In the Running: Stories of Extraordinary Runners from Around the World

by Phil Hewitt

Running isn't a hobby, it's a way of life. Runners run to be the best they can be, to challenge who they are, to inspire others and to champion their cause. From the woman who ran for three and a half days without sleep, to the 61-year-old man who broke records in an 875-km ultramarathon, this collection of unforgettable stories will inspire anyone who’s ever pounded the pavement to keep on running and enjoy every minute of this liberating sport.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2017

Reviews

[Michel B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me to rate a running book 2 stars...well...it's got to be quite lack lustre. There are lots of cool running facts - but they're delivered quickly and without much inspiration. Worst of all, there were several errors in the books (incorrect world record citations, etc) that suggest that only the barest of research was made. Good idea - poorly executed.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a moderately amusing read but I got very tired of the greatest runners pretty much all being marathon runners, or ultra runners. I've read other books that celebrate ordinary runners more, and I prefer those. This is very much a dip in and out book with a few pages at most about a single runner, perfect for that longer visit to the loo!

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Horrendous! I could google each person and find out so much more about each person! It’s really not inspiring or well written! I usually love sports books but not this one! Ugh

[Eleanor Venables · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amazing stories, a little bit monotonous though.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspirational

[Danny Whatmough · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever want to feel like your achievements are small choose a book that highlights people that have done far better under far more difficult circumstances, it's a riot...

I enjoyed the book itself, short chapters made it an easy read though some of the athletes highlighted within definitely get more attention than others. It feels unfair to some of those included that their chapters have so little detail when others get multiple pages, but I guess that's the way it goes.

I got into running roughly a year and a half ago and this made me want to take my running a little more seriously to see what I could actually achieve. I guess that counts for something right?

[Stephanie Buick · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's clear that in collating these accounts of amazing runners, Phil Hewitt has set out to inspire the reader. Geeky runners will love the tabulated information about running times and gold medals. And for the more romantic amongst us, there are accounts of runners who are all amazing in their different ways.

There's a chapter devoted to runners with disabilities.Rick Hoyt, for example, who was described as a 'vegetable' by doctors when he was born, took part in many marathons, with his father pushing his wheelchair. Phil Packer, who sustained spinal injuries at Basra, ran the London Marathon on crutches. David Kuhn, who is blind but runs to raise money for cystic fibrosis.

There's a chapter on running in harsh conditions, eg, the Marathon des Sables, in the Sahara. Sounds like hell on earth but I did enjoy reading about it lying in my cosy bed. Sicilian, Mauro Prosperi, got lost in a sandstorm and survived by drinking his own urine and bats' blood and eating lizards. Dave Heeley, who's blind, also ran this marathon, not to mention 7 marathons on 7 continents, and 10 marathons in 10 days.

There are elderly runners: Fauja Singh, who ran his last marathon aged nearly 102; brave runners, such as Jane Tomlinson, who began running marathons when she was given 6 months to live at the age of 36; unusual runners, such as Sister Madonna Buder, the Iron Nun, who became the oldest woman to complete the Hawian Ironman, aged 75, and Eddie Izzard, who had never run more than 5 miles before, took a break from surreal stand-up, to run a gadzillion marathons, one after another.

The book is well constructed, crammed with facts and stories, many of them quite incredible, and is essential reading for anyone seeking running inspiration or ideas.

[Mr Matthew Alan Swainston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn’t for me. I think I’d rather read in depth stories about one or a few of the people mentioned in the book than brief summaries about lots of them. There’s undoubtedly some amazing stories in the book, people that I’d love to know more about, just not in this bite sized way. I knew this was the style of the book when I bought it, I just discovered it wasn’t something I could get into as I went along

[Telmo Fernandes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tem o seu mérito, pelo trabalho de investigação e pela coleção de personagens e histórias sem dúvida inspiradoras, mas cada sub-capítulo sabe a muito pouco, como uma entrada de enciclopédia, assemelhando-se mais a um bloco de apontamentos com ideias soltas para livros a sério (e quase todas as histórias seriam bons pontos de partida).

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somehow I didn't manage to find this series of mem and women who have achieved remarkable things the slightest bit inspiring. I would have liked more of what they did and less of what they overcame - after the first dozen or so it was the same old, same old...