Regent's filming of marathon story uses Beach sites

By Jan Warren

Correspondent

VIRGINIA BEACH

In 1967, 20-year-old Kathrine Switzer revolutionized long-distance running when she challenged the all-male tradition of the Boston Marathon, becoming the first woman to register for and run the event.

Last week, students from Regent University's award winning School of Communication & the Arts, took on the challenge of telling Switzer's story on film.

The 20-member crew filmed scenes at three Virginia Beach locations: First Landing State Park, the Viking Hotel on Atlantic Avenue and the track at Bayside High School. They've selected Old Towne Portsmouth to stand in for the city of Boston and the marathon scene.

"Kathrine Switzer's story got to me," said film producer, April Campion. "I love her passion and her heart. She was going to cross that finish line if she had to crawl. "

Switzer's message is about more than marathons.

"It's about anything in life you want to do with all your heart," Campion said. "There's always a finish line and sometimes you don't even know why you want to cross, but you go for it anyway!"

Switzer, a native of Vienna, Va., gave the students permission to make the movie, using her autobiography, "Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women's Sports," as the basis for the script.

In an e-mail to Campion, Switzer wrote, "Making a film is like running a marathon." Campion used her words to inspire the film crew.

"She's right," Campion said. "No matter what goes wrong in filming, you've got to take it over the finish line."

The 30-minute documentary is titled "261" - referring to Switzer's bib number at the Boston race.

The film crew strives to get each scene right. Jeff Dear, director of photography, analyzes shots and sequences with precision.

"Getting the perfect light and color makes a difference in telling the story," Dear said. His crew shoots on a 2-K silicon imaging camera as well as a super 8 mm.

Director/scriptwriter Isaac Pletcher is caught up in Switzer's story.

"And I mean personally caught up," he said. "I know I don't look like a runner, but because of her story, I've started running. Hey, I'm even losing a little weight."

The role of Switzer is played by Jesalyn White of Richmond, one of many actors to respond to the casting call.

"I so wanted this part," White said. "Kathrine changed the way women look at themselves. We can be physically fit and still feminine."

The crew hopes to bring the production in for less than $2,000. They've entered product logo contracts with Adidas and obtained permission from the Boston Athletic Association to use the official Boston Marathon logo.

The schedule calls for film "261" to be ready for a premier performance at Regent University in August.

But before that, early in June, the crew has been invited by Switzer to lace up their Adidas and run with her in a 10K mini marathon in New York City.

Jan Warren, janwarren@wcbeach.com