Challenge of a Lifetime
Encyclopedia
Challenge of a Lifetime is a 1985
1985 in film
-Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out Of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.* Bliss wins AFI Award for best Movie...

 television film directed by Russ Mayberry
Russ Mayberry
Russell B. Mayberry is a Scottish-born American television director.Throughout his career, he has amassed a number of credits in television...

. Starring Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall is an American actress, producer and director.After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley...

 and Jonathan Silverman
Jonathan Silverman
-Personal life:Silverman was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Devora and Hillel Emanuel Silverman, a rabbi. He is the grandson of famous Conservative Rabbi Morris Silverman. David Schwimmer was his best friend in high school. He is married to actress Jennifer Finnigan who he briefly co...

, the film focuses on a 35-year-old woman entering a Triathlon
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...

.

Plot

Since her divorce from her husband, 35-year-old Nora Schoonover (Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall is an American actress, producer and director.After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley...

) has relocated from New York to Los Angeles and has fallen into a depression. She is working a low salary job and has gotten into great debts. Will Brodsky (Richard Gilliland
Richard Gilliland
Richard Gilliland is an American television and movie actor.Gilliland was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He appeared onscreen in the 1970s. Notable appearances include Thirtysomething, Party of Five, Little Women, and a recurring role on Designing Women...

) is assigned to help her work off her debts, and they quickly fall for each other. One day, her estranged 16-year-old son Steven (Jonathan Silverman
Jonathan Silverman
-Personal life:Silverman was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Devora and Hillel Emanuel Silverman, a rabbi. He is the grandson of famous Conservative Rabbi Morris Silverman. David Schwimmer was his best friend in high school. He is married to actress Jennifer Finnigan who he briefly co...

), who has been living with his father since the divorce and is supposed to be on computer camp, shows up on her doorstep. A television interview with former class mate and recent Triathlon
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...

 winner Mary Garritee (Mary Woronov
Mary Woronov
Mary Woronov is an American actress and writer. She is primarily known for her roles in independent and cult films. Woronov has appeared in over 80 movies, as well as numerous appearances in mainstream television series, such as Charlie's Angels and Knight Rider.-Early life:Woronov was born in the...

), inspires Nora to enter and complete the Hawaiian Triathlon as a way of starting a new life. Steven, who has no interest in returning to his father in New York, promises to help and train her.

Norma quickly wants to give up, and claims to be too sick to enter the Triathlon, as well as taking care of Steven. Steven feels that she is making up excuses and reminds her of the fact that she never finishes a project. Inspired by her son's devotion of helping her, Norma continues her training. Simultaneously, she grows closer to Will, who has reported her car stolen, even though he is of knowledge that she sold it to tourists. Life gets better for both Nora and Steven, until John (Paul Gleason
Paul Gleason
Paul Xavier Gleason was an American film and television actor, known for his roles on TV series such as All My Children and films such as The Breakfast Club, Trading Places and Die Hard.-Early life:...

) shows up one day demanding for his son to return to New York. For one moment, Nora considers blowing it off again, lying to Will that she is seeing another man and advising Steven to go with his father. Steven does not take her advice, though, and accompanies her to Hawaii.

In Hawaii, Nora gets acquaintanced with her competition, including Mary and Mark Wilson (Brad Conner), while Steven attracts the attention from a young blonde. During practice of the Triathlon, Nora completes swimming, but falls off her bicycle and gets injured on her arm. She is determined to complete the Triathlon, though the accident causes her not qualify for the race. Her only hope now is a lottery, which gives some unqualified contestants a second chance. Nora loses fate in the competition, until she gets picked in the lottery, with Will showing up to support her.

During the actual Triathlon, Nora finishes 58th in the swimming category, which is led by Mark. This is followed by a 5 hour bike ride, in high temperatures and with a backfiring wind. Nora struggles with the heat, though stays focused and finished 31st. Steven, extremely proud of his mother, expresses his interest in moving in with her, before she starts running in the final category. By the time Mark has already finished, Nora is still in the race, but starts to lose ground and threatens to reach her fysical limits. With the final mile in sight, Nora is pushed to finish by contestant Donald Turnquist (James Bergeson), who suffers from a long disease. Nora collapses right before the finish, but stands up and completes the race in 13 hours and 32 minutes on the 217th place, winning her son's respect.

Cast

  • Penny Marshall
    Penny Marshall
    Penny Marshall is an American actress, producer and director.After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley...

     as Nora Hoffer-Schoonover
  • Jonathan Silverman
    Jonathan Silverman
    -Personal life:Silverman was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Devora and Hillel Emanuel Silverman, a rabbi. He is the grandson of famous Conservative Rabbi Morris Silverman. David Schwimmer was his best friend in high school. He is married to actress Jennifer Finnigan who he briefly co...

     as Steven Schoonover
  • Richard Gilliland
    Richard Gilliland
    Richard Gilliland is an American television and movie actor.Gilliland was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He appeared onscreen in the 1970s. Notable appearances include Thirtysomething, Party of Five, Little Women, and a recurring role on Designing Women...

     as Will Brodsky
  • Mary Woronov
    Mary Woronov
    Mary Woronov is an American actress and writer. She is primarily known for her roles in independent and cult films. Woronov has appeared in over 80 movies, as well as numerous appearances in mainstream television series, such as Charlie's Angels and Knight Rider.-Early life:Woronov was born in the...

     as Mary Garittee
  • Paul Gleason
    Paul Gleason
    Paul Xavier Gleason was an American film and television actor, known for his roles on TV series such as All My Children and films such as The Breakfast Club, Trading Places and Die Hard.-Early life:...

     as John Schoonover
  • James Bergeson as Donald Turnquist
  • Bart Conner
    Bart Conner
    Bart Wayne Conner is a former American gymnast who, as a member of the gold medal-winning men's gymnastics team at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games won an individual gold on the parallel bars...

     as Mark Wilson
  • Cathy Rigby
    Cathy Rigby
    Cathleen Roxanne Rigby , best known as Cathy Rigby, is a former gymnast, actress and speaker.-Early life:Rigby was born in Los Alamitos, California in 1952....

     as Virginia
  • Mark Spitz
    Mark Spitz
    Mark Andrew Spitz is a retired American swimmer. He won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, an achievement only surpassed by Michael Phelps who won eight golds at the 2008 Olympics....

     as Brad Harris
  • Jim Lampley
    Jim Lampley
    James "Jim" Lampley is an American sportscaster, news anchor, movie producer, and restaurant owner. Lampley has anchored a record 14 Olympic Games U.S. television broadcasts, most recently the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China....

    as Announcer
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