Media Release

All-New Episode Of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL Debuts April 20

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL returns for an all-new episode on TUESDAY, APRIL 20 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/7:00-8:00 p.m. PT). The series is available on HBO and to stream on HBO Max.

For up-to-the-minute updates about REAL SPORTS, follow on Twitter at @RealSportsHBO or join the conversation using #RealSports, and on HBO.com/realsports and facebook.com/realsports.    

April segments include:

  • "Marathon Man" -  Longtime Boston Marathon race director Dave McGillivray has run in the historic event every year since 1973, having even completed the race just six months after having open-heart surgery. But when the Boston Marathon was cancelled for the first time ever due to the pandemic, McGillivray was left suddenly adrift until he found a new purpose that drew on his expertise organizing and directing massive events: overseeing operations at four mass vaccination sites in Massachusetts, where thousands of people are vaccinated every day, including at Gillette Stadium and Fenway Park. Correspondent Andrea Kremer reports. Producer: Nisreen Habbal.
     
  • “The Impossible Race” -  One of the most treacherous races on the planet, the Barkley Marathons, known as “The Barkley,” is a 100-mile long event with 120,000 feet of climbs and descents that takes place around the perimeter of Frozen Head State Park in the mountains of Tennessee. With only 60 hours to complete the race, runners are tasked with navigating through unenviable conditions, including temperature swings, rain, and even snow. Mary Carillo speaks with Lazarus Lake, who conceived the event after James Earl Ray, the man who assassinated Martin Luther King Jr., escaped from a maximum-security prison in the same Tennessee mountains and only managed to travel eight miles in just under 60 hours before he was caught. “Laz,” as he’s known, mocked Ray, suggesting he could run 100 miles through the Tennessee mountains in that amount of time. And so the race was born. Producer: Jake Rosenwasser.
     
  • "Benched" - The absence of sports has left some young athletes without their structure, support system, physical outlet and sense of identity, which has contributed to a mental health crisis that has largely been overlooked against the backdrop of the pandemic. Kavitha Davidson reports on the rise in mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety, among young athletes as they navigate a world without sports. Producer: Maggie Burbank.
     
  • "Off Course" (Revisit) - While backcountry skiing has seen record growth in the midst of the pandemic, dangerous snow conditions have elevated the risk of avalanches, making this season one of the deadliest ever. Correspondent Jon Frankel reports. Producer: Daniel Litke. 

The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Joe Perskie.