Once a Runner captures the essence of what it means to be a competitive runner; to devote your entire existence to a single-minded pursuit of excellence. It has become one of the most beloved sports novels ever written. Originally self-published in 1978 and sold at road races out of the trunk of the author's car, reading the book became a rite of passage for many runners, and tattered copies were handed down like sacred texts from generation to generation.
Once a Runner is the story of Quenton Cassidy, a collegiate runner at fictional Southeastern University whose lifelong dream is to run a four-minute mile. He is less than a second away when the political and cultural turmoil of the Vietnam War era intrudes into the staid recesses of his school's athletic department. After he becomes involved in an athletes' protest, Cassidy is suspended from his track team.
Under the tutelage of his friend and mentor, Bruce Denton, a graduate student and former Olympic gold medalist, Cassidy gives up his scholarship, his girlfriend, and possibly his future to withdraw to a monastic retreat in the countryside and begin training for the race of his life: a head-to-head match with the greatest miler in history.
This audiobook is a rare insider's account of the incredibly intense lives of elite distance runners; an inspiring, funny, and spot-on tale of one man's quest to become a champion.
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"Since entering the running community a few years ago, I heard so much about this book. And yet, I started it without knowing much about it other than the amount of high praise it received. At first, I didn't get it. The first quarter or so of the book took some time for me to get into. Perhaps it's because it's a "guy's" book, I thought. The story lines depicting collegiate pranks from the 1970s just seemed to get in the way at first. Get to the running stuff, I thought. But as the story unfolded, I appreciated those moment (though I did think some of those scenes went on too long). It's not just a tale of the making of an elite runner (though that's poignant enough) but also an interesting look at the political dynamic of athletics on college campuses. The general setting may have changed, but the impact that football has on other sports, and the desire to stifle dissent among student-athletes, I think still rings true today. The training and racing scenes definitely were relatable, regardless of whether you're running a sub-4 minute mile or struggling through 11-minute long runs. It took some time for me to warm up to, but I can appreciate the reason why this is a classic."
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Amy (4 out of 5 stars)