The Runner's Code: The Unwritten Rules of Everyday Running BEST BOOKS OF 2021: SPORT – WATERSTONES

by Chas Newkey-Burden

Cracking... full of running gems, r ealities and giggles. Nice work!' – Martin Yelling, Marathon Talk

'Lovely – very impressive' – TalkSPORT

'From now on, if anyone I know mentions that they want to start running, this will be my first recommendation' – Stuart Heritage

The Runner's Code explores the unwritten rules of everyday running and is essential reading for anyone who marvels at marathons, tears round the track or simply plods round the park.

Filled with smart advice and brilliantly knowing humour , this unique celebration of running takes the newbie and veteran alike through the secret, nuanced and blindingly obvious rules of running to answer all the important questions, such

- What's the correct etiquette for acknowledging other runners?

- What should you do if you get 'caught short' on a run?

- And exactly how many times can you ask colleagues for marathon sponsorship?

The book is packed with plenty of need-to-know information to help you deliver your best running performance, such as coping with different weather conditions, advice on kit and clothing (how many miles can a pair of trainers last, and is it ever appropriate to run in a mankini?) and pavement etiquette (overtaking dawdling pedestrians on a busy street).

There are also sections on getting the best race-day nutrition, finding the perfect running headspace and gaining maximum joy from your running.

The Runner's Code features exclusive contributions from BBC presenters Nicky Campbell and Louise Minchin , sports writer Henry Winter , and leading running authors Anna McNuff, Paul Tonkinson, Rachel Cullen, Martin Yelling, Liz Yelling, Helen Croydon and Michael Stocks. They each brilliantly reveal what they love and what they hate about running.

Written by journalist, author and self-confessed running nut Chas Newkey-Burden, The Runner's Code will help us to all run better and more responsibly, while reminding us of the joy and, at times, the wonderful absurdity of running.

Genres: Nonfiction

208 pages, Hardcover

Published January 25, 2022

About the author

Chas Newkey-Burden is a British journalist and author. His books include The Reduced History of Britain, Great Email Disasters and Not In My Name: A Compendium Of Modern Hypocrisy (co-written with Julie Burchill). He has also written unauthorised biographies of Simon Cowell, Paris Hilton, Amy Winehouse, Alexandra Burke and six official publications for Arsenal football club.

He has written for publications including The Guardian, Four Four Two, Total Football, Time Out, Attitude and The Big Issue; and internet sites including Ynetnews, The First Post and Guardian Blogs. A former Contributing Editor to Loaded magazine and former editor of the football website icons.com, where he was also Dennis Bergkamp's official biographer. Interviewees include David Beckham, Ricky Gervais, Frank Lampard, Rachel Stevens and James Bourne.

Newkey-Burden has discussed his books, football news and the Middle East on TV and radio shows including Sky News, CNN, BBC Breakfast News, The Today Programme on Radio 4, Five Live Breakfast, TalkSport, Capital Gold and BBC Radio London. He was featured on the BBC 2 documentary Cold War Kids, the Sky One show Celebrities On Heat and The Biography Channel and Fuse Television's documentaries on Amy Winehouse.

Newkey-Burden has a blog, entitled OyVaGoy, in which he describes himself as 'philosemitic' and posts opinions firmly in support of the state of Israel, and critical of those he perceives as being against Israel.
In July 2008, the British satirical magazine Private Eye reported that Newkey-Burden had posted positive reviews of his own books on the Amazon.co.uk online bookstore.

Reviews

[John Joseph Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read, fun-filled and relevant. Recommended.

[Jonathan Brandzen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lots of self indulgent, anti-male content punctuated by pandemic era advice. Glad it was a loaner from the library and I didn’t pay for this trash.

[Charlie Sharpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyable lighthearted read. Finished it on the evening of my first day in isolation after testing positive and now all I want to do is get out and run (despite going out this morning before the dreaded positive result); a week without a run feels like torture, especially as I’m confined to one room!

[Stephen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some Useful info if you have never attended any kind of race or charity run before. Very strange how much the author dislikes male runners. P.S not every man stands around staring at woman running in short shorts and a vest top.

[Lewis Corbett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A other great running book by Chas Newkey-burden.

[Scott E · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice read, not too engaging and light hearted.

[Ben Craske · Rating 3 out of 5]

Practical and enjoyable for the most part, verged on being obnoxious and arrogant at times and the last chapter or so felt like self indulgent filler to hit the publisher's word count.

[Martyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any running book with advice on Fart Etiquette is going to be worth reading.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny book with some interesting running tips, but a bit too all over the place. Some of the running advice felt inconsistent and possibly confusing for a novice runner. There seemed to be a recurrent message that the worst thing that could happen to a runner is they’d lose fitness and gain weight, and that you should earn/burn off calories by running. This almost put me off the book but I’m glad I finished it as there were some valuable messages.

[Paul Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little read.

[Sam Meldrum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fairly disjointed, not as humourous as it could have been. An interesting diversion, but nothing more.

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been a lot better.

Some really good points, but having these 'why I like running' sections from all different runners throughout the book seemed disjointed.

I'd still recommend this book to others.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read, packed full of info and advice and super relevant. Would recommend to any runner or as a gift.