It’s time to get ready to welcome the 11,200 runners, their families and countless friends and supporters who will be on hand from all over the country for next weekend’s Twin Cities Marathon, billed, appropriately, as “The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America.”
The ultra-popular annual race (the 29th running this year) reached capacity (PDF) in June, and the weekend of events is always a Twin Cities highlight of early fall.
What better way to help participants prepare for those last training days than with some fitting “running” songs (and one movie medley of running scenes)?.
So, spread the word about this wide range of songs, some of which may jog your memories, too (sorry about that). And, on a personal note: Go, Nate!
Let’s start with nearly a minute’s worth of movie running scenes — enjoy!
And then move on to a race winner that combines movies and music: Vangelis’ 1982 No.1 hit — the theme from the Oscar-winning film “Chariots of Fire.”
Then, a musical run
We’ve got one song a mile here for marathoners — plus a couple of extras. But feel free to add some other running songs in the Comment section below.
• How about three “Run to” songs? We’ve got Bobby Vee’s “Run to Him,” the BeeGees’ “Run to Me” and Bryan Adams’ “Run to You.”
• And then two very different hit songs that share the same name: Del Shannon’s classic “Runaway” and Jefferson Starship’s superb “Runaway.”
• A couple of early rock ‘n’ roll smashes — the Impalas’ doo-wop number “Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home)” and the Ventures’ “Walk — Don’t Run” (and its updated 1964 version.)
• We’ll pause near the halfway mark for a Minnesota garage band classic — the Mankato-based Gestures’ “Run, Run, Run,” a late 1964 song that barely missed the national Top 40.
• Some “repeat” run songs: Neil Sedaka’s “Run Samson Run,” the Newbeats’ “Run Baby Run (Back Into My Arms),” David Geddes’ “Run Joey Run” and the Temptations’ “Runaway Child, Running Wild”
• Two “Runarounds” — Dion’s “Sue” and the Fleetwoods’ “Runaround”
• Four “running” songs: Roy Orbison’s “Running Scared,” Johnny Preston’s “Running Bear,” Lionel Richie’s “Running With the Night” and Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty”
A long downhill run
And we’ll coast to the finish with a long run of “Run” songs — ending with The Boss (and a “Sesame Street” wannabe).
• Candi Staton’s “Young Hearts Run Free”
• Carly Simon’s “Let the River Run”
• Martha and the Vandellas’ “Nowhere to Run”
• The Eagles’ “The Long Run”
• The Steve Miller Band’s “Take the Money and Run”
• Dan Fogelberg’s “Run for the Roses”
• Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Run Through the Jungle”
• Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Band on the Run”
• Sweet’s “Fox on the Run”
• Gene Pitney’s “True Love Never Runs Smooth”
• And Bruce Springsteen’s anthemic “Born to Run” …
… Not to be confused with the “Sesame Street” tribute “Born to Add” (complete with a timely “Jersey Shore” reference).
