“You can stop my body. I am not my body.”
Vanderlei de Lima has one last chance to make it as a marathon runner.
One last crucial race to show that the decades of training were worth it:
to his wife, who divorced him because of his running obsession; to his trainer,
who had seen him fail but believes in his undying spirit; and to his home
country of Brazil, who sent him as their top marathon representative
to compete in the most-watched sporting event in human history to that day:
the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
Vanderlei tastes victory, outrunning 102 worldclass runners, one by one,
realizing his once-in-a-lifetime dream of competing at the Olympic marathon’s
birthplace over 2000 years ago. His entire life leading up to this very moment
flashes before his eyes, as he leads far ahead of the pack.
The world is riveted.
Suddenly – a madman breaks out of the crowd, violently pushing Vanderlei
to the ground. With the clock ticking, Vanderlei is faced with a life-changing
decision – give up or finish the race.