Going the Distance

DREAM TEAM RUNNER PAPPAS AND filmmaker Teicher explore the world of elite running in Tracktown, a feature film scheduled for release to precede the 2016 Olympics, in which Pappas hopes to com- pete. The pair are co-writers, co-directors and co-producers of the film, which stars Pappas as Plum Marigold, an Olympic hopeful long-distance runner. “Tracktown takes place in the world of sports, but is not a sports movie,” Teicher says. “The emotional core of the story is universal.”

The film has evolved from a vague idea conceived over a picnic into a project backed by Sundance Institute’s Creative Producing Lab and the San Francisco Film Society. Despite a budget of less than $1 million, Tracktown features tal- ent such as Rachel Dratch ’88 of Saturday Night Live, Andy Buckley of The Office and Olympic runners Nick Symmonds, Ian Dobson and Andrew Wheating. Cassie Siegel ’12 is the film’s executive producer.

Tracktown is the couple’s second pro- fessional film venture. They began col- laborating at Dartmouth and co-wrote Tall as the Baobab Tree (2012), after which Teicher was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Indepen- dent Film.

Pappas’ schedule keeps her running as she balances Tracktown with training to make the 2016 Olympic track team. She is a three-time collegiate All-American and 2012 Olympic trials qualifier. “The common misconception about both run- ning and writing is that you’re gifted or you’re not,” Pappas says. “It’s much more about hard work and being disciplined. I’m extremely busy, but I’ve never been happier.”

The filmmaker couple met when Pappas helped Teicher with a short film during his senior year. >>>>

“Tracktown is set in the world of distance running, but the emotional core of the story is universal, and anyone will be able to relate.”