Thursday, December 19, 2013

Run Lola Run Ultra

A few months ago, a Philadelphia writer studied the film Rocky II, specifically Rocky's training montage, and deduced that he had run 30.61 miles en route from his home in South Philly to the iconic steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum.


It didn't take long for someone else to organize an actual ultramarathon to mimic the same path through Philadelphia.


Sadly, I missed the inaugural run, but may take part if there is a second edition next year.

This week in my German II class, we've been focusing on another film that features a lot of running:


Our current chapter focuses on German movies and music, and I'm trying to supplement the chapter with film clips and songs from German bands I like.  We dissect the lyrics or the words from a scene, we talk about how and why subtitles may vary from what is actually spoken, and the impact of movies and music on both German and American culture.  I encourage them to find things they like on their own, because I myself have learned a lot of German simply from finding something I like and watching/listening to it over and over.

Anyway, watching this movie, and having lived in Berlin where the movie is set, got me thinking about the actual route that Lola runs through Berlin.  The film does not have nearly the cultural impact on Berlin that Rocky holds over Philadelphia, and given the film's structure, her route is a bit more fractured than a simple A to B path.

But it sure does have me curious.  Using landmarks and street signs from the movie, could a similar race be constructed around the city of Berlin?

"Lola Ultra," anyone?

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