Book Overview
The undisputed classic of running novels and one of the most beloved sports books ever published, Once a Runner tells the story of an athlete's dreams amid the turmoil of the 60s and the Vietnam war. Inspired by the author's experience as a collegiate champion, the novel follows Quenton Cassidy, a competitive runner at fictional Southeastern University whose lifelong dream is to run a four-minute mile. He is less than a second away when the 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 against the greatest miler in history. A rare insider's account of the incredibly intense lives of elite distance runners, Once a Runner is an inspiring, funny, and spot-on tale of one individual's quest to become a champion.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:1416597891
ISBN13:9781416597896
Release Date:April 2010
Publisher:Scribner Book Company
Length:304 Pages
Weight:0.63 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 6.0" x 8.4"
Once a Runner Mentions in Our Blog
An Olympics Reading List
Published by Ashly Moore Sheldon • April 02, 2024
Let the games begin! The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris won't get underway for several months, but we're already gearing up. With books! From compelling historical accounts to memoirs from Olympic athletes to sporty novels, get a head start on the excitement with these action-packed reads.
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