During a six-week recovery from surgery to remove a pilonidal sinus in his back, filmmaker Alex Vero decides to take up the challenge of qualifying for the Beijing Olympic Marathon in 2008 by running a marathon in 2 hours and 20 minutes, and making a documentary in the process. He begins training, and quickly realizes that he is massively out of shape and suffers debilitating shin splints. He joins a running club, begins training with legendary distance runner Bruce Tulloh and undergoes physical therapy to evaluate his progress, refusing to give up when his physical evaluation says he would fail to complete a marathon in under 2:45 hours.
