Once a runner

You could strip away the legacy behind what Runner's World magazine has called "the best novel ever written about running," before cracking the first page of Parker's Once a Runner. Forget the idea that he sold self-published copies out of his trunk, or that tattered books were passed down from runner to runner in college locker rooms for years because the novel was once so hard to find. You could read it just as a book that should be reviewed according to literary merit. But what's the fun in that?

This is a book for hard core endurance runners. And yet, Cassidy's event is the mile. His goal in life is to run a sub-4:00 mile, a feat that only the most elite runners achieve, and he's been stuck at four flat point three for years. Running upwards of 20 miles each day all in preparation for that one mile race, it's clear that this book is about the commitment and dedication of a highly gifted runner.

Read this book if you love running. Read this book if you were a college or high school athlete. Read this book if you're an aspiring runner and you're looking for some inspiration. Read this book if you love pushing your body to its absolute limit, and then pushing some more. If you don't fall into the above and you couldn't care less about running, then there's nothing here for you.