Al Heppner was an elite competitor in the world of race walking, the most physically and mentally grueling event in track and field sports. In college, he  broke the National 5k record in a blistering time of 20:07. His dream was to race at the Olympics, and after a dramatic setback, was on track for reaching that goal. Then, in February of 2004, Heppner had a particularly bad performance at one of the final Olympic qualifying races; fifth place, 25 minutes off his personal best. All was not over for him - there was one remaining qualifying race he could take part in, one more chance to compete at the Athens games. Instead, the widely known and much loved athlete did the unthinkable - he committed suicide. "Loss of Contact" is a feature length documentary that examines and celebrates the life of Al Heppner, and his deep desire to be the best, and the underlying nature of competitive sports and those that attain top status in it. Directed by Shane MacDougall.
 

CALL FOR STORIES/VIDEO/PHOTOS - Did you know Al Heppner? Have a good story, or any photos/video/audio recordings of or about him? If so, please email us at info@alossofcontact.com.

Status: Pre-production; principal production scheduled for September 2009 to November 2009.
Website will go live soon here: www.alossofcontact.com