Portland based filmmaker Alexandra Helgerson will be on hand at the Darkside Cinema Saturday night to premiere her documentary Age Group Winner. The film is about her father, Jay Helgerson, who shocked the world in 1980 by becoming the first person to run a marathon a week for a year – each race completed in under three hours. The screening is co-hosted by Corvallis’ Heart of the Valley Runners.
For the last ten years, Helgerson’s daughter, Alexandra, followed him with a camera, and worked to understand the eccentric man who raised her. What she gets are his projected anxieties, his struggles with physical age and emotional distress, all while he endlessly trains for the Boston Marathon.
But as Jay trains, the film is nearly derailed by Alexandra’s encounter with a life-threatening illness. 2025 marks one year since Alexandra began her recovery from surgery, radiation and chemotherapy to treat a sarcoma tumor that had formed on her thigh.
She’s grateful to join her dad on the occasional run, a 30-year tradition. 2025 also marks 45 years since Jay set his weekly world record. He still runs daily in Portland’s Forest Park. And at 70 he just ran his 19th Boston Marathon.
Saturday’s screening
Heart of the Valley Runners, or HOTV runners, Ken Ward and Meghan Canfield will join Alexandra for a post-film Q&A. Helgerson says she’s excited to spend some time in Corvallis this weekend, as the last time she was here was twenty years ago when the Cal women’s basketball team took on the Beavers at Gill Coliseum.
Her father Jay will also be at the Darkside Saturday night. “We’re very happy to partner with Heart of the Valley Runners.” Helgerson says, “And we’re excited for our post film talkback with local running greats Meghan Canfield and Ken Ward.
The screening is set for 7 pm, Saturday, May 17. After the special screening, the film will still have showings at the Darkside until May 22.
Age Group Winner Website: https://www.agegroupwinner.com/
Age Group Winner Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz4ChfQ3uec
Darkside Cinema Website: https://darksidecinema.com/
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