In 2016, an independent movie hit theaters and shared the magic of Eugene, Oregon, with the world. “Tracktown” tells the story of Plumb Marigold, a young, talented and lonely long-distance runner who twists her ankle as she prepares for the Olympic Trials and has to take the day off. Adventure ensues.
Alexi Pappas, MA '12 (interdisciplinary), who produced, wrote, directed and starred in the movie, wanted to showcase Eugene and feature its people, neighborhoods and running trails. It was a love letter of sorts to the world-class running and special culture of the University of Oregon that she had experienced as a student athlete and a graduate student.
"I think what inspired me about Eugene and UO is that it is a place where people bring their hopes and dreams, and they try to cultivate them into reality,” said Pappas. “And it's a place that actually welcomes that and nurtures it. And so a movie about such a place and those types of people felt exciting to me.”
This year, the film celebrates its 10th anniversary, and Pappas is returning to Eugene for a special screening through the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Cinema Studies. She is also teaching a masterclass in directing.
CAS Communications sat down with Pappas for a Q&A about her creative journey, her upcoming visit and what she loves about Eugene.
CAS Communications: You wrote and directed a movie about running, but also about Eugene and UO. What was it about that time in your life that inspired you to create "Tracktown?”
Alexi Pappas: Well, I think that the way that I'm approaching my art and storytelling and my life is just leaning into what feels expansive and true at the time and not assuming that the way I feel today is the way I will feel forever. And the stories I can tell today aren’t the stories I can tell forever. And so my experience in Eugene, this cusp of finishing the most structured time of many young people's lives, the end of my education, and the beginning of my professional dream-chasing journey, that’s the kind of intersection point that Plumb Marigold is at. And I wrote it right after that happened for me.
CASComms: What were some of the first steps you took to make the movie happen?
AP: I guess the first steps to making the movie happen come with an idea, right? So it does start with that and an idea that maybe feels like a shoe that's one size too big. An idea like you could imagine executing and doing, but it maybe feels a bit ambitious. And that's how this movie felt. Which is the right kind of ambition to have. And then we wrote the script.
CASComms: What you go through mentally and physically as a long-distance runner could be compared to the ups and downs of making a movie or doing long-term creative and emotional projects like writing a memoir. What do you tap into to see it through to the finish line?
AP: Imagine you’re standing outside of a swimming pool before you dive in, and that's a time in your life. Maybe it's a big decision-making time, and those are the times when we commit to a big dream. There's the time when you make the commitment. And then there's a period of time when you need to be in the swimming pool, and you need to be doing the work without questioning the likelihood of the dream itself happening.
And so the way that I've really structured my life as an athlete, as an artist, alike, is that I'll figure out something that I want to go for, and then I'll make a really thoughtful decision to go for it. And then I give myself a period of time to commit to the process.
Then every speed bump along the way — unless it's prohibitive — that's just a part of swimming in that big pool. There are waves. There's all this stuff. But I don't question the goal itself. And I think about that when I'm on a long run. I think about that when I'm in the process of making a movie. There are check-in points; it's not meant to be the easiest thing, but you're meant to give yourself the space to actually do it.
CASComms: You've written movies and a memoir. How did your interdisciplinary master of fine arts from the UO help you bring those projects to life? How has it helped you in other areas of your life?
AP: I would say that my experience at Oregon helped me learn how to communicate very, very well and very clearly. And I never had a cinema studies experience at Dartmouth, so having these classes that were focused exclusively on film felt like permission to lean into film myself as its own discipline in my life, too.
And I've kept friendships. It's an intimate place and there's not like a bajillion film students; you actually can maintain the connections and friendships and really help each other. And that's another thing I'll say is that Oregon is very supportive of artists in Oregon, telling stories in Oregon.
CASComms: What made you choose UO for your master's program?
AP: It was actually my poetry thesis advisor at Dartmouth who encouraged me to take the opportunity to go to Oregon where I could be both an athlete and a writer. And it was so difficult, actually, for me because I think that meant betting on mysterious parts of me, like my body and leaning into a dream.
Even the interdisciplinary program in Oregon meant I was saying I want to be like this entrepreneurial artist instead of just going straight academia, which the other poetry programs I was accepted into predicate. And so I think what made me do it was this crush I had on a life that didn't exist yet, that I felt that might open up to me if I was there. And it's so crazy because you go there and suddenly all your dreams feel not crazy to try to chase.
I love being a Duck. I am so proud. I think there was also this feeling of joining a tradition like across the board that I was like, "Man, what a privilege it would be to be a part of that."
CASComms: What do you plan to focus on for your directing masterclass?
AP: Because whenever I go back to the university, I don't want to hear myself speak. I want to help. I'll probably break it up into equal parts like practical — specifically how to bridge the gap between their big dream or this vague ambition of ‘I want to be a director’ to actualizing it. And then equal parts of trying to give them intangible support in the way of confidence and vocabulary shifts and the way to see their orientation with the cinematic universe or their creative world and wanting them to also feel like they can be present in their college experience.
Alexi Pappas is an Olympic runner, an award-winning filmmaker and a critically acclaimed writer. A Greek-American, Pappas is the Greek national recordholder in the 10,000 meters with a personal best of 31:36 set at the Rio Olympics. She graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College and ran for the University of Oregon as a 5th year, leading the team to two NCAA victories. She lives in Los Angeles, California. For more from Pappas, find her podcast, “Mentor Buffet,” and look for her animated comedy series set in a fictitious Tracktown coming from HBO and Adult Swim in the near future.
— By Jenny Brooks, CAS Communications