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Tebows Excited for Launch of Their First Feature Film, Run the Race

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In the upcoming movie Run the Race (in theaters February 22nd), teenage brothers David and Zach are desperate for better days to overcome their mother’s death and father’s alcohol-infused abandonment. They plan to do so through football.  With a ‘guaranteed’ athletic scholarship beckoning for younger brother Zach, their dream comes to an abrupt halt when he seriously injures his knee. 

Facing unbelievable odds, the brothers forge an unbreakable bond despite their circumstances to find a better way, one that ultimately drives them into the arms of God.

While Run the Race’s dynamic cast features Mykelti Williamson (Fences, Forrest Gump), Frances Fisher (Titanic, Unforgiven), and Tanner Stine (NCIS), it is the film’s executive producers that have people buzzing.  Why?  Former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Tim Tebow, along with his brother Robby, is making their first foray into the movie industry.

I recently spoke to Robby Tebow about what drew them to the Run the Race project, the valuable life lessons the film teaches, and what sets it apart from being just another sports movie.

For the record, who is older, you or Tim?

I am. I'm the middle of two older sisters and two younger brothers. Timmy is the baby of five kids.

This is your first experience on a full-length feature film.  Why did you and Tim want to jump into the movie industry as producers at this point in time?

As you have mentioned, this is our first theatrical movie situation. It's been an amazing journey and a great process. We never necessarily intended to be in the movie business. We probably had 25 and 30 scripts come across our desk that we hadn't looked at. We had passed on them just because we weren't motivated or passionate about being in the movie business. But we decided to get involved with this because it really resonated with us. It was just something that in today's media, the platform that it has, I think you can reach a lot of people. We were very intentional about being involved because we loved it and my dad's always told us if you're passionate about something and you love something, you're going to be great at it. That was six years ago and it's been an amazing journey. To get to this point is really exciting. There's been ups and downs and it's been a grind, but it's all worth it when you're doing something that you love. 

You just mentioned that this movie really resonated with both of you. Was there anything specific about the story that really just pulled you in and made you want to get involved?

Yes, absolutely. It's a fictional story, and not a story about me and Timmy. It’s about two brothers. We have always been close our whole lives and I have a bond with both of my brothers. I think there is a brother theme to this movie that needs to be explored … they go through the hurdles, the roadblocks, the ups and downs. What the family really goes through together is likely something you can relate to within your family because you've gone through it. In this movie Zach and Dave have that. The words in Jake McIntyre’s script jumped off the pages for me. When I read it originally I could just immediately relate to it. Maybe not specifically, but things that I've gone through, things that Timmy has gone through, just from sports to family scenarios to just life in general. This movie immediately impacted me.

Run the Race seems to be a movie that's about so much more than football. Of course, football's a thread that runs through the entire film. But from your perspective, what other themes does the movie demonstrate?

That's a great question. There's definitely a backdrop of sports with football and track. That’s something people can definitely relate to but family relationships are more important in this film.  My dad would always talk to us and preach to us from the book of Proverbs. ‘You surround yourself with wise men, you become wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.’ There's a line in the movie that says something similar, ‘Lay down with dogs, you wake up with fleas.’ Run the Race is about who you surround yourself with and ultimately who you put yourself around. It either makes you better or it can take you down a road you don't want to go. And so I think there's an aspect of that in the movie that can be encouraging, uplifting, and motivating to want to be around people that make you better. I think that whatever your dream is, whatever your goal, you need to be passionate about it. I also think it’s important to be persistent. When you love somebody, when you care about somebody, you don't always have to tell them. You just show them and live by your actions. Every day we live our lives and people see it. We don't always have to tell them. There's a lot in this movie that I think people will relate to. The realness and grittiness of life as well as the hurdles and roadblocks will resonate with people. But the movie is about overcoming and really trusting the people around you. 

From your perspective, what sets Run the Race apart from being just another sports movie? What makes it different? What makes it stand out?

When we set out to do this, we wanted to tell a story that people could relate to, something that felt very real. Frankly speaking, I think there's a lot of times where these big cinematic features just aren’t the best. We decided that if we're putting our name on it we wanted it to be a really good movie regardless of whether it was faith-based. We wanted this movie to have appeal with people everywhere. It doesn't matter what you believe or what religion you are. We want everybody to see this because it is a depiction of life. It’s about chasing after something you believe in. Sometimes we know what we're chasing after and sometimes we don't. I think people are starving for good content. We were very intentional about this, putting our hands and feet on the ground and doing everything we could to make this a really good viewing experience.

After people have seen Run the Race, from your perspective, what do you want to see audiences take away from the viewing experience? What's your greatest hope for the movie?

I just want people to be inspired and to understand that there's more to life and that there's something bigger out there. No matter what we're going through, we can have big goals and big dreams because we serve a big God. It's okay to continue to chase and to move forward. And no matter how many times you get punched in the face, you can take it and move on. I know this sounds cliché but I hope this movie touches people in some kind of ways that makes for positive change. If it's a mom, a coach, a teenager, somebody that is going through something, hopefully, they can draw something from Run the Race that will last and stay with them.

Run the Race opens in theaters nationwide on February 22nd.

Watch a trailer for Run the Race:

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About The Author

Chris
Carpenter

Chris Carpenter is the program director for CBN.com, the official website of the Christian Broadcasting Network. He also serves as executive producer for myCBN Weekend, an Internet exclusive webcast show seen on CBN.com. In addition to his regular duties, Chris writes extensively for the website. Over the years, he has interviewed many notable entertainers, athletes, and politicians including Oscar winners Matthew McConaughy and Reese Witherspoon, evangelist Franklin Graham, author Max Lucado, Super Bowl winning coach Tony Dungy and former presidential hopefuls Sen. Rick Santorum and Gov. Mike