Seth Oden has been a faithful, steady leader in the Franklin/Brentwood, TN running community. After suffering a tragic accident in 2022, the community he built rallied to his side to help him recover. This documentary is a celebration of him and his family.
“Forward is a pace.” – Seth Oden

Premiered on February 1, 2025 at the historic Franklin Theatre.
Theatrical runtime: 71m
Director: AJ Johnson
Editors: Benton Sherman, AJ Johnson
Producers: AJ Johnson, Patricia Oden
Composer: Mark Burch, Doggy Paddle Music, East Nashville
The feature debut of AJ Johnson is filled with heart, faith, community and hope.
Following the stories of 30 runners and non-runners, each person has a unique relationship with Seth. They share his character, impact and why he is a unique gem to the running community and community in general.
Originally advertised as “Run CommUnity” the actual title of “Seth: The Running Mayor of Franklin” was revealed at the premiere. It was the vision of the producers to surprise Seth with the true nature of the film. Seth was indeed surprised as over 300 attendees cheered as the “Seth” title was revealed.
Follow the story of how we made this film:

Cast
Patricia Oden – Seth Oden Sr – Jill Mongene – Alicia Barker – Suzanne London – C Michelle Singleton – Leslie Ragan – Karen Austin – Seth Oden Jr – Ken Youngstead – Stephanie Goodwin – Shara Carter – Sharon Holmes – Leigh Anne Duvall – Stephen Fawehinmi – George Rietz – Abby McVey – Anthony Fleming – Corey Howse – Sharon Holmes – Kelly Jones – Tricia Hagan – Mellissa DePaola – Mary Catherine Flemming – Siddhartha “Sid” Karnati – Sharon & Donnie Baldwin – Ninette Chapman – Jonathan Goodwin – Keith Chapman – Beth Rattray – Allison Baker – Melissa Anderson – Christine White – Tish Fecher – The Grandbabies