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Marathon Man: My 26.2-Mile Journey From Unknown Grad Student To The Top Of The Running World (2013)

by Bill Rodgers(Favorite Author)

3.94 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1250016983 (ISBN13: 9781250016980)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Thomas Dunne Books

review 1: Not especially great writing (I'd say coauthor Matthew Shepatin was less effective than BR's prior coauthors Scott Douglas, Joe Concannon etc. in cutting down on the repetition for instance -- that his college roommate Amby Burfoot inspired him, that he was proud to take his place in the long line of New England road racers, that Steve Prefontaine gave him the shoes in which he ran Boston in 1975, that he disliked the AAU amateurism rules, that he was an inattentive kid who'd rather run around chasing butterflies than sit still in class.......each come up about 1,000 times), but that doesn't take away from......(a) terrific story -- structured around the breakthrough (10-minute PR to set an American record) win in '75 Boston, interspersed with flashbacks to the preceding y... moreears and a little bit thereafter. Digs into his disappointments (e.g., 1976 Olympics, DNF in Holland a few months after Boston win......) as well as triumphs in racing as in life (epilogue depicts his coming back from broken leg, surviving prostate cancer, and coping with two divorces).(b) reflects the spirit of a beyond-terrific person. Has there ever been a better guy? Everybody seems to have a Bill Rodgers story, and they are always positive. friendly, open, interested in the running/racing experiences of slow people, and just a generally upbeat person. For example, I'll never forget seeing him win 1978 Boston by 2 seconds over Jeff Wells, but almost equally memorable was reminiscing about it with him after we both raced the 2002 Kentlands/Lakelands 5k in maryland. He didn't just help awaken the running boom of the 70's/80's but also left a trail of great feelings in his wake, one runner at a time.If you've read his 1980 book Marathoning you know a lot of the anecdotes covered in this new one, but it's still a pleasure to revisit the rise of the greatest American road racer ever.
review 2: If you have had the great opportunity to listen to Bill Rodgers speak for an hour, I highly recommend this book because it is Bill speaking for 336 pages. You can feel the excitement and open expression that he brings from his youth, to being a conscientious objector, and then succeeding in running in more ways than one for many years ahead. For anyone that has run a marathon or wants to learn about the high level of commitment involved with succeeding at that race, read this book and your inspiration is there. I also recommend the book if you want to find out about what the United States was like for an outcast like Bill in the late-1960s through the running boom of the late-1970s and early-1980s. You might just get more than running out of it. less

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