What do you think?
Rate this book
The Longest Race
The Longest Race is a tale, a fable of skill, passion, rage, love, and finally, peace. Bahadur, a young boy, is the son of a humble watchman in the small town of Rajpur at the foothills of the Himalayas. Fame and fortune seem a far cry from the life he is destined to lead, until he wins a race in school and discovers in himself a passion for long-distance running. Morning after morning, he gets up at dawn to run-barefoot-in the hills...
Finally, he is selected to compete in the state championship. Watching him win is Greg Abberley, the legendary Scottish coach who has trained some of England's greatest distance runners. He is in India on a special mission to find young talent. And the boy he chooses to take back with him to Edinburgh is Bahadur.
In Abberley, Bahadur finds a coach who is a visionary, a guru who lets him follow the rhythm of his body and spirit. Bahadur is on his way to becoming a long-distance phenomenon, winning a major marathon in England. The Olympics beckon but when the young man reaches the peak of his powers, he is plunged into the strange world of Indian sport, and the bureaucracy, politics and jealousies in which it is mired leaves him scarred and disillusioned. He abandons running until, years later, a moment of crisis forces him to return to it, showing him how the human spirit can triumph even when the odds are stacked against it.
Finally, he is selected to compete in the state championship. Watching him win is Greg Abberley, the legendary Scottish coach who has trained some of England's greatest distance runners. He is in India on a special mission to find young talent. And the boy he chooses to take back with him to Edinburgh is Bahadur.
In Abberley, Bahadur finds a coach who is a visionary, a guru who lets him follow the rhythm of his body and spirit. Bahadur is on his way to becoming a long-distance phenomenon, winning a major marathon in England. The Olympics beckon but when the young man reaches the peak of his powers, he is plunged into the strange world of Indian sport, and the bureaucracy, politics and jealousies in which it is mired leaves him scarred and disillusioned. He abandons running until, years later, a moment of crisis forces him to return to it, showing him how the human spirit can triumph even when the odds are stacked against it.
181 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2005
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 5, 2019
A fine actor and theater artist, Tom weaves his magic in this book. Never a sportsperson in my life, I was moved by the trails and tribulations of the protagonist. Tom brings out a facet of running which no author has ever touched before. The end is "filmi" dramatic and apt. At times emotions completely sweep over the rational mind while reading the book. A must for all irrespective of whether they like running or not.
April 11, 2013
This happens to be one of those books that surprised me by being awesome. It starts slow and builds up.
April 8, 2022
"But the spirit is no one's servant. It cannot be commanded. It must be seduced and cajoled and loved until the desire to dance, to run, to fly fills its wings."
May 27, 2022
An extremely beautiful and soothing read.
December 22, 2024
Oh, how beautiful is this book!
I was hooked from the first page itself. The way struggle and pain is described, it was almost aspirational. How the spirit is described, I could feel the spirit within myself maybe for the first time. I now want to explore the depths of my spirit, see how strong it is. Is it also made of an iron-coated core of resolve? Maybe cycling or running or TT or trekking will help me find it.
I'm going to find more about this book, if this story has been translated into a movie / show or not. And if not, it fully deserves to be made into a film. How I would love to be a part of its movie making process, making sure the emotions, feelings and poetry is not lost.
Whenever Bahadur ran, I could feel my legs urging me to run, not for proving anything to anyone, but for the "unselfconscious smile of joy"
I was hooked from the first page itself. The way struggle and pain is described, it was almost aspirational. How the spirit is described, I could feel the spirit within myself maybe for the first time. I now want to explore the depths of my spirit, see how strong it is. Is it also made of an iron-coated core of resolve? Maybe cycling or running or TT or trekking will help me find it.
I'm going to find more about this book, if this story has been translated into a movie / show or not. And if not, it fully deserves to be made into a film. How I would love to be a part of its movie making process, making sure the emotions, feelings and poetry is not lost.
Whenever Bahadur ran, I could feel my legs urging me to run, not for proving anything to anyone, but for the "unselfconscious smile of joy"
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews