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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
I probably have to agree with the other reviews that found the writing and language in the first half overwhelming and try-hard, but the second half of the book had true heart and held my attention. I'm really interested in running, but I'm not a runner, so I couldn't relate to all of the running jargon/experiences, but I still enjoyed reading about the final race and training in the woods. I can see why so many runners love this book.
For a more modern take, Born to Run is a fantastic read :)
For a more modern take, Born to Run is a fantastic read :)
Newly obsessed with running (and no longer being objectively terrible at it), I received this book as a Christmas present. I love my parents dearly, but this was the only time that they nailed it in the Thoughtful Christmas Gift category. Once a Runner. Quentin Cassidy. The Trial of Miles; Miles of Trials. The cabin in the woods. The race at the end. This book was to me what Harry Potter is like to those interested in wizardry. If I was one of those book freaks, I'd have packed this up in my track bag before every race. This book was associated with such a vibrant, exciting time in my life during which I never once considered the prospect of taking a victory lap. I'm not saying it'll change your life. I'm not even saying that the writing was anything spectacular. Once a Runner is a book the competitive runner understands at a visceral level.
Such mixed feelings. It’s “the novel for runners” but I really wish we had some better, more inclusive holy texts. The language is at various points ableist, fat-phobic, and misogynistic, some of which can be chalked up to it’s time of publication, but also some of which is that it does celebrate what is ultimately a toxic element of an elitist distance running culture that could and should be excised from running. Having read it, it’s not a book I’d want to recommend to someone who’s new to the sport because it doesn’t really respect the legitimacy of diverse relationships to the sport. The “night joggers” as the author puts it are as legit runners as the Cassidy’s. The mixed feelings mostly come in because it is without question the best at capturing the essence of Racing of anything I’ve read
Very descriptive. Could visualize the training runs, felt the emotion leading up to a track event, and reminded me of the suffocating despair of the one mile event.
slow-paced
I have wanted to read this book since I first heard about it several years ago. When I heard it was being re-printed, I jumped on the wagon and preordered it. It was everything I'd hoped it would be - a compelling story with great characters and a plot that kept me reading right until the very end. I recommend it for all my runner friends!
Once a Runner is a fictional account of a college track athlete, Quenton Cassisdy, who sacrifices just about everything to be his best at running the mile. The story is classified as fiction, but the characters have so much life it is hard to perceive this as anything but a biography of a runner. The mental and physical mechanics of running are described with such authentic detail that you will find your pulse quickening with every step of your vicarious hitchhiking exepedition with Quenton Cassidy on his 1600 meter journey to greatness. [return][return]If you are looking for an inspirational story about running, I highly recommend this book.
Incredibly inspiring to me as a young runner. Deeply meaningful to anyone who knows the "trials of miles", the “quarter mile by the inches”, and has pursued the sport of elite distance running (however briefly)
Running to him was real. The way he did it the realest thing he knew. It was all joy and woe, hard as diamond. It made him weary beyond comprehension, but it also made him free.
Running to him was real. The way he did it the realest thing he knew. It was all joy and woe, hard as diamond. It made him weary beyond comprehension, but it also made him free.
Once a Runner is a story about Quinton Cassidy, a well-respected collegiate runner that becomes obsessed with competing against John Walton, an Australian runner that has run the mile in under four minutes. The story starts out with Cassidy being recognized as a reliable upper-echelon runner, yet not someone that is has achieved their full potential. Due to an unfortunate incident, Cassidy is forced to re-evaluate his plans and is taken under the wing of Bruce Denton, a past Olympic runner and learns what it means to really excel in Running.
Being a runner myself, I found the book to be a very interesting analysis of competitive runners, their mindset and the lengths they go through to achieve victory. It unfortunately is side-tracked with various stories that attempt to fill in Cassidy's collegiate life, but don't really add anything to his overall journey. It's also book of it's time where women competing in sports wasn't a thing and were often looked upon as secondary to men.
While the ending is somewhat engaging if implausible, I enjoyed the book for what it was. A story of someone who risks everything for a chance at victory.
Being a runner myself, I found the book to be a very interesting analysis of competitive runners, their mindset and the lengths they go through to achieve victory. It unfortunately is side-tracked with various stories that attempt to fill in Cassidy's collegiate life, but don't really add anything to his overall journey. It's also book of it's time where women competing in sports wasn't a thing and were often looked upon as secondary to men.
While the ending is somewhat engaging if implausible, I enjoyed the book for what it was. A story of someone who risks everything for a chance at victory.