26.2 to Life

26.2 TO LIFE is an award-winning documentary that explores the transformative power of San Quentin’s 1000 Mile Club, a running club inside the prison in which volunteer veteran marathoners train with incarcerated runners in preparation for a marathon that takes place entirely behind the prison walls — 105 dizzying laps around the crowded Lower Yard.

For the men who take their places at the starting line on a cool, sunny November morning, completing the marathon means more than entrée into an elite group of athletes. It’s a chance to be defined by more than their crimes.

A story of transformation and second chances, the film offers a rare glimpse into a world out of bounds, as the men navigating life sentences seek redemption and freedom… or something like it.

With the 0% recidivism rate among the 1000 Mile Club’s released runners (the national rate is 67%), the film shows how powerful community engagement can be, both for prisoners and volunteers, who gain a complex understanding of who ends up in prison and why, and what true rehabilitation looks like.