The Looniness of the Long Distance Runner: An Unfit Londoner's Attempt to Run the New York Marathon

by Russell Taylor

Take one unfit 39-year-old Londoner and present him with the challenge of training for, and running, the New York City Marathon. This is Russell Taylor's humorous account of his journey from its unwise inception after too many beers, through the first teetering steps on the treadmill to the big show-down in NYC. Inspired by the charity running of his friends, Russell Taylor decided to spare himself the post-event trauma of trying to extract money from reluctant sponsors by writing this book and donating the proceeds to charity instead. This account follows our intrepid runner north London gym to the mean streets of Manhattan as we discover what lurks within the breast of the endurance an unreasonable hatred of his fellow runners (except nubile females of the species), a contempt for the idiocy of stadium announcers and a strange fear of spectators inanely shouting, "Keep going," by way of encouragement. Written with panache and self-deprecating humour, this is ideal entertainment for anyone who has ever run any distance on their own two legs.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Humor, Sports

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Mike Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read for a runner. The author in a light hearted amble about taking up running. From his experiences on the gym tread mill to a number of half marathons before running his target race - the New York Marathon.

I found the humour at times a bit strained. But the author’s description of the training for his goal and observations of his feelings were spot on.

[Turi Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly read the title "The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner" until I was about a third of the way into it. Had I realized it was a humorous book about marathon running, written by a Londoner, I would have read it much sooner. Funny it was - kept me snickering all the way through. I'd be able to give this a much higher recommendation if the author hadn't beat MY marathon PR in his first race. Jeez...

[Spike Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, but the guy's a Brit so's that's not unexpected. A tad in the "my-poor-pathetic-life" genre, but the chapter on the history of the marathon is excellent.

[Steven Tomcavage · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book written by an out-of-shape man approaching 40 as he prepares to run the NYC marathon. I read it because I'm pretty much in the same situation, though right row I'm focused on a 5k not a marathon. It was interesting to read about his training routine and challenges, though the descriptions of the races got a bit tedious - each race filled an entire chapter and read pretty much like the previous race chapters (struggling to find the starting line; overcoming the mental and physical pains of racing; views along the way, which is mostly other runners; the letdown of the finish line). The only difficult part in the reading was that this was written by a Brit for the UK market, so he goes to no effort to explain his colloquialisms or his soccer, rugby, and cricket analogies, so at times the book left me feeling
Ike a foreigner with no travel guide. But mostly it was a fun, if not a bit fluffy and prone to cynicism, read.

[Ratforce]

Finally, to finish up the running portion of the recommendations, this is a hilarious book about a man’s attempt to get in shape for the New York Marathon. It’s full of strange races, such as one where participants run an out and back course while racing a train, and the book is laced with humor that runners will love.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and funny, this account of one Londoner's path to the New York Marathon is both informative, witty and inspiring. Really makes you want to get out there and run. A must for any marathon runner, I should imagine. :) Tore through it in a few days.

[Kevin J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. It didn't grab me at first, but the last few chapters brought many chuckles, laughs and guffaws. An unabashedly British humor carries the text, though, and that alone made it worth reading.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Anyone who has trained or wants to train for a marathon should read it. I read it while I was training for the Cincinnati Marathon and found it inspiring, hysterical and accurate.

[Shunt27 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly entertaining and made me want to grab my running shoes immediately!

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I laughed a lot while reading this one.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice fun read though the end is a bit anti-climatic

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in a very personal, humorous style, this is a good read for anyone contemplating (or dreaming about) running long distances.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really funny. I've read several books about the marathon now, and I still learned some very interesting things from this one.

[Algirdas Purkenas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and easy to read. Recommended to all the fellow runners

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book may only resonate with male, mid-life runners, but it's a hoot!

[Zabetta Camilleri]

Very funny - pure English humour and witiness. Most of the time too close to the truth