Gabi Hayes is a producer and filmmaker who grew up in former East Germany. Running gave her a sense of freedom living behind the Iron Curtain.

She met her American husband hitch-hiking after a bus broke down in East Germany, and they dated behind the Iron Curtain for 4 years.

After the Wall fell in 1989, she and Mark moved to the US and settled in Los Angeles. She couldn’t understand why there were so many homeless people in one of the richest cities in the US.

One Sunday morning she was reading the newspaper and saw and article about a criminal Judge who started a running club on Skid Row, the slum of Los Angeles.

Gabi and her husband Mark were intrigued by the story of the judge who ran with former addicts and homeless people to give them a sense of belonging and dignity.

Fast forward to 2017, the result is Skid Row Marathon, a powerful documentary about how one person can make a difference and impact people in a very positive way through running.

Skid Row Marathon has won over 27 festival awards and is one of my favourite documentaries about running.

What we talk about:

- Gabi’s childhood and life behind the Iron Curtain and how she met her American husband (great story)

- The documentary Skid Row Marathon

- Judge Mitchell and his passion for running marathons and helping others through running

- How running changes lives and gives people a second chance

- Gabi and Mark Hayes’ next film

More information:

www.skidrowmarathon.com

facebook.com/skidrowmarathon

twitter@skidrowmarathon

Official trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TSi1FJG_ZQ

Big Thank You to Gabi Hayes for sharing her inspiring story with me!

If you want to find out how you can improve your English, listening or reading about stories from the running community, visit my web page and hit the subscribe button: https://englishforthelongrun.com

Bye for now, and enjoy English for the long run!

Living Life by Scott Holmes Music