Saint Ralph (2004) on Netflix

Plot summary

At St. Magnus Catholic School in Hamilton, Ontario, during the 1953-54 school year, fourteen-year-old Ralph Walker is a mischief-prone ninth grader. Caught smoking by headmaster Father Fitzpatrick, he is ordered to join the cross country team as penance and is placed under Father Hibbert, a teacher and former marathoner. Ralph's father died in the war, and his mother is in the hospital. When she falls into a coma he is told that only a miracle will bring her back. Hearing Father Hibbert talk about prayer, faith and running the Boston Marathon, Ralph decides he will win the 1954 race. Coached by Father Hibbert, who considers the plan misguided, and helped by Claire Collins, Chester Jones and the nurse Alice, he begins training, to Father Fitzpatrick's disapproval.