Once a Runner

Once a Runner #1

by John L. Parker Jr.

Quenton Cassidy, a collegiate runner, gives up everything and moves to a cabin in the woods and subjects himself to a brutal training regimen in a quest to become a world champion miler. Under the rigorous coaching of Bruce Denton, a former Olympic gold medallist, Quenton plans to compete against the best miler in the world.

Within Quenton's journey of unflinching determination to win, Parker captures in this work of fiction the very essence of what it means to be a competitive runner, and it has gone on to become the most beloved novel about the sport ever published.

Genres: Fiction, Sports, Fitness, Audiobook, Classics, Health, Adult Fiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

John L. Parker Jr. has written for Outside, Runner’s World, and numerous other publications. He was the Southeastern Conference mile champion three times, and the United States Track and Field Federation national champion in the steeplechase, and was the teammate of Olympians Frank Shorter, Jack Bacheler, and Jeff Galloway on several championship cross-country teams. A graduate of the University of Florida’s College of Journalism as well as its College of Law, Parker has been a practicing attorney, a newspaper reporter and columnist, a speechwriter for then Governor Bob Graham, and editorial director of Running Times magazine. He lives in Gainesville, Florida, and Bar Harbor, Maine.

---From http://authors.simonandschuster.com/J...

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not totally sure how I feel about this book as a whole - but I loved the last quarter of it.

The beginning almost killed me with the author’s seemingly needful sense to try to impress us with his constant use of obscure words. It practically handicapped the book as each sentence read as though he used a book of synonyms to replace simpler everyday language to build up his writing? I very nearly gave up and just walked away.

However, if you can plow through his obscure writing structure (and thoughts) and get a few of the nuggets he gives in the first 3/4 of the book and combine them with the nuggets given in the last quarter, the ending is worth the pain. If you've ever been a runner or desire to know the insanity behind those who go the extreme in this sport - this book gives a very clear picture of that psyche.

The book is inspiring but I find the current "Born to Run" more so (though let me reiterate, the last quarter of this book is amazing!) and of course I love the reference in this book to barefoot running.

The 3 stars is because his writing is so terrible!

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was actually a really awful book. I was quite excited to dig into it after reading all the accolades: "The best piece of running fiction around"... "There are parts of "Once A Runner" that are pure poetry"... "So inspiring it could be banned as a performance-enhancing drug"...

Bullhonkey. This book reads like a high school writing assignment. Belabored dialogue, cardboard characters, clunky prose. The two chapters on racing at the end are exciting and contain the true heart of the book, but sheesh! What a god-awful warm-up to get there. Like running uphill on loose gravel, dodging potholes. In the rain.

All I can think is that the above-quoted reviewers skimmed the first 7/10ths of the book and only read the last bit, where it finally gets interesting and really does have something to say about what goes on in a runner's mind during extreme effort.

To be fair, there are also two excerpts that ring true to me in a pleasing way, just over halfway through:

"They knew it was psychologically easier to run a familiar course than a new one, so contrary to the advice in the magazines and jogger manuals, they seldom went exploring for changes of scenery."

"Though the toil was arduous, they rarely spoke of the discomfort of training or racing in terms of pain; they knew that what gave pain its truly fearful dimension was a certain lack of familiarity... these were sensations they knew very well."

~ both excerpts from page 158 in the 2009 reprint

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite novels. Very funny at times. This will really strike a chord for anyone who ran distance at the college level. Parker gets everything down from the dinnertime antics to the pre-race jitters and the absolute strangeness that goes along with identifying yourself as a long distance runner. A must read for anyone planning to run a marathon or who trains regularly. A great motivator for those days when you just can't seem to get out the door. Pick this up, read a chapter, and get out there!

[India M. Clamp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Egregious—-overflowing with defamatory references to women. On the other hand, the cover and artistic depictions are in the style of Norman Rockwell. The time referenced is clearly when women were not welcome to participate in this male dominated sport. Many positive changes have given way to progress and excellence. Women foster collaboration and community.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I am a runner. If you are not a runner, I'm honestly not sure that you will enjoy this book, because as a novel, it has a number of shortcomings. You know the ending from the start. The plot lags in a number of spots, and the rise to the climax is agonizingly slow. And I personally never fell in love with any of the characters, no matter how much I could or could not relate to them.

And yet.

I have never read anything that captures the experience of a competitive runner more accurately than some of the passages in this book. I have never read anything that makes me want to get out there and train like this book does. I have never read a book that I know, with absolute certainty, that I will read again and again at different points in my life for very specific reasons. Once a Runner is all of these things. It's like having a friend who "really gets it" when you talk about your love/hate relationship with the sport of running. It's the only chance you'll ever have to climb inside the head of another runner and truly know that they feel just as shitty and just as elated as you've felt.

For these reasons, I loved the book. And I will read it again. And again. And again.

[Andy Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this book written in 1978 I understand why it went from a small publisher to being sold out of trunks during track meets and runs to cult classic to now being regarded by many as the best book on running ever written.

But this is not just a runner's book. in fact it is now one of my all time favorite books period.

Set in an university during the 70's the book is about a nonconformist runner who loves to think for himself and loves to run. A sample early passage:
...the runners kept up all matter of chatter and horseplay. When they occasionally blew by a huffing fatty or an aging road runner they automatically toned down the banter to avoid overwhelming, to preclude the appearance of showboating(not that they slowed in the slightest). They in fact respected these distant cousins of the spirit, who among all people, had some modicum of insight into their own milieu. But these runners resembled them only in the sense that a puma resembles a pussycat. It is the difference between stretching lazily on the carpet and prowling the jungle for fresh red meat."

An in depth review would contain too many spoiler alerts, I will say that the climax, a mile race, is one of the most suspenseful descriptions of a sporting event I have ever read.

This book is a great read and I recommend to all without reservation

[Blondish And Bookish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get the feeling that this is one of those books that just don't hold up to the test of time. Like Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, which was apparently a huge bestseller in the 70's but which, if you read it now, is laughable, I think this book probably had more impact in 1978 when it was first written, than it does now.

This book was one of Amazon's recommendations because I bought Born To Run (excellent!). It is fiction, the story of Quenton Cassidy, a college athlete whose dream is to run a four-minute mile. There were interesting parts about training, and specific races that they ran, and about other runners.

Then the middle of the book, where they introduced romance and college pranks, really dragged. It was hard to get through, I almost abandoned the book at several points.

However, then it ramped back up and was very exciting at the end, although somewhat typical Underdog Athlete Overcomes Adversity story.

I would recommend this for runners (probably not a ton of running related fiction out there!), and for those who were college athletes in the 1970s and 1980s, and for anyone who loves underdog sports stories.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd heard of this book but never really had the urge to pick it up until I got a copy for free & figured "Eh, what the heck." 12 chapters in I was convinced it was about the stupidest book I'd ever read. The writing was cliche & forced, & the dialogue was unbelievable and frankly hard to follow (though I'm sure that's at least partly to do with the time period). I couldn't relate to the characters, and the jumpy, meandering style of storytelling made the main story line difficult to follow (or even detect) for the first half the book. I spent probably half the scenes going "What does this have to do with anything??" It it wasn't so short I probably would have given it up there.

The second half (once he ditched most of the side characters) was more coherent and actually had a narrative arc to it, and although as a runner I have never been anywhere *near* the caliber of Mr. Quenton Cassidy, there were actually a lot of parts I was able to relate to on some level. (It also brought back all the most painful, most horrific parts of running track, which sort of sucked, but I guess that's kind of the point.) It's when Parker is actually writing about running and training and racing that it's not too bad, and there were definitely a few sections near the end where I found myself thinking, "OMG, it is/was *totally* just like that," so he gets an extra star for that. On the other hand, I doubt anyone who hasn't had the experience of running track at least semi-competitively will really "get" those parts.

So yeah. If you are or have been a super competitive male college track star, this book *might* be for you. If you're a distance runner in the sense of, "Meh, I run marathons & half-marathons occasionally for fun/health/thrillz," you can probably just skip it without missing much.

[Luke Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I'm unconvinced the author has ever spoken to a woman, I thought this was an excellent depiction of what it means to give your all to a sport and found it very motivating.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for running inspiration for my two half marathons this year. I also needed to read this before the sequel on my shelves, Again to Carthage. After receiving it from interlibrary loan, I excitedly began reading. I was a little letdown. I believe the blurbs overhyped it a tad with the promises of "best novel ever written about running" and also that it could "inspire a couch potato to run". Both are lofty statements and didn't quite hit the mark for me.

I think this is relatable to a small group of super elite competitive runners who are all-consumed with achieving excellence in this field. The anecdotes of eccentric characters, the breaking down phenomenon, the runner's high, and self-care were interesting from an outsider perspective, but most was truly insider baseball (perfectly phrased by David's The Poptimist's review on Goodreads). I love the feeling and joy that comes after a long run, and I also love a challenge. I was looking forward to vicariously experiencing the power of feet pounding the pavement, and not as interested in the reading about seconds shaved off a mile. I understand this is just a reader preference, and not a fault of the book. This was more technical training, male group dynamics, and commentary on the good ol' boy network of a college campus in the 1970's.

Parker was discussing odd behaviors and personalities that can occasionally come with people who have a singular pursuit, but the style was slightly snarky and show off-y. I tried really hard to connect to the runners and their endeavors, but there seemed to be a wall I couldn't get past (like Andrea, Cassidy's girlfriend in the book!) I'm going to give this three stars because I do think it has value to a select few, but not for this amateur runner. I would definitely be curious to hear what regular marathoners and ultra-marathoners think of this work.

[Burd · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK. It's not the best written book. But if you're a runner, you can't not like this book. Not all of it held my attention. I devoured the parts about running and training because they were so bang on and passionately written. I guess Parker wanted to round out the novel so that it wouldn't be a total runner's geekfest. But the side plots about love affairs and political drama were like junk miles to me and I found myself skimming over them.

Apparently this book has been a cult classic for years amongst elite runners and track and field enthusiasts. I gotta say, just reading about Quentin Cassidy's determination and drive as a competitive miler made me want to go out and do some repeats.

I really don't think a non-runner would get this. But if you love to run, check it out. In fact, I'd say it's required reading for people who do speed training!!

Cassidy's heart tried to leap out through his taught skin and hop into his wet hands. But outwardly it was all very calm, very serene, just as always, and it seemed to last a tiny forever, just like that, a snapshot of them all on the curved parabola of a starting line, eight giant hearts attached to eight pairs of bellows-like lungs mounted on eight pairs of supercharged stilts. They were poised on the edge of some howling vortex they had run 10,000 miles to get to. Now they had to run one more.

Yep, it's passages like that that send shivers up my spine.

[Garlan ✌ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! A great book about running, written by a runner who can write. I've known (heard) about this book for years, and finally got around to reading it. I wish I had read this when I was younger and was running strong. It inspires me to go out and hit the roads again today; I can only imagine how much it would have inspired me then.
This is a fictional account of a runner (loosely based upon the author's college experience), and his quest to break the magical 4-minute mile. Its full of wisdom, humor, insight, folklore, and is uncannily captures all of a runner's quirkiness and idiosyncrasies. I'm giving this book a 5 star rating. It is, hands down, the best book about running that I've ever read! I think even a non-runner would like the writing style and storytelling, even if they didn't fully appreciate the essence of what it means to be a competitive runner at the elite level.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life is short, life is hard.

What it was in human nature that generated this irresistible urge to bait a runner, he did not know.

A gentle creature, no?

The Bad Times, the times to be gotten through, the no-toys-at-Christmas, sittin’-at-the-bus-station-at-midnight blues times to look back on and try to laugh about or just forget. The third lap was to be endured and endured and endured.

It had to be experienced, not remembered.

[Morgan Eigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hate this damn book

—————————

another book I have conflicted thoughts on 🤔

I loved reading a book that really truly captured how it feels to RACE. and I’m clearly not alone in this— there’s a reason this book is widely regarded as “the greatest book about running ever written”. howEVER… I think that part of what makes it so good is familiarity. like how many popular books are there about running? it is fun to know all these esoteric terms and to follow along with times and splits and workout that feel so natural in your ears and eyes and brain but…

looking at this objectively, I don’t think it’s anything special. at times it is EXTRAORDINARILY overwritten. like embarrassingly so. and on top of that, it makes the sport seem so exclusionary as it insinuates that the only way to call yourself a runner is if you are putting in ridiculous hours and miles and workouts. like yea you think you’re a runner? did you do 60x400? and it has some wildly misogynistic commentary: these ugly fat fucking hobby joggers FEMALES 🤬🤬
AND quenton cassidy is a basket case. like an actual total nut job. his obsession is unhealthy. and yet he’s still highly revered in his world, and in the real world . don’t like that

but. but. but … the courtroom scene 🥹 the long runs 🥹 THE RACE AT THE END 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history of this book is more interesting than its contents.

The former Dallas Baptist University cross country runner who loaned it to me said it was a "cult running book". I was eager to see what type of book runners would form a hidden fan base around.

Unfortunately, and quite predictably, the running enthusiast's choice of fiction is a book that enthuses about running. A book that describes running accurately and compares most everything in life to running, and features characters who run often.

I do a little distance running, and I found the descriptions of the act quite accurate, as will most who have run before, but I did not find it new, strange, exciting, funny, or frightening.

Unfortunately the characters act and sound like the corny youths seen in the movie "Sleepaway Camp".

Runner's World declares this book "The best book ever written about running." A limited distinction similar to "The best book written about pickled vegetables." or "The best book written about toenail clipper manufacturing."

Still, I'm thrilled that a "cult running book" exists, even if it is boring. There is something about this slow-building success that is simultaneously encouraging and amusing. In fact, it's publishing success is like the triumph of a patient distance runner. See what I did there?

[Ann Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read an excerpt of this book that was in the Runners Anthology and loved that. Reading the whole book though was incredible. It really was one that was hard to put down and when he goes into training (I won't spoil this part) but I will say that I devoured the book from that point on. Loved it.

[Liv Nørholm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this from my coach at the end of the cross country season - shoutout mr bowerman - and i’m supposed to write a note in it and pass it on to the next graduating class of cross country runners, so i’ll have to get my own copy so i can read it again. I loved this book so much. While I did think that the pacing was a bit questionable, and it’s obvious to me that the author has never spoken to a woman in his life, I couldn’t stop reading and the protagonist, Quenton Cassidy and his mentor Bruce are just so lovable. Cassidy is like the ideal distance runner, and although I will never get close to his level of commitment or talent I did find myself really identifying with him (or maybe i’m just jealous that he gets to live in a cabin and do nothing except run, read and drink whiskey while i’m worrying about my exams). The last 30 or 40 pages are one of the most immersive things i’ve ever read. I could literally feel the adrenaline and nerves when Cassidy was standing at the start line and the absolute pain of crossing the finish line. Even though the races i’ve done have been 100 times less intense, the author managed to replicate a feeling that every runner has experienced and it made me miss racing so so bad. I think that everyone who runs should read this.

“Training was a rite of purification; from it came speed, strength. Racing was a rite of death; from it came knowledge”

[Andrew Razanauskas · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s usually difficult for me to visualize what I’m reading, but “Once A Runner” proved an exception. It felt nearly autobiographical — a retelling of my collegiate running experience, save for the fact I was nowhere near the Quenton Cassidy elite runner level. The writing was mostly outstanding. There were parts where Parker used big words so liberally though it felt unnecessary, forced. I also did not like how, despite making little mention of race in the story, he called out a “felonious ebony hand” committing a crime involving a dead body in the middle. This contributed nothing even to the scene in which it was told; just felt totally superfluous. But, for conjuring up very real sensations, reminders of the adrenaline of racing and the pains of anxiousness, it’s four stars for me.

[Kirb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover claims this is “the best novel ever written about running,” and since this is the only novel I’ve ever read about running, I suppose I must agree. I guess using the same logic you could also say it was the worst novel I’ve ever read about running.

It felt like reading a fever dream about running, which is pretty on brand for running. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, especially for someone who dabbles in running

TLDR: this is a novel about running

[Jacob Vahle · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the book that captures team culture and the psychology of distance runners the best. Miles of trials written by a runner who clearly understands every step of the journey. My third time reading this novel and it still gets me excited to race!

[Tucker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Waited 10 years to read this book. It was truly awful. It was so unrealistic, and the author had way too many sub plots that he never revisited. It almost felt like there was five in complete stories the entire time.

[Claudia TenElshof · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it

[Chris Dietzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Runner's World' declared this was the best novel ever written about running. If that's the case, there simply haven't been many novels written about running. It's not bad by any means but it's definitely not the "Rudy," "Hoosiers," or "The Natural" of running. Haruki Murakami's What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is clearly better, although it's nonfiction and not a novel.

[Thomas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different from your usual running book, while still raising some interesting ideas and being really quite funny at points. I liked it.

[Will Best · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book perfectly captures the unexplainable why every runner runs. The fears, the hopes, the dreams, the need. I brought back all of the memories of my college days. Truly a gem.

[GD · Rating 1 out of 5]

How in the hell is the average rating for this book over 4 stars? Oh yeah, I know, the only people who would read this book are runners and they're probably really only interested because the main character in the book is a runner. Not that runners make bad writers (or readers, can there be a bad or good reader?), but runners are usually people obsessed with running over everything else, so a book about a runner is probably the coolest thing in the world for them. I thought the plot was ridiculous, the pacing was ridiculous, the sidetracks into things other than descriptions of running to try to make th book look like a real book instead of a runner's girly-magazine were ridiculous. The way the writer likes to say "miles of trials, the trial of miles" more than once, and the fact that he even says that same catchy little phrase in the dedication, tells me he probably though of that one day while running and thinks it's something good enough to be in a book. Also, how it's difficult for people to understand "his ways and days." Man, this is kindergarten-level rhyming here, and if the book wasn't trying to be clever, why throw that in there at all, especially more than once? I was in shock at how awful this book was when I was reading it (years ago), and the sheer awfulness of it kept me going, out of curiosity to see just how bad it could get. And I will never forget it. I understand that long distance runners are a different breed of person, but then again most people really into anything are a different breed of person, and we're not capable of understanding that obsession or way of thinking.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good novel about elite racing (the main character is a competitive miler), but it is not about running casually or a love of running, or running for any reason other than to compete. It is mainly about how much a competitive athlete must sacrifice in order to dedicate his life to his sport. I didn't relate to a lot of that, and in fact the writer dismisses casual runners as unimportant:

"His daily toil was arduous; satisfying on the whole, but not the bounding, joyous nature romp described in the magazines. Other runners, real runners, understood it quite well."

So I guess I'm not a "real runner" because I take joy in running? Thanks, pal. Say that to my face after I run 10 miles in 25-degree weather.

But, that aside, the descriptions of the rituals, the runner's mysticism, and the things that repeat through your brain (like crazy song lyrics, which definitely happens to me) as you train will resonate with any runner, or really anyone who is serious about a sport. And I did like the character, Quenton Cassidy, and I see why it has cult classic status among runners. I just wish the author had been more respectful to those of us who consider ourselves "runners" but can't run a mile in four minutes.

[Karen Klink · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a review that said this is not a novel for non-runners.

I'm not a runner and never have been a runner, but I couldn't put the book down. I love to be immersed in a world about which I know nothing, and this book was a revelation. Reading it was probably the closest I'll ever get to knowing what it must be like to be an athlete in top condition. To have demons that "make you want to run through the jungle . . . cover countryside at a clip, slide by in the night like a scuttling cloud . . . make you bolt awake in the middle of the night with an involuntary shot of your own true adrenaline, ready to run a hundred miles; . . . make you jittery with the smell of forest, ready to hurdle fallen trees, run down game, leave gore in the bushes..."

Sounds a little crazy, but lots of us might think running one hundred and twenty miles a week a little crazy. Maybe every athlete who goes for the gold must be just a little mad.

One of the reasons I read is for a taste of a world I will never know in any other way. Thanks, John Parker, for a peek into what was your world.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no idea how I missed this now-cult-classic when it came out. I would have LOVED to have read it (and savored it) back when I was doing high mileage. I have no idea if non-runners will enjoy it, but I found it hugely compelling and entertaining. If you've ever kept a mileage log, logged high mileage (slogging thru LSD - long slow distance), or suffered through intervals, you'll appreciate the book. I can't quibble with those folks who claim this is the best book ever written about running. In retrospect, however, I'm glad I read Bascomb's recent (extremely well done) non-fiction "Pefect Mile" before I read this.

[Philip Magnier · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're interested in sport, then you'll thoroughly enjoy reading this book. It has brilliant descriptions of races, one being the main highlight of the novel towards the end. And reading about the protagonist's training is possibly even better as he isolates out in the wild and does some insane sessions.

The main character does live on the page and his on-off relationship with his girlfriend is well drawn and important to the development.

Unequivocally, the best sports novel I've read.