Running Books You Must Read

1. From last to First – by Charlie Spedding

Charlie Spedding’s book is a must read for any aspiring runner. His story chronicles his journey as an athlete, from finishing last in his first race to winning an Olympic bronze medal in Los Angeles. He recounts the highs and lows of his running career, whilst also achieving a degree in Pharmacy, with an amazing simple perspective of the sport.

2. Running with the Buffaloes – by Chris Lear

This book gives a fascinating insight into the highs and lows of the University of Colorado men’s cross country team across a season. The work ethic and team camaraderie of these young guys will definitely make you want to lace up your trainers and get running!

3. Black, White and Gold – by Kelly Holmes

Kelly Holmes’ autobiography is a captivating read. It takes you through the highs, the lows and the brutal injury struggles of Holmes’ career, which culminated in her winning double Olympic gold at the age of 34.

4. Dual in the sun – by John Brant

This book chronicles the incredible race that was the 1982 Boston Marathon, where two American runners, Dick Beardsley and Alberto Salazar battled against each other for 26.2 miles. In fact such was the intensity of the race that neither man ever ran as well again.

5. Today we die a little – Richard Askwith

This is the biography of the extraordinary Czech runner, Emil Zatopek, who won five Olympic medals, set 18 world records and was undefeated over 10,000m for six years. Zatopek redefined the boundaries of endurance with his innovative and tough training regime.

6. The Perfect Distance – by Pat Butcher

Pat Butcher recaptures the intense, record breaking rivalry between Steve Ovett and Seb Coe in the early 1980’s. This is a must read for anyone who remembers the golden era of British middle distance running or who wants to be inspired by it, where records tumbled.

7. The Way of the Runner – by Adharand Finn

To write this book Adharand Finn spent six months living in Japan, immersed in the marathon mad culture to see whether the Japanese approach and ethos to training would make him run faster. In the process he learnt a lot about himself and the country where a 135 mile relay race (the Ekiden Relay) is the biggest national sporting event.

8. Feet in the clouds – by Richard Askwith

Richard Askwith will open your eyes to the amazing discipline of fell running, one of the few sports to have remained amateur. Askwith explores the world of fell running first-hand by spending a season running as many of the great fell races as he can.

9. Pre – by Tom Jordan

This is the story of one of America’s greatest running legends, Steve Prefontaine. Pre was an inspirational young runner who trained and raced with relentless drive and he remained virtually unbeatable in America for five years. However, he tragically died in a car accident, aged just 24. His legacy however, still remains today.