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26.2 Miles to Happiness: A Comedian’s Tale of Running, Red Wine and Redemption
The hilarious trials and tribulations of stand-up comedian Paul Tonkinson as he attempts to beat the much lauded 3-hour mark at the London Marathon.
Paul Tonkinson is the well-known stand-up who has been presenting radio shows and appearing on television regularly for almost thirty years. 26.2 Miles to Happiness charts his quest to beat the much lauded 3-hour mark at the London Marathon. But this is not simply a story about beating The Wall . This is a story to show runners and non-runners alike how one of life's simple pleasures really can make everything better.
Along the way, we are introduced to the characters helping Paul with his quest. There is wit and wisdom from celebrity names such as Bryony Gordon, Russell Howard, Roisin Conaty and Vassos Alexander. There's even an alpine adventure to the Mayr Clinic with Michael McIntyre that pushes Paul to the limit. And not forgetting the "words of wisdom" from Paul's anti-running friend, Richard.
Ultimately, Paul is one of us. He is our consoling friend. The everyman who goes through extreme pain and battles with his own personal demons, but comes out the other side smiling. And this book will show you why.
Paul Tonkinson is the well-known stand-up who has been presenting radio shows and appearing on television regularly for almost thirty years. 26.2 Miles to Happiness charts his quest to beat the much lauded 3-hour mark at the London Marathon. But this is not simply a story about beating The Wall . This is a story to show runners and non-runners alike how one of life's simple pleasures really can make everything better.
Along the way, we are introduced to the characters helping Paul with his quest. There is wit and wisdom from celebrity names such as Bryony Gordon, Russell Howard, Roisin Conaty and Vassos Alexander. There's even an alpine adventure to the Mayr Clinic with Michael McIntyre that pushes Paul to the limit. And not forgetting the "words of wisdom" from Paul's anti-running friend, Richard.
Ultimately, Paul is one of us. He is our consoling friend. The everyman who goes through extreme pain and battles with his own personal demons, but comes out the other side smiling. And this book will show you why.
- GenresNonfictionHumor
256 pages, Hardcover
Published April 14, 2020
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23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 18, 2021
A very funny (as you would expect from a stand-up comedian) story of the trials and tribulations of trying to achieve a sub 3-hour marathon time.
The author reveals delves quite a lot into his past and is very open about some of the events that have shaped him into the man he has become, and it resonated with me the way in which these details were used to give context to some of his struggles in adult life and go some way towards explaining his obsession with breaking the 3-hour barrier.
As a marathon runner myself I could identify with a lot of the running stories and situations he had described. In fact, I listened to the audiobook version of this book over the course of 4 or 5 runs and it had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion. But really, whether you are a runner or not, there is plenty in this book to keep all-comers entertained!
The author reveals delves quite a lot into his past and is very open about some of the events that have shaped him into the man he has become, and it resonated with me the way in which these details were used to give context to some of his struggles in adult life and go some way towards explaining his obsession with breaking the 3-hour barrier.
As a marathon runner myself I could identify with a lot of the running stories and situations he had described. In fact, I listened to the audiobook version of this book over the course of 4 or 5 runs and it had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion. But really, whether you are a runner or not, there is plenty in this book to keep all-comers entertained!
July 31, 2023
I loved this. The audiobook was the way to go. It’s narrated by the author which I find a bit cringe sometimes but in this case it just made the funny bits funnier and the poignant bits that much more moving. And now, of course, I want to run a marathon l, so there’s that…
July 17, 2021
I bought this book because it had “red wine” on the cover. I love red wine! I’m also training for a marathon.
Paul Tonkinson was aiming to run his marathon under three hours which is so fast that I can’t relate to it. But reading his story I did find myself relating to him. There were a surprising number of parallels between our lives. I ended up identifying with Paul and being very inspired by him. So much so that I sprinted through this book in one marathon reading session which I haven’t done with a book for a long time.
Paul Tonkinson was aiming to run his marathon under three hours which is so fast that I can’t relate to it. But reading his story I did find myself relating to him. There were a surprising number of parallels between our lives. I ended up identifying with Paul and being very inspired by him. So much so that I sprinted through this book in one marathon reading session which I haven’t done with a book for a long time.
June 12, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed this. It is funny and full of running. I really appreciated the honesty, the self reflection and growth mindset. Gotta love a runner's determination to turn a bad situation into an opportunity. Paul Tonkinson is an average yet exceptional guy.
April 22, 2020
An entertaining read, with some motivational stuff for runners too
June 18, 2020
What a wonderful book.
June 22, 2021
Not going to lie, it was almost as much of a slog as running an actual marathon. Picks up near the end and does have a good message overall, but just wasn’t that interesting to me.
January 4, 2023
Not your usual running memoir. Super realistic about self sabotage and great results possible when you give it your all. Funny too.
July 13, 2023
I love a running autobiography!
July 16, 2023
Brilliant and funny
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2024
No idea who this guy is but I do love me a book about running. To start with, I'll be honest, I found it boring. I was going to give up on it but it picked up. He's a good writer and seems like genuinely nice bloke. I particularly enjoyed the psychological tidbits about running and life in general. That's why I love biographies so much, people can have such different takes on the same thing, or they explain something with a particular turn of phrase that can really resonate. Glad I stuck with it and may well give it another read at a later date.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews