Tim Jeffreys, Director
Tim Jeffreys is an American filmmaker. This is his first full-length feature film. His first film, Shoestrings, a documentary short has been shown in film festivals around the country. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Follow him on Instagram: @thjeffreys
When I began filming The 41st Day in 2012, the plan was to simply follow the life and training of Ryan Hall, then America’s best marathoner.
I was a huge fan of distance running, and I was excited by the idea of sharing the story of one of my favorite athletes. I’d tell the story of Ryan's build-up to the London Olympics, with the race being the culmination of his work and the climax of the film. It was supposed to be an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look at the ins-and-outs of life as one of America’s top athletes, at the peak of his success. Ryan had been on a tear at this point, setting American records and running high-profile races stride-for-stride with the world’s best; and he was letting me follow along!
That was the plan, at least. Where the project actually went is quite different, and as soon as it started, I realized it would be about a lot more than distance running, and that it would resonate with a far wider audience than just fans of running in general, or Ryan specifically.
In early 2011, it came out that Ryan had left the coach who had helped get him to such a high level, and instead, declared he was being coached by God, and leaning even harder on his faith. This was a controversial career decision, that drew skepticism from n the running world.
He took things even further after qualifying for his second Olympic team, by fasting for a week after the race, in hopes that he would be able to more clearly hear God, and gain a sense of direction for the Olympics and his training. Through a vision, Ryan prophesied he would emerge from London not only an Olympic champion, but a world-record holder as well.
And that’s the turning point for Ryan. In his eyes, there is no half-way: he goes all in with his religion, and his running, and inextricably links the two. Early in the film, we double back on Ryan’s past, establishing his importance as an athlete, and his ascension to elite marathoner, but from there, it chronicles Ryan’s attempts to rediscover his athletic form of years past, while simultaneously reinventing himself as a person and Christian.
We hear extensively from Ryan and those in his inner-circle, as well as many authoritative voices in the sport of running, oftentimes critics of Ryan’s methodology. We see the transition of Ryan-the-athlete into Ryan-the-man, as he comes to grips with the loss of focus and passion he exhibits for the sport he once loved.
Instead of Olympic glory, the film concludes four years later with Ryan’s early retirement from the sport of running. While he concedes he might have done things differently, he also maintains his new life is a happy one, highlighted by, church, hobbies, and family, which now includes four adopted daughters from Ethiopia. He says he’s happier now than ever before. But the viewer is left contemplating to what extent Ryan regrets how his career panned out, and whether or not he still is haunted by the void of “what if.”
What started as a straightforward mission of sharing an athlete’s story became the complex narrative of a man’s unsuspecting journey to reinvent himself once what he once held dear begins to betray him.
The final product is one that I hope will enthrall fans of running (especially those who helped support the project in its infancy, when it was just a twinkle in my Kickstarter’s eye), as well as anyone who has ever called into question who they are, or who has experienced failure so profound it's shaken the foundation of their identity.
It’s a story I’ve spent nearly a decade telling, and one that I know viewers will find engaging, relatable, frustrating, and inspiring all at once. I set out to tell a tale for runners, but I wound up with a story for anyone who’s ever struggled to find joy in the unexpected.
Tim Jeffreys, Director