Slinger Sanchez Running Gun

by Bruce Glikin

the story of jesse 'slinger' sanchez, a young man of mixed blood, and his struggle to become a world class distance runner.

297 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 1998, this book quickly became a cult classic and one of the better running novels ever published. The story follows Jesse Sanchez, Hispanic/Irish-American, who is a very gifted middle distance runner with hopes of making the Olympics in the 800. This book also brings to light the high use of drugs in track and field and the difficulty in stopping it.

An unknown runner, Jesse Sanchez, runs a series of races stunning the track world with his times. His Scottish coach, Ian McClanahan, already in trouble with track and field's higher ups for discussing drug use in the sport, adds to the controversy of this unknown runner. The coach-athlete relationship between the two is well written as McClanahan is always there for his athlete with the right words at the right time and the correct amount of push or ease back.

This book gives you a feel of the world of elite distance running and how difficult it can be for those athletes who are not in the upper tier of the sport where all the money is. Sad at times, heartfelt, entertaining, and at times hard to read, it was a book that was difficult for me to put down until I had finished it.

[Mitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book for runners