By Aspen Anderson
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Director Andy Yardy, a West Seattle resident, shares the inspiring journey of world-class runner, coach, and former longtime West Seattleite Doris Brown Heritage in his documentary “Last Lap,” having its first local public screening this Thursday.

The film chronicles Heritage’s rise from running on the beach as a child to becoming one of the world’s fastest women –and includes scenes from Alki Beach, not far from her former home in the Fairmount Ravine area.

“People need to hear her story so they can pursue their passion, whether it’s running or something else,” Yardy told WSB in a phone conversation.

After two years of work, “Last Lap” premiered at several film festivals this summer, winning the “Best Washington-Made Film” award at the Gig Harbor Film Festival — Heritage’s hometown. The documentary also won the 2024 “Best Audience Choice Documentary Feature Film” at the Seattle Film Festival.

This Thursday, January 9, at 7 pm, the Seattle premiere will take place on a double bill at SIFF Cinema Uptown in Queen Anne, followed by a Q&A with Heritage and Yardy. Additional screenings will be held on Saturday, January 11, at 1 pm, 4 pm, and 7 pm at the SIFF Film Center downtown. The 46-minute documentary features footage of Seattle, including Alki Beach and Discovery Park, where more than 50 of Heritage’s fans and former athletes she coached joined her for a memorable run.

“That’s the point that pulls everything together,” Yardy said, reflecting on the rainy scene at Discovery Park. “She [Heritage] talks about that day as one of her favorite days of her life.”

Despite being a champion runner — she made history by winning the International Cross Country Championships five consecutive years from 1967 to 1971 and was the first woman to run an indoor mile in under five minutes — Heritage never earned an Olympic medal, a point Yardy found compelling.

“She was kind of the B-list Olympian,” Yardy said. “She was the best runner in the world, but she never got a medal at the Olympics.”

Heritage competed in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, where she placed fifth in the 800 meters, and the 1972 Munich Olympics. Her coaching career at Seattle Pacific University spanned more than three decades; at SPU, she helped shape the careers of numerous athletes and assisted the U.S. women’s team at the 1984 Summer Olympics and the 1987 World Championships. In 1976, Heritage was named “Washington’s Woman of the Year” by the Washington State Legislature. She lived in West Seattle 1977-2017 with husband Ralph Heritage (a West Seattle High School graduate) and now lives in Stanwood. (Read more of her life’s story here.)

(Photo courtesy Andy Yardy, who’s at left with producer Andrea Groenink, Ralph Heritage, Doris Brown Heritage)

Yardy hopes his documentary will inspire cross-country teams and coaches. While the film currently has no public wide-release date, it is expected to be available on Amazon Prime in the future.

Tickets to the upcoming Seattle screenings are free and can be obtained here.

(Thanks to Frank for the tip on this!)