't live in a community out there.’ An official trailer has debuted for a documentary film titled 26.2 to Life, made by filmmaker Christine Yoo.”
26.2 TO LIFE at GCUFF
“CIFF47 alum – and the recipient of its ReelWomenDirect Award for Excellence in Directing By a Woman – 26.2 TO LIFE is back on the big screen in Cleveland as part of the 2023 Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival, taking place September 14th-22nd.
Local Talent Lies Behind Two Powerful New Documentaries
“From prison dramas like HBO’s “Oz” to “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Escape from Alcatraz,” Hollywood has been obsessed with life behind bars and the lurid backstories of the incarcerated. However, “26.2 to Life,” a polished, engrossing documentary offers a nuanced, radically different perspective.”
Prisoners Race Toward Personal Freedom in Inspiring 26.2 to Life Trailer
“The average recidivism rate of prisoners in the U.S. is 43%, meaning that almost half of incarcerated individuals will return to prison. That's not supposed to happen; they call it "corrections" for a reason.”
Hoka Footing Bill For Theatrical Release Of ‘26.2 To Life,’ Doc About Runners Club Inside San Quentin Prison...
“EXCLUSIVE: Performance footwear brand Hoka is providing traction for a new documentary filmed within California’s oldest state prison.”
As San Quentin prison vows to transform, its residents ask: is change possible?
“Inside California’s oldest prison, a mix of hope and fear as the governor’s $380m plan to ‘reimagine’ incarceration begins.”
Santa Barbara Film Fest Awards go to
‘26.2 to Life’...
“The Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced its prizewinners Saturday morning, with “26.2 to Life,” directed by Christine Yoo, winning the audience choice award.”
DOC NYC 2022: 10 Must-See Films at America’s Biggest Documentary Festival
“An essential watch for anyone who loves “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” and/or loathes America’s carceral state, Christine Yoo’s riveting and humane “26.2 to Life” profiles San Quentin State Prison’s 1000 Mile Club, which offers the men locked up in California’s oldest maximum-security jail a new reason to put one foot in front of the other.”
‘26.2 to Life’: The Must-See Doc About Running a Marathon in California’s Most Notorious Prison
“The grim cellblocks of San Quentin stand in sharp contrast to life outside prison walls. Yoo’s team secured unusual access to shoot inside the facility, and the results are remarkably intimate.”
Festival Recap: Santa Barbara Film Festival 2023
“The power of the film had me in tears by the end of it all.”
SANTA BARBARA FILM FESTIVAL: 6 GREAT FILMS TO CHECK OUT
“This is not a running film, but rather one that forces us to learn more about the incarcerated as people with hopes, dreams and regrets for horrific misdeeds… makes argument for rehabilitation versus warehousing.”
FESTIVAL RECAP: SANTA BARBARA FILM FESTIVAL
“Speaking of standouts, I absolutely adored the documentary 26.2 to Life. Director Christine Yoo’s film is a fantastic redemption story… with an amazing hip hop soundtrack… I was in tears by the end because this is such a remarkably inspirational message and story that must be seen to be believed.”
26.2 TO LIFE FILMMAKER CHRISTINE YOO JOINS NEWS CHANNEL 3-12 MORNING TEAM AHEAD OF THE SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL PREMIERE
“The documentary gives audiences a glimpse into a usually unseen world…”
THERE’S MORE TO THE STORIES OF THESE MEN THAN YOU KNOW
“There’s no better feeling than rooting for someone in a documentary, especially when part of the world wishes they be forgotten.”
INSIDE THE SAN QUENTIN MARATHON
“They have all been sent away for a very long time, to a place that could have—and, some will no doubt say, should have—broken them. And yet each woke up this morning with enough of his spirit intact to try something difficult and potentially uplifting, even if nobody else is watching or cares.”
BK-born inmate runs marathons behind bars in inspiring film
“Yoo said she wanted to look at the inmates’ daily routines as well as their training, essentially “what does life with a life sentence look like in prison?” she said.”
HE QUALIFIED FOR THE BOSTON MARATHON WHILE RUNNING IN PRISON. NOW, HE'S A FREE MAN WITH BIGGER GOALS.
“To the outside world, Markelle Taylor was an inmate. But behind the walls at San Quentin State Prison, he had a different reputation - the fastest athlete with unmatched grit. Now, he's racing on the world's biggest stages as a free man and making strides toward a better life.”
RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES: SF DOCFEST FILMS FOLLOW ATHLETES GOING TO EXTREMES
“Our main social goal is to change people’s assumptions that they have about people in prison.”
HE RAN MARATHONS IN PRISON.
BOSTON’S WAS EASIER.
“Markelle Taylor started running as an antidote to despair. This week he ran the Boston Marathon as a free man, with a time of 2:52:00.”
ESSAY: SAN QUENTIN 1000 MILE CLUB AN ESCAPE FROM FEELING THE HEAVY WEIGHT OF HATE
“What brings us together is our common interest in running and our goal of becoming better people.”
DOCUMENTARY SHINES LIGHT ON RUNNING CLUB INSIDE SAN QUENTIN
“I wholeheartedly believe that giving people the opportunity to have programs and activities and an opportunity to engage with free people and community has a positive impact… not just on people inside, but also on the volunteers. They have been equally transformed through the process.”
EVERYTHING WE LOVED ABOUT SIFF
"26.2 to Life" is a force of a documentary that takes viewers on a journey through the highs and lows and every emotion in between. It is not just compelling; it's completely captivating.“
New documentary '26.2 to Life' tells story of inmates who joined a prison running club
“First-time film director Christine Yoo wanted to break down the viewers and her own preconceptions of inmates serving indeterminate and in many cases life sentences.”
Lots of tired, jargony academic pieces about carceral geography and mass incarceration blather about “bodies” and “embodiment”, but nowhere is the somatic experience of an incarcerated body more visceral than in this film.
They started running in San Quentin. Now, they’re taking on marathons
“What started out as a makeshift club intended to support a small group of inmates who were interested in running 1,000 miles each has now evolved into a group of more than 50 members, with participants ranging from those in their early 20s to late 70s. A number of members have run several thousand miles in the prison.”
Meet the Inmates Who Run Marathons Inside San Quentin State Prison
“Founded in 2005 and coached and sponsored by Marin County’s Tamalpa Running Club, the 1000 Mile Club and its approximately 50 members, many of whom are facing life sentences with little chance of parole, are the subject of a new documentary 26.2 to Life that is set to premiere on ESPN tonight. The winner of more than a dozen festival awards, the film came to life over the course of six years of director Christine Yoo visiting and documenting San Quentin.
San Quentin Prison Marathon Documentary to Air on ESPN
“The award-winning film follows inmates as they train and run 105 laps around the prison yard.”