Running the Smoke

by Michael McEwan

This updated edition features a new introduction, and an exclusive interview with long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe.

It is the world's most iconic road race.

It is twenty-six-point-two miles of iconic landmarks, cheers, tears, sweat, pain, courage, determination and inspiration.

It is triumph over adversity on a colossal scale.

It is the London Marathon - and it's an event unlike any other.

Running The Smoke tells the story of what it's like to take part in this race in the most enlightening and enriching way from the perspectives of twenty-six different people who have participated in it since its inception in 1981. Candid and inspiring if you are preparing for your first marathon or your 100th, Running The Smoke will give you the encouragement, insight and belief you need to cross that line.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2017

Reviews

[Daniel Morrissey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book because I am planning on running the London marathon this year in 2020 along with my wife and son. Unfortunately the race has been postponed until October due to the Coronavirus. The book was fantastic. It is a collection of stories from 26 people who have run the race and their personal experience.

Some of the stories are sad while others are very uplifting. The British style of writing is a little different than what I’m used to but that didn’t change how I felt reading the stories. It did give me a good feeling of the race course and what to expect as we prepare for the big day.

I ran the Berlin marathon in 2018 with my son and it was absolutely an incredible experience to be involved in such an international event. The people, the city, the weather and our family had a great time.

I know London will be just as good if not better.

[Alex Rendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this prior to my first London Marathon this year. It showcases some incredibly powerful, moving and inspirational stories of a variety of people who have run the London Marathon. I feel that there is a good mix of stories from celebrities, professional athletes and ordinary people and all of them highlight the extraordinary experience that is the London Marathon. Inspiration for anyone thinking of running the race.

[Maruska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brillant

Anyone doing a marathon, ultra, running around the world of just a parkrun on a Saturday morning. This book is brilliant.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ignore the chapters from the smug bare-footed runner & the outed cheat Rob Young, then this is a fabulous read for anyone attempting a marathon not just London.

[OxoNewbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

26 real-life stories of a 26.2 mile run. Good, varied selection with contributions from celebrities and regular people. Inspiring stuff.

3 stars.

[Carianne Carleo-Evangelist · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing read.

I think what I loved about this book falls into two tracks: that it was a collection of runners’ stories rather than one runner’s story of his/her London training & race and that those featured ran the gamut from world class runners and athletes in other sports to every day people who found meaningful reasons to run the London Marathon. While the elites are always amazing, I can definitely relate more to the everyday runners.

I can’t even begin to pick a favorite as these were all amazing, but the ones that resonated with me the most were:

Dick Beardsley & Inge Simonsen’s finish line sportsmanship after running a very close race. Neither man should have lost, and neither did. I think it particularly resonated with me due to Desi Linden & Shalane Flanagan’s sportsmanship in Boston last week.
Claude Umuhire’s stories of survival were amazing. The Rwandan genocide is one of those news events that I remember watching unfold on the news and like Sarajevo, it comes back to me when reading. His subsequent struggles with homelessness were just heartbreaking, yet he and the other 25 runners featured here really fought to overcome their challenges.
Similarly, I’m in awe of how Jo-ann Ellis and Kannan Ganga ran in memory of their son and partner, respectively, after each passed away due to cancer. It’s one thing to run with artificial limbs as Jamie Andrew did after his mountaineering accident, but another to run with such a large and fresh hole in the heart. But what a way to honor those gone
I loved the sillies, from Lloyd Scott’s deep-sea diving suit to John Farnworth’s football free styling. Not everyone needs a Reason to run, and this was a nice counter to some of the heartbreaking stories that McEwan told so well.
7/7 survivor Jill Tyrrell was perhaps the perfect culmination. Like 9/11 (and later Boston in 2013), 7/7 defined London not in it being a victim of an attack, but for its resiliency. For Tyrrell personally, but all of these runners overcame something, or many somethings to survive and thrive. Almost fitting that Tyrrell and other 7/7 victims were among the first adults treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital since the Blitz, another time London had been under siege.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

Although I know that “fancy dress” means costume, my mental picture of these runners was still in a fancy dress, even men running in deep-sea diving suits. Now that would be a sight.
I love that these were all edited together in one “voice” and style. One of my pet peeves about International/US editions of books is when they don’t stick in one format. Either do pounds/kilos/stone and color/colour. Don’t mix and match, it’s too confusing and jarring. I have more patience for distances varying as those do even in one country.
For whatever reason, I always interpreted “fell pregnant” to mean an accidental pregnancy. It took me a few stories to read it’s the same as US English’s “got pregnant” yet seems so much more elegant.

A really wonderful book, and one I’d wholeheartedly recommend whether or not you have any interest in running in general, or the London Marathon specifically. It’s not exactly a guide to London in the same way Liz Robbins’ A Race Like No Other: 26.2 Miles Through the Streets of New YorkA Race Like No Other is to NYC, but it certainly feeds the travel itch.

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I made it my goal to read two stories every night to finish the book the night before my first ever marathon (Belfast, not London) and it worked perfectly. I went to sleep and woke up every day excited about the goal I was about to accomplish thanks to the inspiration from the book. It’s stories of people from such different backgrounds and with different levels of experience and each with their particular motivation for running the marathon, but all of them finished, at their own time and were just as happy about their achievements. That helped me relieve the pressure, tension and nervousness from the training and instead focusing on enjoying the experience after all this effort. 100% recommend.

[Shobee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am running the London Marathon in 22 days. My first. This book has brought tears to my eyes, lumps in my throat, and had me laughing in places. Coming out of a calf injury and resting up so I can get to the start line has caused a lot of anxiety. The stories in these pages have given me so much hope, and confidence that not only will I get to the start line, but I will finish the course. I must. I will. ❤️

[Nicholas Salmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Running the Smoke is an uplifting book with 26 chapters covering different people’s perspectives of
running the London marathon – including some race winners, a man in a deep-sea diving suit, a
multiple amputee, a terror attack survivor, a cancer survivor and 20 or so other inspirational stories.

[Kat p · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastically inspiring book! loved it

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspirational stories of people who have run the London Marathon and what it meant to them. More of a 3.5 rating. Enjoyable easy read. You don’t have to be a runner but think it helps.