Photo courtesy of Alexi Pappas
By Kim Constantinesco
Alexi Pappas, 25, seems to thrive in every world she enters, even the ones she creates herself.
The filmmaker, writer, actress, and Olympic hopeful from Eugene, Oregon is proof that in order to tell a good story, you have to live an engaging one yourself.
Pappas has her second feature film in post production, a jazzy little narrative called Tracktown, which details the magical yet quirky running culture of Eugene.
She’s also very much a part of that beloved running civilization in the Pacific Northwest, which champions those who pay homage to themselves in the currency of sweat and miles. Pappas isn’t just any recreational runner, however. She’s a former elite college runner with her eyes on the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Footsteps build races, words shape stories, but it’s in disciplined mental and physical exertion that Pappas composes her life.
Photo courtesy of Alexi Pappas
Run, Write, Repeat
Pappas grew up an active child in Alameda, California. She started running in middle school and caught the racing bug when her father ran in his first marathon. She laced up her shoes in a 5K that accompanied his race.
She had the wiry body suited for the sport and became one of California’s top runners early on in high school. Then she switched gears and latched onto soccer to end her high school years.
It wasn’t all sports, all the time for Pappas. She was also involved in theater and dabbled in poetry, where she learned about the economy of words.
She went on to study creative writing at Dartmouth, and became a two-time NCAA all-American in track and field (she earned another three all-American titles after Dartmouth), where she competed in everything from the mile to the steeplechase. She was also a top 9 Finalist for the 2012 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. It was during her senior year at Dartmouth that she developed an interest in filmmaking, and co-wrote the script for Tall as the Baobab Tree, an award-winning feature film.
“Poetry was amazing in that it taught me about the importance of words, but it was very individual and very isolating,” Pappas said. “With filmmaking, I love how you can make a team out of it. You can make a concept that people believe in, and people will show up to embrace the vision you have.”
After graduating with magna cum laude honors, and running in the 2012 Olympic trials, Pappas attended the University of Oregon as a fifth-year student and led the school to two national championships in 2012 and 2013. To strengthen her proverbial starting block, she also earned a master’s in interdisciplinary studies with a focus on film, English, and entrepreneurial business.
And…Action
It was during her time in Eugene that she came to realize what a wonderful running tapestry hung in her daily life.
“I found that this place was this amazing, where when you’re running on the trails, people know your name, and they know you had a race that week,” Pappas said. “It was unlike any place I had been in how it embraced the sport of running. I would call my partner, Jeremy [Teicher], and tell him about this place. We knew that we could make a fun story here.”
So, Teicher moved to Eugene and co-wrote the Tracktown script with Pappas. They developed a character named “Plumb,” who is a very driven and one-track minded runner.
Pappas plays the role of Plumb, and thanks to a Dartmouth connection, Rachel Dratch, who got her big break on Saturday Night Live, plays Plumb’s mother. Andy Buckley, from The Office, plays her father.
“Rachel hasn’t done a ton of dramas, but we had coffee and really connected over the female coming of age element in the movie,” Pappas said. “I think she was excited about being part of a project that had one foot in a very real world. There are a lot of young runners that look up to me, and she thought it was special that this film would have that unique audience. It’s also a compelling story.”
Buckley got involved after hearing about the concept from a friend, who happens to be one of Tracktown’s executive producers.
While shooting, Pappas took a break from running because she “didn’t want to be a part-time filmmaker and a part-time professional runner.”
‘Showing Up’
Once filming wrapped, Pappas began heavy-duty training again.
“Time wise, my commitments are to running first,” Pappas said. “I want to be an Olympian and compete in Rio in the 10,000 meters.”
Pappas ran the distance for the first time last year and hit the Olympic standard on the first ever 10,000-meter track.
Pappas and Rachel Dratch. Photo: @AlexiPappas/Twitter
To get there, and still have a hand in filmmaking, her daily routine is a grind. She wakes up and goes to practice with the Nike-sponsored Oregon Track Club Elite, and her coach Ian Dobson. When she returns home, she hits the weights, stretches, showers, and eats. Then, she works on the film until she’s tired. After a nap, she may do a little more film work before a second run. Upon returning home, she showers again, eats dinner, and works on Tracktown until bedtime.
Pappas’s runs aren’t exactly an incubator for her creative ideas either.
“I let my mind wander a little bit, and enjoy the environment that I’m in,” Pappas said. “One of my role models is Deena Kastor, the American record holder for the marathon. She told me that one of the benefits of road racing is that I have this rich environment. She said, ‘Sometimes I’ll see a bird and wonder where that bird lives and does it have siblings.’ I’ve sort of taken after her with that spirit.”
While Pappas doesn’t necessarily bring her creative process to her runs, she does bring pieces of her sport to the world of filmmaking.
“With running, there’s always this sense of adventure and getting lost on a run. I can get lost in stories I’m working on, too,” Pappas said.
And as for writer’s block?
“I think the same way I deal with writers block is the same way I deal with going to practice and warming up for a race,” Pappas said. “I have these tools and these warm ups that I can use to always be able to ‘show up.’ Even if you’re competing against the best runner in the country, you can still do the same warm up for that race and show up in the same way. With writing, I have certain things, like my favorite place to sit or my favorite tea to have. I treat the whole filmmaking thing like it’s practice. It’s something that I’m committed to. On good days and bad days, you always show up.”
The Path of the Pioneer
Jeremy Teicher and Alexi Pappas after a day of shooting in 2014. Photo: Ken Goe/The Oregonian
Pappas knows that she leads a challenging life, but she’s slowly making all of her dreams come true much like ESPN sportscaster and family friend, Chris Berman, did in his early days.
“My dad and Chris were friends at Brown,” Pappas said. “My dad is an engineer, and he’s had a job since he graduated college. He loves it. He compares me to Chris, where at first you’re doing what you want to do until you can make it your job. That was really inspiring for me to think about that. Chris was a pioneer in many ways. He’s very encouraging of what I’m doing, and makes me feel like I have someone rooting for me who has been down this road.”
Pappas is leaving footprints well beyond the track, which is exactly the journey she’s after. She knows that life can’t be measured in meters, miles, or medals. Life is about the people, the stories, the connections made and the voices that echo.
“I feel privileged to bring something to the world that goes beyond running fast,” Pappas said.
And for that, we can give her a standing ovation.
