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The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports
A profound meditation on what running can teach us about our limits and our lives by a record-setting distance runner who is now the CEO of The Atlantic.
“This is not just an engaging memoir about running. It’s a meditation on what it takes to marshal and maintain motivation.”—ADAM GRANT, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again
“Endlessly surprising, revelatory, and heart-rending.”—ANNA WINTOUR
For Nicholas Thompson, running has always been about something more than putting one foot in front of another. He ran his first mile at age five, using it as a way to connect with his father as his family fell apart. As a young man, it was a sport that transformed, and then shook, his sense of self-worth. In his 30s, it was a way of coping with a profound medical scare.
By his early 40s, Thompson had many accomplishments. He was the Editor in Chief of a major magazine; a devoted husband and father; and a passionate runner. But he was haunted by the recent death of his brilliant, complicated father and the crack-up that derailed his father’s life. Had the intensity and ambition he’d inherited made a personal crisis inevitable for him as well?
Then a chance offer gave him the opportunity to train for the Chicago Marathon with elite coaches. Giving himself over to the sport more fully than ever before, he discovered that aging didn’t necessarily put you on an unbroken trajectory of decline. For seven years after his father died, Thompson transforms his body to perform at its highest capacity, and the profound discipline and awareness he builds along the way changes every aspect of his life. Throughout the narrative, he weaves in stories of remarkable men and women who have used the sport to transcend some of the hardest moments in life.
The Running Ground is a story about fathers, sons, and the most basic and most beautiful of sports.
“This is not just an engaging memoir about running. It’s a meditation on what it takes to marshal and maintain motivation.”—ADAM GRANT, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again
“Endlessly surprising, revelatory, and heart-rending.”—ANNA WINTOUR
For Nicholas Thompson, running has always been about something more than putting one foot in front of another. He ran his first mile at age five, using it as a way to connect with his father as his family fell apart. As a young man, it was a sport that transformed, and then shook, his sense of self-worth. In his 30s, it was a way of coping with a profound medical scare.
By his early 40s, Thompson had many accomplishments. He was the Editor in Chief of a major magazine; a devoted husband and father; and a passionate runner. But he was haunted by the recent death of his brilliant, complicated father and the crack-up that derailed his father’s life. Had the intensity and ambition he’d inherited made a personal crisis inevitable for him as well?
Then a chance offer gave him the opportunity to train for the Chicago Marathon with elite coaches. Giving himself over to the sport more fully than ever before, he discovered that aging didn’t necessarily put you on an unbroken trajectory of decline. For seven years after his father died, Thompson transforms his body to perform at its highest capacity, and the profound discipline and awareness he builds along the way changes every aspect of his life. Throughout the narrative, he weaves in stories of remarkable men and women who have used the sport to transcend some of the hardest moments in life.
The Running Ground is a story about fathers, sons, and the most basic and most beautiful of sports.
- GenresSportsNonfictionMemoir
272 pages, Hardcover
Published October 28, 2025
297 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Thompson
20 books20 followersNicholas Thompson is the editor-in-chief of WIRED. Prior to joining WIRED, Mr. Thompson served as the editor of newyorker.com from 2012 to 2017. Mr. Thompson is also a contributor for CBS News, where he frequently discusses technology on CBS This Morning and politics on CBSN. He is also a co-founder of The Atavist, a software company and National Magazine. Prior to becoming a journalist, Mr. Thompson released three albums of acoustic guitar music.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 11, 2025
What a gift. Oftentimes in life I’ve felt the acute absence of a book which captures the uncaptureable about running and life. I lamented that no author out there possessed the speed on the road, the talent in prose, and the openness of heart to render in print what many runners have experienced over their years of diligent and not so diligent miles. Literary minded runners can now do away with the pretense that Haruki Murakami’s book on writing and running is worth all that much. Nicholas Thompson has written *the* book about running. Or, at least, he has written the book about running that I needed to read the most.
It is the most definitive book about running because it is a book about life. It is a book about growth and about complex relationships. It does not romanticize the grind and the training, or overly dramatize the highs and lows of races. While forthright and direct, it is not simple. It gives an honest account of what running can give to you if you give yourself to it.
Thompson looks back on his life of running with remarkable clarity and it is uncanny to recognize the parallels in our running careers. From the early high school successes to the failures under Vin Lananna in college to the growing evolution towards running at a high-level while balancing a committed career. To say that many of these reflections hit close to home is an understatement. I’m grateful to have (seemingly) learned some of lessons quicker than Thompson about living a full life alongside running. I’m equally sure (and hope) there are many, many more I have to learn ahead of me.
This is also a book about his father. It should come as no surprise to those who know me why this emotional thread resonates. He wrote this after he finally lost his father after decades of slowly losing parts of him. He grapples with what it means to love deeply flawed people in a more mature and honest way than almost any other writer I’ve read.
Of note, in writing this story he does something which few others pull off but which is the sign of a fundamentally good person. Without breaking the narrative he weaves in the stories and details of every day people and friends who helped him along his way. He names incredible people who would otherwise go unnamed in a book of this caliber. In this way he reminds me of Vannevar Bush’s memoir, Pieces of the Action, in which Bush spends quite a bit of time giving credit to lower level staff and ordinary people who competently did their jobs with determination and intelligence during and after World War II, but were not otherwise recognized in the annals of history.
Thompson’s early brush with death and awareness of his mortality likely gifts him the perspective needed to succeed as he did in running later in life, as well as to ultimately write this book decades on. We should all be so lucky as to somehow gain that appreciation for life and respect for death (ideally without getting cancer).
P.S.
(His description, quoted below, of what kind of coaching he thrives under nails most people to a T, though they may not realize it when younger. Most NCAA coaches cannot fathom treating a runner as a whole person, it’s why they succeed in the ways they do but leave behind trails of broken people. It’s rare the ones that can balance the thing.)
“Finley built a program that would work with my whole life, which is what the best line of coach should do. ‘A big piece of my coaching philosophy is how can we accomplish that holistic experience from having a great family to doing great work? How does running add to all this? And it should never stand in the way. My job is to make sure you can do all of this at a high level. It’s not that you just have that one goal. It’s all the goals.’ This was a profound insight, and it was, in retrospect, the only kind of coaching that would have worked for me. Running has never been the most important thing in my life. I’ve always cared more about family, about work, about many things. A coach who didn’t see or couldn’t accept that could never have gotten the best out of me. That’s part of why I failed under Lananna and succeeded under Finley.”
It is the most definitive book about running because it is a book about life. It is a book about growth and about complex relationships. It does not romanticize the grind and the training, or overly dramatize the highs and lows of races. While forthright and direct, it is not simple. It gives an honest account of what running can give to you if you give yourself to it.
Thompson looks back on his life of running with remarkable clarity and it is uncanny to recognize the parallels in our running careers. From the early high school successes to the failures under Vin Lananna in college to the growing evolution towards running at a high-level while balancing a committed career. To say that many of these reflections hit close to home is an understatement. I’m grateful to have (seemingly) learned some of lessons quicker than Thompson about living a full life alongside running. I’m equally sure (and hope) there are many, many more I have to learn ahead of me.
This is also a book about his father. It should come as no surprise to those who know me why this emotional thread resonates. He wrote this after he finally lost his father after decades of slowly losing parts of him. He grapples with what it means to love deeply flawed people in a more mature and honest way than almost any other writer I’ve read.
Of note, in writing this story he does something which few others pull off but which is the sign of a fundamentally good person. Without breaking the narrative he weaves in the stories and details of every day people and friends who helped him along his way. He names incredible people who would otherwise go unnamed in a book of this caliber. In this way he reminds me of Vannevar Bush’s memoir, Pieces of the Action, in which Bush spends quite a bit of time giving credit to lower level staff and ordinary people who competently did their jobs with determination and intelligence during and after World War II, but were not otherwise recognized in the annals of history.
Thompson’s early brush with death and awareness of his mortality likely gifts him the perspective needed to succeed as he did in running later in life, as well as to ultimately write this book decades on. We should all be so lucky as to somehow gain that appreciation for life and respect for death (ideally without getting cancer).
P.S.
(His description, quoted below, of what kind of coaching he thrives under nails most people to a T, though they may not realize it when younger. Most NCAA coaches cannot fathom treating a runner as a whole person, it’s why they succeed in the ways they do but leave behind trails of broken people. It’s rare the ones that can balance the thing.)
“Finley built a program that would work with my whole life, which is what the best line of coach should do. ‘A big piece of my coaching philosophy is how can we accomplish that holistic experience from having a great family to doing great work? How does running add to all this? And it should never stand in the way. My job is to make sure you can do all of this at a high level. It’s not that you just have that one goal. It’s all the goals.’ This was a profound insight, and it was, in retrospect, the only kind of coaching that would have worked for me. Running has never been the most important thing in my life. I’ve always cared more about family, about work, about many things. A coach who didn’t see or couldn’t accept that could never have gotten the best out of me. That’s part of why I failed under Lananna and succeeded under Finley.”
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November 5, 2025A book mainly about running, with a personal connection that ties it all together. I admire that Thompson has almost no shame about his relentless PR chasing, even with kids and an executive position. It's cool to see a successful professional admit that yes, he still spends 8 hours a week running, and no, he doesn't care what others think about that.
I think he could've dug deeper on some of the sections about his father, but this isn't really the book for that. He isn't a full time author, and bearing some of the emotions I'm sure he still struggles with just wouldn't make sense for such a public figure.
A good book that I connected to at this time in my life.
I think he could've dug deeper on some of the sections about his father, but this isn't really the book for that. He isn't a full time author, and bearing some of the emotions I'm sure he still struggles with just wouldn't make sense for such a public figure.
A good book that I connected to at this time in my life.
November 5, 2025
I’ve already bought two copies of this as thank yous for my son’s cross country coaches and loaned my copy to a runner friend with another runner friend next in line.
November 7, 2025
This was one of my favorite reads of the year. As someone who values hard work and admires people who take on difficult things, this book struck a deep chord. The stories are vivid, funny, and honest, and the writing is sharp in all the right ways. What stayed with me most was how the author connected his competitive drive, his relationship with his dad, and the experiences that shaped who he is. It felt both deeply personal and universally relatable. Having gone to boarding school and shared a few of those same touchpoints, I found myself nodding along and smiling, thinking back to similar moments I’ve had in races and in life. I read this in one sitting, which isn’t unusual for me but not altogether typical either, because I simply couldn’t put it down. It reminded me why I love a challenge, why I’m drawn to people who do hard things, and how much beauty there can be in the process itself. I’m grateful to have had this one on my list and will be recommending it widely.
October 2, 2025
« For a long time I thought or athletic ability like a mountain. You’re born at the base and you’ll die there. »
This was an incredible read before the Chicago Marathon. I enjoyed reading about the challenges, the grit and the determination that the author faced and conquered.
Also, thank you for the tip about the Vaseline between my toes.
There is a lot of self reflection and history and the journey to goals were well-described and blunt.
It didn’t come across as easy and I really enjoyed the writing style. The details and planning from the coaching and the author was intriguing to learn. It’s such a science and having a running coach truly upgraded my own running experience.
Reading about his dad made me very emotional. What a beautiful way to tribute.
The Beet Juice hits hard - been there. Used to have it before every swim race. Absolutely nightmare to chug down!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
This was an incredible read before the Chicago Marathon. I enjoyed reading about the challenges, the grit and the determination that the author faced and conquered.
Also, thank you for the tip about the Vaseline between my toes.
There is a lot of self reflection and history and the journey to goals were well-described and blunt.
It didn’t come across as easy and I really enjoyed the writing style. The details and planning from the coaching and the author was intriguing to learn. It’s such a science and having a running coach truly upgraded my own running experience.
Reading about his dad made me very emotional. What a beautiful way to tribute.
The Beet Juice hits hard - been there. Used to have it before every swim race. Absolutely nightmare to chug down!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2025
As a fellow runner, I eagerly read Nicholas Thompson’s memoir, a recap of his own running journey as well as his story of growing up and his complicated relationship with his father. It felt fitting to pick it up during the heart of fall marathon season.
While Thompson intertwines the storylines of running and his own broader personal history, I was most interested in his running life. Thompson’s first exposure to running is through his father’s running events in the 1970s. Childhood memories of attending and supporting his dad at these events stick with him as he pursues his own running career. These are his origin story.
Thompson’s running story inspires, and shows that a little talent and an outsized commitment to excellence and growth, combined with outside elite coaching - in this case, experts at Nike - can take a person to new heights even as they age. A personal health crisis Thompson endures adds to the depth of his grit.
The Running Ground folds in the stories of other notable runners that have crossed paths with Thompson, including Bobbi Gibb, Tony Ruiz, Michael Westphal, and Suprabha Beckjord. These perspectives enliven the memoir and give us insight into what compels others to lace up their own running shoes.
Thompson integrates running into his daily life beyond the pre-work training run. For example, he run commutes to and from work as a way to fit in his training miles. It does not seem to be a regular occurrence that an executive uses active transportation as a routine way to come and go from the office, but for Thompson this was part of his life.
The descriptions of the various mental states of running fell flat for me, but admittedly these are difficult to describe and communicate (and maybe veer into telling people your dreams and expecting them to be interested). Thompson writes expansively about his life, career, and relationship with his father, but these elements often felt bifurcated from what the rest of the book is exploring. And to me they were not that relatable, especially his educational and professional opportunities.
Thompson shares some sweet conversations he has with his kids and their takeaways about his running. I left The Running Ground curious to know whether his children would also become lifelong runners, and one day recall their own early days spent watching their dad run at local events.
Recommended read for athletes and runners, especially those in mid-life with an eye toward metrics and improving performance. Many thanks for the ARC.
While Thompson intertwines the storylines of running and his own broader personal history, I was most interested in his running life. Thompson’s first exposure to running is through his father’s running events in the 1970s. Childhood memories of attending and supporting his dad at these events stick with him as he pursues his own running career. These are his origin story.
Thompson’s running story inspires, and shows that a little talent and an outsized commitment to excellence and growth, combined with outside elite coaching - in this case, experts at Nike - can take a person to new heights even as they age. A personal health crisis Thompson endures adds to the depth of his grit.
The Running Ground folds in the stories of other notable runners that have crossed paths with Thompson, including Bobbi Gibb, Tony Ruiz, Michael Westphal, and Suprabha Beckjord. These perspectives enliven the memoir and give us insight into what compels others to lace up their own running shoes.
Thompson integrates running into his daily life beyond the pre-work training run. For example, he run commutes to and from work as a way to fit in his training miles. It does not seem to be a regular occurrence that an executive uses active transportation as a routine way to come and go from the office, but for Thompson this was part of his life.
The descriptions of the various mental states of running fell flat for me, but admittedly these are difficult to describe and communicate (and maybe veer into telling people your dreams and expecting them to be interested). Thompson writes expansively about his life, career, and relationship with his father, but these elements often felt bifurcated from what the rest of the book is exploring. And to me they were not that relatable, especially his educational and professional opportunities.
Thompson shares some sweet conversations he has with his kids and their takeaways about his running. I left The Running Ground curious to know whether his children would also become lifelong runners, and one day recall their own early days spent watching their dad run at local events.
Recommended read for athletes and runners, especially those in mid-life with an eye toward metrics and improving performance. Many thanks for the ARC.
November 11, 2025
What a great memoir, even if it weren't about running. I could not put down and read in a day. The book is a collection of interrelated vignettes about the author's relationship with running and his father. The father was a Rhodes scholar and served in the Reagan administration. He came from modest means and pulled himself up by his bootstraps through Andover, Stanford, and Oxford. Ultimately, he came out as gay and left the author and his family when the author was young. They maintained a consistent bond through their mutual interest in running, even as the father went off the rails with drinking and sexual promiscuity and ultimately died destitute in the Philippines. Some of my favorite chapters cover how the author worked with professional coaches to run a 2:30 marathon in his 40s, and learned to enjoy running even longer distances and stop worrying about his times (a little), and include brief profiles of interesting people in and around running, including the first woman to run Boston, an older marathoner with Parkinson's, a prominent NYC coach who took up coaching after a rough upbringing and a stint in rehab. Definitely inspired me as a runner--the descriptions of the pleasure/pain, dealing with injuries, and the meditativeness--but so well written that it might appeal to non-runners.
November 11, 2025
This book just very quickly rose to the top of my list for not only running books, but an all-time book. I could not put it down. Nick writes with such relatability and honesty that I know a lot of people would be able to understand and empathize with. He has many facets of his life that are not only impressive, but deeply motivational and inspiring.
This quote completely shattered my view of my own divorced parents and deceased father:
"A parent has one obligation to their children - unending love. They don't have to agree with every choice their child makes or go to every track meet. They can demand things and refuse things.......there's no blueprint. There is only one rule. The kids get to decide if the parent meets the standard. I was blessed by fate with two parents who were not meant to be with each other, but who were each and entirely devoted to me. That is worth forgiving a lot in exchange"
This quote completely shattered my view of my own divorced parents and deceased father:
"A parent has one obligation to their children - unending love. They don't have to agree with every choice their child makes or go to every track meet. They can demand things and refuse things.......there's no blueprint. There is only one rule. The kids get to decide if the parent meets the standard. I was blessed by fate with two parents who were not meant to be with each other, but who were each and entirely devoted to me. That is worth forgiving a lot in exchange"
September 28, 2025
This is a really lovely and poignant reflection on the author’s relationship with running and his father. As a former runner it resonated with me, and running is a strong emphasis, but the life lessons about resilience and more - as well as the wonderful writing here - will give this memoir a wider audience than “just” runners.
November 6, 2025
A must read for the running bibliophiles….and their children !
I have about 400 running books in my “running library” and have read them all, biographical, fictional, instructional, philosophical…this has just made my top 10 list of my all time favorites! Thank you Nicholas for a wonderful read.
I have about 400 running books in my “running library” and have read them all, biographical, fictional, instructional, philosophical…this has just made my top 10 list of my all time favorites! Thank you Nicholas for a wonderful read.
November 11, 2025
Very polished and was a pageturner (largely due to the exploits of the author's father). The perspective is not unlike Goggins' - Bad things happen: [choice] - become a victim of circumstances or forge a separate path. Goggins but do it Tracksmith.
October 20, 2025
interesting and unique memoir about a celebrated journalist and news CEO and his relationship with running and physical fitness. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.
November 8, 2025
I loved this memoir about running. Although he’s not a professional, Thompson is an amazing runner. Lots of good stuff in this one.
November 10, 2025
Excellent.
November 10, 2025
Beautiful story about a father, a son, and a life of running. Thompson has always been a great writer and this is a story worth telling.
November 10, 2025
Read this one as a guilty pleasure. I related more to the author’s relationship to his dad and how it evolved through the guise of running. Seeing how people manage and see their lives through the things they love is something I always enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews