Running Books: Memoirs & History

Insights into individual runners and cultures that support running.

Updated September 20, 2023
Libraries of Middlesex Automation ConsortiumScotch Plains Public Library
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Choosing to run : a memoir
Linden, Des
Paper Book
Featuring both the story of an historic, unforgettable win and insight into the life of an indelible champion, Choosing to Run is a truly inspirational memoir from Boston Marathon winner and Olympian Des Linden, sharing her personal story and what motivates her to keep showing up. <...
Good for a girl : a woman running in a man's world
Fleshman, Lauren
Paper Book
* A New York Times Bestseller * Winner of the William Hill Sports Book Of The Year Award * A Financial Times Best Sports Book of 2023 Fueled by her years as an elite runner and advocate for women in sports, Lauren Fleshman offers her inspiring personal...
Let your mind run : a memoir of thinking my way to victory
Kastor, Deena
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ."Deena Kastor is one of the greatest bodies in distance running, but this book captures what is so groundbreaking about her mind."-Alexi Pappas, Olympian, writer, and filmmaker "Inspiring, fascinating, and insightful. Practical for anyone...
The longest race : inside the secret world of abuse, doping, and deception on Nike's elite running team
Goucher, Kara
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In "one of the most important athlete memoirs of its generation" (Kate Fagan, #1 New York Times bestselling author), Olympian Kara Goucher reveals her experience of living through and speaking out about one of the biggest...
The perfect mile : three athletes, one goal, and less than four minutes to achieve it
Bascomb, Neal.
Paper Book
There was a time when running the mile in four minutes was believed to be entirely beyond the limits of human foot speed. And in all of sport it was the elusive holy grail. In 1952, after suffering defeat at the Helsinki Olympics, three world-class runners set out individually to break this...
A runner's high : my life in motion
Karnazes, Dean
Paper Book
"A Runner's High wakes up the appetite to run long distances. Dean takes us on a lifelong journey of ultramarathons, through the ups and downs, the friendships and lonely moments, and the struggles and rewards of each race. Dean writes in a direct and intimate way that keeps us reading like he...
Running while Black : finding freedom in a sport that wasn't built for us
Désir, Alison Mariella
Paper Book
A searing expose on the whiteness of running, a supposedly egalitarian sport, and a call to reimagine the industry "Runners know that running brings us to ourselves. But for Black people, the simple act of running has never been so simple. It is a declaration of the right to...
Running with the Kenyans : passion, adventure, and the secrets of the fastest people on earth
Finn, Adharanand.
Paper Book
"A dusty road stretches into the distance like a pencil line across the arid landscape. Lions, rhino, and buffalo roam the plains on either side. But I haven't come to Kenya to spot wildlife. I've come to run."   Whether running is your recreation, your religion, or just a...

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