Emotional ESPN Documentary Follows NYC Marathon Runners Dealing With Addiction

Running 26.2 miles is a feat for any human being to accomplish. But a new ESPN documentary explores the “why” of a specific group of marathon runners.
“Nobody is running a marathon just to run a marathon,” one subject says in the film. “There’s always something behind it.”

“The Endless Race” follows three New York City Marathon participants who are either struggling with addiction themselves or navigating the addictions of their family members. The film explores themes of substance use, overcoming adversity, and finding community.

Director Jen Karson-Strauss enters the lives of Andrew Schwartz, Caroline Nevin, and Ken Castillo as they prepare for the 2024 NYC Marathon. Schwartz is nearing eight years of recovery in the film, while Castillo is a few months into his second year. Nevin has multiple family members in various stages of addiction and recovery.

Also featured in the documentary is Zac Clark, a recovering addict who founded Release, a multifaceted program aimed at supporting people in recovery. Through his foundation, Clark gathers a group of people to raise awareness and money by running the NYC Marathon every year.

But the real surprise of the documentary — and the device on which it hinges so much of its emotional punch — centers around Karson-Strauss.

“The Endless Race” packs an emotional punch — if you’re willing to accept a significant filmmaking choice

The documentary’s premise is traditional — a filmmaker interested in the human side of sport, and the audience follows its subjects throughout.

But what makes “The Endless Race” unique is how much we see of Karson-Strauss.

We hear her voice first. We see extensive archival footage of her and her family before her three subjects. We learn a lot about her brother Bret’s addiction — again, before the other subjects are formally introduced. She gives the first talking head interview.

When Karson-Strauss meets Clark, she says her brother’s story was the “motivation” for wanting to make a documentary about people struggling with substance use. It’s through Clark that she finds her marathoner subjects.

As the film progresses, more of the subjects’ stories unfold. Schwartz reveals he was adopted and his complicated feelings toward that. Nevin experiences a tense moment with her mother as her brother arrives unannounced, calling into question her mother’s boundaries.

Through it all, Karson-Strauss draws parallels between her subjects and her brother. She details the impact of her mother’s addiction and death.

The strongest documentaries, in my opinion, don’t center the filmmakers; they let the subjects carry the story. But there’s a case to be made that “The Endless Race” is a rare exception.

Should you watch “The Endless Race”?

The documentary does a few things right. Its subjects are compelling and diverse, each with a unique perspective on addiction and recovery. It balances archival footage with more recent cell phone recordings and photos, and even POV shots from the 2024 race.

The interviews feel revelatory. The access to the subjects is intimate. This suggests a director who knows what she’s doing and has earned trust — the hallmark of any good documentary.

The last 15 minutes of the documentary will leave audiences with a lump in their throats and reaching for tissues. It ends predictably, but also unexpectedly.

The biggest plus of this film is its relatability. Maybe not that many people have run marathons, but plenty have dealt with addiction in their own lives and families, or know someone who has.

How much we see of Karson-Strauss was where I personally bumped up against this film most, but by the end I came away feeling more positively about it. If viewers stick with this film and can look past its framing device, they’ll get a lot out of it — and may even consider training for a marathon someday.

“The Endless Race” streams on Hulu on Thursday, Oct. 29, and airs on ESPN on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 9:30 p.m. ET. It will stream on the ESPN app after that. Check out the trailer below.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

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