Young sprinter Chris Cahill is having difficulty reaching her potential as an athlete, until she meets established track star Tory Skinner. As Tory and her coach help Chris with her training, the two women form friendship that evolves into a romantic relationship. Their intimacy, however, becomes complicated when Chris' improvement causes them to be competitors for the Olympic team.
Personal Best is a 1982 American drama film written, produced and directed by Robert Towne. It stars Mariel Hemingway as track runner Chris Cahill and real-life track star Patrice Donnelly as fellow runner Tory Skinner, along with Scott Glenn as their coach Terry Tingloff. The film is about the lesbian relationship between two track-and-field teammates whose relationship might interfere with their performance.
