Runner Memoirs

Inspirational stories of determination and endurance
from ultra-marathoners and running converts.

Equal parts training log, travelogue, and reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers Murakami's four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon....

At the verge of turning 40, Peter Sagal - brainiac Harvard grad, short, bald Jew with a disposition toward heft, and a sedentary star of public radio - started running seriously. And much to his own surprise, he kept going, running 14 marathons and logging tens of thousands of miles....

The most terrifying moment of CNN correspondent Tom Foreman's life was when 18-year-old daughter asked, "How would you feel about running a marathon with me?"....

In Running Man, Charlie Engle tells the gripping, surprising, funny, emotional, and inspiring story of his life and how he blazed a path to freedom by putting one foot in front of the other....

Isolated by Mexico's deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful Tarahumara Indians have honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury. In a riveting narrative, award-winning journalist and often-injured runner Christopher McDougall sets out to discover their secrets....

Deena Kastor was a star youth runner with tremendous promise, yet her career almost ended after college, when her competitive method - run as hard as possible, for fear of losing - fostered a frustration and negativity and brought her to the brink of burnout....

In the tradition of Wild and H Is for Hawk, an Outside magazine writer tells her story - of fathers and daughters, grief and renewal, adventure and obsession, and the power of running to change your life....

In the dusty hills above San Diego, Bob Larsen became America's greatest running coach. Starting with a ragtag group of high school cross country and track runners, Larsen set out on a decades-long quest to find the secret of running impossibly fast....

Aside from her rock star looks, Catra Corbett is a standout in the running world on her accomplishments alone. And, unbelievably, she's also a former meth addict. After two years of addiction, Catra is busted while selling, and a night in jail is enough to set her straight....