Run On Water

Run on Water is a character-driven sports-tech comedy-drama about three young Chicago makers trying to win a $20,000 open-technology race by running one mile on Lake Michigan.

Mike Morgan, a charismatic but attention-hungry 22-year-old, is the public face and runner of Team Mike. His practical mechanical partner Brad and controls specialist Lauren have built the Glidewright X1 - bulky, adaptive flotation shoes with a limited "reserve pulse." They are broke, losing their workshop, and racing the clock (and each other) against more polished or better-funded rivals.

The script follows their frantic testing period in June and July: failed demos, backward fins, broken mounts, mismatched socks, sponsor pressure, and Mike's repeated habit of turning every trial into a performance. A disastrous public "fast-profile" test that Mike forces against his teammates' judgment nearly ends them. Parallel stories among the other competitors (quiet, primer-painted Jake; sponsor-backed Bobby; the pragmatic Joe-and-Philly alliance) show the same mix of ingenuity, ego, and compromise.

On race day Mike finally runs with discipline - holding the reserve unused, giving competitors room, and finishing first by inches. The victory is less about the shoes than about the team finally functioning as one. The story ends with the three of them still together, the prize money keeping the workshop open, and a hard-won understanding that the work (and the people who do it) matter more than the highlight reel.