In San Quentin State Prison, they are known as convicts doing time for burglary, drug trafficking, assault or murder. But on one day in November, they are known as marathon runners, and now their stories have been chronicled in a new documentary.
For nearly two decades, inmates inside the maximum-security prison in Marin County have been part of the 1,000 Mile Club — an organization that challenges them to run 1,000 miles during the course of their sentences. The club’s biggest event is the 26.2-mile marathon and it is the subject of ”26.2 to Life,” opening Friday with a sold-out show at the Roxie Theater in the Mission.
Director Christine Yoo and San
Francisco-based producer Jennifer Kroot recently spoke with The Examiner about the new film.
Yoo says she became interested in the prison marathon when a friend was wrongly convicted, sentenced to 271 years in prison and then released 26 years later.
“It impacted me a lot,” she says. “I started thinking, ‘How do you live in prison? What does that actually look like?’ So, hearing about the marathon at San Quentin, I thought it was a great vehicle for telling the story. There’s nothing more cinematic than running.”
Yoo originally envisioned the movie as a feature film — she had never made a documentary before — but that changed when she went to the prison to start researching and talking to inmates.
“I was struck by what these guys were telling me,” she says. “I met Markelle Taylor, the ‘Gazelle.’ He was the fastest runner of the club. He was the star. I had to cast him. I didn’t know anything else about him.”
Next, she met Rahsaan Thomas, who was working as a sports writer for the prison’s newspaper, the San Quentin News.
“He was making me laugh,” she says. “I was really struck by that. I almost felt ashamed of myself for thinking that people wouldn’t be laughing in prison, like they would stop being themselves.”
She also met Tommy Lee Wickerd, a former white supremacist who, according to the film, began dealing in alcohol, weapons, and drugs when first incarcerated. Running gave him a new outlook, and led to his marrying his partner, Marion, while still incarcerated, and becoming the father of her adopted son, Tommy Jr.
The 1,000 Mile Club is just one of many clubs and organizations inside the prison to help rehabilitate the men.
“In San Quentin, there are so many types of programs and clubs, lots of rehabilitative programs. The cruel irony is that a lot of these guys have more opportunities in there than they ever had growing up,” Yoo says. “If they had some of these resources when they were younger, they might not be incarcerated.”
While doing her research for the film Yoo also took to the prison track. The marathon requires that runners complete 105 laps around the track for 26.2 miles.
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“That is not an easy track,” she says. “There are people cris-crossing you, and birds get in the way.”
Between interviews with runners, couches and others involved in the running club and the marathon, Yoo found that she had an overwhelming amount of footage.
“I shot like 100 days because I couldn’t stop shooting,” she says.
That’s where producer Kroot came in.
Kroot, who directed the documentaries “To Be Takei” and ”The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin,” says she and Yoo had an instant connection when they first met.
“I saw a rough cut, and I thought, ‘This is a really powerful film,’” says Kroot. “Christine was out of money at that point, and she was taking other jobs, and I said, ‘This has to get back on track.’ So I helped raise money for the next steps.”
When the film was finished and finally premiered at San Quentin, Kroot says it was “mind-blowing.”
“It’s one of the most touching experiences that I’ve ever had. It meant so much to them,” she says.
Today, Kroot says she remains amazed by how fearless Yoo is and what she has been able to achieve.
“Christine had the ability to get them to open up,” Kroot says. “You cannot be vulnerable in prison. These were some very big, intimidating people. It was amazing to see these big, tough guys break down.”
Even with the film making its rounds at Bay Area theaters, Yoo still visits the prison and participates in the running club.
“I became part of the 1,000 Mile Club community,” she says. “They are just some of the greatest people I’ve ever met.”
