Product Description
This book is a collection of 25 years of stories, 295 photos, and travel logs about running marathons around the world. Fewer than 225 people have run marathons on all seven continents. To put this in perspective, over 500 people reached the summit of Mt. Everest in 2007 alone. The author joined this elite seven continents marathon group in 2007.Subsequently, his professional and athletic accomplishments have been featured in professional journals, newspapers, magazines, conferences, and websites around the world. This includes Runner's World, Running Times, Runner Triathlete News, MarathonGuide.com, and The Journal of Accountancy.Mr. Reed has previously published articles in RunnersWorld.com, ComputerWorld, and various newspapers and professional journals.TABLE OF CONTENTS- How to Read This Book- Photography, Credits & Thanks- Running Shoes Are Cheaper Than Insulin- The Achievement Equation Book Excerpt- North America (USA) Cowtown Marathon- Europe (Denmark) Tailwinds Marathon- Oceania (Australia) Gold Coast Marathon- Asia (China) The Great Wall Marathon- Antarctica Marathon- South America (Argentina) Fin Del Mundo Marathon- Africa (Kenya) Safaricom Lewa Marathon- Memorable US Marathons- Other Facts ... Read more

Book Description
I admit it.I'm not much of a muscle mouse.So when I accidentally got signed up for the Mouse Island Marathon, I was so shocked that I lost my squeak!Me, run a marathon?But my friends and family were determined to help me cross that finish line.Holey cheese, I was never going to make it! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Geronimo is great
My daughter really loves these books. She especially likes it when my wife or I read it to her.

Fun illustrated series for elementary school readers
The whole Geronimo Stilton series, and there are a lot of books, is fun for elementary school kids.This was the first of the series I bought for my eight year old, and it introduced him to the concepts of sports training, odd weather patterns, and made us fans of the whole series.

Funniest Geronimo Stilton book ever!
The story was sooo funny that I almost broke my funnybone!It all starts when Champ signs up Geronimo Stilton for the marathon and wakes him up every morning to practice.He even dumped a vase of cold water on him!Geronimo also got hit in the ball at soccer 25 times!During the marathon, Geronimo ran the marathon, nabbed a theif, got chased by flies and mosquitos, saved a rodent from an earthquake, helped find a rodent's watch, saved a drowning rodent, and win the marathon all in one day!At the end of the story, Champ signs up Geronimo for another marathon at the Rattytrap Jungle! The book also have some excersise tips to become a sportsmouse. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

How to Run your First Marathon
I bought this book in 1982, a time before liquid carbohydrates, heart rate monitors, and tempo runs.What it lacked in technological mumbo-jumbo, it more than makes up with a stick to this running schedule and you'll finish a marathon period simplicity.The training program is not confusing because it's based on time and not on distance.You'll get to a point (something like 5 months into running) when you'll be logging hours on the road. That's the time when you'll be ready.Great book! A true comfort book for runners.

Perfect prep for first timer
It is a short easy read that doesn't go beyond the scope of novices, yetnot too simple for short distance runners ready to attempt a marathon. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

A Really Inspiring Book
This book tells the story of how a few small ancient Greek cities stood up to the greatest empire on earth (the Persian Empire at the time), which was trying to invade Europe.Don't be put off by the presentation of the volume.It's short, the cover is unappealing, it doesn't have any footnotes, and a lot of pictures are old black and white drawings rather than photographs of actual Greek places. Also, the book was written for high school students.But the writing is so good and the subject covered so expertly that it outweighs these flaws. ... Read more

Book Description
The myriad relationships between psychology and sportconstitute the fertile ground mined by Ethan Gologor in his latest book,Psychodynamic Running: The Complete, Definitive, Madman's Guide toDistance Running and the Marathon. Zen-like in its approach, this bookoffers meditations on running as a tool - and the tools of running - topaint a picture of one man's journey from the recliner to the races. Theassembled ruminations on the concept of running in all its forms,metaphors, and applications sheds light on what running really is, why wedo it, and how to get it done. More importantly, PsychodynamicRunning uses running as a template to examine connections amongaddiction, compulsion, socialization, and therapy, and discusses thepotential benefits and pitfalls of running and the runners' culture.

As an author, academic and clinician, Dr. Gologor combines research,experience, and a wicked wit to present running as an overarching metaphorfor life, and shows us how we can use it to get a handle on our own lives. ... Read more

Book Description
The story of the Marathon campaign is an epic of the Ancient World. When the Ionian Greeks revolted against their Persian overlords in 499BC, the cities of Athens and Eretria came to their aid. The Persian King Darius swore vengeance and in 490BC a fleet of 600 ships packed with troops was sent to take revenge on the Athenians. At Marathon the Greeks met the Persians in battle and drove them in rout back to their ships. The moral effect of this victory was enormous - for the first time a Greek army had defeated the Persians and demonstrated the superiority of hoplite tactics. Nicolas Sekunda's book discusses one of the most famous battles of the ancient world, and sheds new light on this important point in the epic struggle between Persia and the Greek city-states. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

More Questions Than Answers.
Mr.Forczyk said it all. Granted that both the written and archaeological evidence is choppy at best. Still Mr.Sekunda failed to answer any pertinent questions. Yes, the Greeks were victorious and the Persians got hammered. We all knew that before we picked up this book. He does not give any insights into the how and why this campaign went as it did. He did not even present a cogent theory. I give the color plates and maps 4 stars and the text 2.

Iran
Saddly, this book was ommiting the whole history and sought to illsustarate that Greek were dominating force in the battle.

Archaeology, not Military History
Trying to write coherent military history about a battle that occurred almost 2,500 years ago is a daunting and problematic task.Written sources are few and often unreliable or fragmentary.Terrain can change so drastically over such a long period that simple things like determining the exact location of key events can be impossible.Artifacts such as weapons, equipment and human remains have usually deteriorated so much over the centuries that their use as interpretative tools is difficult and controversial.No one can argue that the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC - where Greeks defeated the first Persian invasion of their land - was a historically important action.Had the Greeks lost then or ten years later against the second invasion, there would have been serious historical repercussions on the development of later European culture and society.However, the task of writing a coherent Osprey campaign title on that subject is another matter.In Osprey's Campaign series volume 108, Marathon 490 BC, Polish archaeologist Nicholas Sekunda has decided to attempt this difficult task.Unfortunately, Sekunda's effort falls flat for a number of reasons - primarily because the volume is too oriented toward archaeological issues rather than military history.However another telling weakness is the slippery slope of interpretation built by every author who ever attempted to study Marathon; as Sekunda writes just before he begins his narrative of the battle, "the reader should be warned that virtually every account of the battle written reconstructs it [the battle] differently."If it is true as Sekunda suggests, that different authors could write different narratives of this battle due to the controversial and fragmentary nature of the evidence, then why should anyone read this account?

Marathon 490 BC begins with short sections on the origins of the campaign, opposing commanders, opposing armies and opposing plans.The campaign narrative is 55 pages in length, but the battle itself is covered in less than 6 pages.The volume concludes with a short aftermath, notes on visiting the battlefield today, a campaign chronology and a bibliography.Marathon 490 BC includes three 3-D "Birds Eye View" maps (the Battle of Marathon in three phases - deployment, Greek charge and Persian rout), and five 2-D maps (the Aegean in 499-492 BC, the campaign in the Cyclades, the campaign of Marathon, the plain of Marathon in 490 BC, and Marathon today).Three battle scenes by Richard Hook are also in the volume:Philippides before the Spartan ephors, the Athenian charge and the Athenian reach the Herakleion after the forced march back to Athens.

Reading Marathon 490 BC, several facts soon become apparent.First, that Sekunda is very well-versed in archaeology, very familiar with classical Greece and very familiar with the Marathon topography.Second, Professor Sekunda's methodology is erudite, but uninformative. He spends far too much time using the limited space of an Osprey volume to contest or illuminate various archaeological issues about the battle - issues that properly belong in an archaeological journal article, not a campaign summary.At the very least, Sekunda could have include some of his major points in an appendix, rather than choking the campaign narrative with tedious explanations of various diggings. Third, Professor Sekunda does not know how to write military history or to analyze facts of a military nature.For example, Sekunda advances the poorly-supported theory that the reason that the Persians divided their forces at Marathon was that they could not employ their cavalry advantage due to the possible Greek use of abatis obstacles.This is patently silly for several reasons that Sekunda obviously failed to grasp.The Persians were on the battlefield for almost five full days before the Greek army arrived, so the Persians could have employed their cavalry before the abatis were in place.Furthermore, where would the Greeks get the materials for abatis - Sekunda notes that the battlefield was mostly beach and marshland, with few trees.On the other hand, Sekunda also fails to ask the blindingly obvious question of why didn't the Persians employ obstacles to their front on the beach.Persian control of the sea meant that they had the time and the means to bring in material from elsewhere and construct earthworks, which would have hindered an assault by hoplites.On the main issue - why did both Persian flanks collapse under the Athenian charge - Sekunda offers not a wit of insight.Sekunda ends up telling the reader what he already knows - that the Greeks won - but he cannot explain why this occurred.

The only really strong point of this book is the order of battle data, which does a good job pointing out the relative strength, composition and disposition of each army.The three battle maps are decent, but given the very small area of the fighting and conflicting evidence, they really can't show much but general movements.In the end, Marathon is just one more of those historical events of which many of the pertinent facts have now been lost to posterity. ... Read more

Book Description
What does it feel like to be a medical student during the third year -- the first "true" year of medical school, when eager-eyed but utterly ignorant apprentice physicians are released from the library and unleashed on unsuspecting patients?How does one manage to appear even remotely competent after dropping a ten-pound ovarian tumor on the floor?Steven Hatch seeks to explain these questions, providing readers with the texture of this crucial period for a nascent physician. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Blind Man's Marathon
Steven Hatch manages to write with both wit and gravity about going through the third year of medical school. His unique voice comes through the subject matter clearly; he narrates his own experiences in an engaging journal/diary style. He simultaneously illustrates the amazing, bufuddling, and shocking aspects of this less-written about yet transformative year.

Steven's insights into the medical profession and the practice of being a doctor not only made me think, but made me laugh. His ability to accomplish both in the same text is deserves high accolades. I highly recommend this book as an excellent and enlightening read for anyone, not just those pursuing a medical degree. ... Read more

Book Description
Charles Robbins has something known as Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), a chronic, painful, deforming, inflammatory rheumatic disease. Despite this disease’s debilitating affects, and a severe case of Acid Reflux, Charles Robbins has not just survived, but thrived. Once told he would never walk again, today Charles has run in and finished 40 marathons.

Book Description
Fifteen battles that changed the face of the modern world forever. Who can say what the modern world would be like if just one of these battles had gon the other way. A very interesting study in leadership and tactics.This is one of the favourite books of many modern Generals ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Treasure trove of information...
A facinating look, often behind the scenes, of this world famous race. A must read for anyone that has run Chicago or is contemplating it.

It's not what you think
Good book for those who live in Chicago and want to learn the history of the marathon.As a first timer running Chicago, I thought it would give me course insight, running strategies and what to expect running the marathon. it wasn't this type of book.I returned it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Before the numerous "coffee table books" on the Marathon
Before the numerous coffee table books on the Boston Marathon and before the Duel in the Sun between Salazar and Beardsley, this '70s book came out and it is a pleasure to read. The tales of Kathy Switzer, Clarence DeMar, John Kelley, Wheelchair and Blind participants and much more are presented here. Falls gives a good account of the race up until 1979. Real Runners and Boston Marathon Afficionados will surely enjoy this book. ... Read more

Book Description
Training programs and training science for runners and joggers of all abilities to successfully complete or race the half-marathon, which is more popular than the marathon. Includes:

Types of training to prepare yourself for the half marathon.
Training programs at 25 to 60 miles per week, for
Runners, walkers and joggers,
Injury prevention tips,
Motivation,
Stretching,
19 health benefits from exercise,
40 pages on Cross-training, and
Training to race the 30K or 20 miles. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Some good information, not well organized
I purchased this book because I wanted to train for my first half marathon. After reading all the glowing recommendations above I was sure to receive just what I needed. Although I found some great tips on cross-training and how to increase my speed, I didn't find enough specifics on precisely how to create the right training program for me as I did in several other books. The author's writing style is awkward. Narrative sentences are almost non-existent. Instead, most sentences are short commands making the text read like a Dr. Bronner's bottle. This is an author-published book and the formatting is awful! Body text is huge and headings are sometimes underlined and sometimes italicized (and sometimes not). Spelling and grammar are atrocious making reading a scavenger hunt. Overall a thumbs down.

Excellent as always
Half-marathoners will get everything they need from David Holt's newest book. Great starter program to move from 20 to 35 or more miles per week and your first half marathon; 10 to 20 weeks or more programs to become faster at all levels...all levels of both mileage and ability.
The pace tables show you the speeds to train at to reach your full potential and to avoid overtraining. The 40 pages of cross training insights will keep you healthy and running for years.
Great book, great motivation, beautifully organized and researched.

Poor book design clouds sound info.
While the info in this book seems sound it is a great shame that the book design takes so much pleasure away from reading it.

With too-small margins (no space to write your own notes), a chunky font, few photos or drawings, and no quotes or side bars to provide visual relief, reading through it was a chore.

I hope for a future edition that addresses these problems.

Hits the spot with perfect advice
Best Half-marathons will take you to your first 5K and then to your first half-marathon, but gently with small increases in training.
He believes in no aches and no pain to avoid injuries and to keep your motivation yet you will:
Run up-hills, but starting with just a few easy repeats up gentle slopes;
Run at all paces which the half-marathon world record holder trains at...but at your speed, with the same heartrate intensity which the world record holder runs, and starting with a half mile and increasing gradually.
Holt includes motivation tips, stretching, weight and aerobic cross-training and how to peak for faster half-marathons.
Excellent and easy to read with training programs for everyone from jogger to experienced runners at 25 to 60 plus miles per week. ... Read more

Book Description
Get in the best shape of your running career with the scientifically based training in Daniels' Running Formula. In the book that Runner's World magazine called "the best training book," premier running coach Jack Daniels provides you with his proven VDOT formula to guide you through training at exactly the right intensity to become a faster, stronger runner.

Choose from the red, white, blue, and gold programs to get into shape, target a race program, or regain conditioning after a layoff or injury. Race competitively with programs for 800 meters, 1500 meters to 3000 meters, cross country races, 5K to 15K, and half-marathon up to the marathon. Each program incorporates the right mix of the five training intensities to help you build endurance, strength, and speed, and Daniels' intensity point system makes it easy to track the time you spend at each level.

The formula can be customized to your current fitness level and the number of weeks you have available for training, and it provides the perfect solution for short training seasons. Get the results you're seeking every time you lace up your shoes for a training run or race with the workouts and programs detailed in Daniels' Running Formula. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (64)

Great running book
I'm an old, but fairly serious competitive runner.Book was great set of routines to get faster without getting injured.Not as encyclopedic as Noakes', Lore of Running, but this is the book I will use to set my training schedule.

Solid, if dry, textbook on running
Every now and again I get back in the running habit.And what with it being so long since I've done any formal training and not being able to afford an actual coach, I usually call on my Brooklyn Road Runners Club buddies to recommend a decent training book.

Turns out Jack Daniels, the author of the book they recommended, lives less than an hour from where I spent my summer in 2006, in upstate New York. Not that it did me any good, as he's almost 80 years old and not taking in new athletes. Too busy taking in new wives, I guess - the newest one is as young as I am and has borne him a child that probably can't remember when her father wasn't farting dust.

But I digress. Geriatric standing aside, he's written the running book I've always wanted to find - very little of the confessional, running-as-spiritual-quest crap or Runner's World-style product mongering of the newest insoles or energy gels - just distance-specific training plans, time conversation tables, and scientific (as far as I know) reasoning for all of his advice.

There is some padding throughout - the "Training Essentials" unit is kind of general and not very useful, he puts runner's profiles at the end of each section that are uniformly dry and uninspiring ("Sara's ability to graciously accept both success and disappointment, her resolve to take one day at a time, and the faith we both share make me a fan of hers," "It's amazing how favorably his lab tests results compare to those of Jim Ryun"), and the "Training for Fitness" seems to have been added after the rest of the book was written just to get people who've never run before started. Come to think of it, some people may get something out of that section; I didn't even read it.

Overall though, a great textbook - easy to read, what's useful is easy to pick out, and the inevitable padding is easy to page through. So, like all good textbooks, the key word is "easy."

The definitive training book
Comprehensive, clearly written explanation of the physiology and psychology of training and competing at all levels. For all serious, even if not elite, runners. Encouraging and inspiring.

Daniel's running formula is great
This is a great book. It addresses the basic problem that most runners have when looking for workouts. All runners are different and have varied abilities. Strength of the book is learning how to target your workouts so that you can get the most out of them. The science is a bit wordy, but the concepts are great.

Great Book - Always helpful
I previously owned this book and my dog literally ate it, but it was so good that I am buying it again.I competed in corss country and trackall four years in college and I was tremendously successful for the mileage that I ran.My coach's approach was based on the Jack Daniels' approach.In my opinion, this book is a good written summary of an intuitive system.It is also a system that let's you get the most out of every mile run - without running hard every mile.Finally, the tables in back that help you figure out the various paces at which you should train are invaluable.They would also be tremendously helpful for anyone coaching an athlete. ... Read more

Book Description

A PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

A complete program for taking runners to the next competitive level, from one of the world's greatest marathoners

Written by distance runners' Hall of Famer Alberto Salazar, Alberto Salazar's Guide to Road Racing arms novice and veteran runners, 5Kers, and ultramarathoners alike with a complete program for running farther, faster, and with greater reward and enjoyment.

Drawing upon his experiences, Salazar offers expert training advice tailored to specific events, showing runners of all ages and abilities how to customize their workouts for maximum physical and mental toughness.

Customer Reviews (7)

Alberto Salazar's Guide to Road Racing
I usually like the running books with a 12 or 16 week schedule pre written for you so was wondering if Salazar's book would be well suited for me, in that I would have to write my running schedule myself. After reading his book, I found his advice easy to follow and the rule's of thumb's that he recommends are very helpful when you feel like deviating from your schedule since you now know the range to work within. Rick

Great Running Book
This is my favorite running book by far.Alberto Salazar is obviously trying to convey the best information he can to the reader and he does a great job.The book is weak in the area of training schedules but strong on virtually everything else.Most of the book has been useful to me on a daily basis.The only real complaint I have is that the author, like many of the older elite runners , does not personally do as much stretching as he recommends for the reader, does not use a heart rate monitor, etc.But he, as a coach, recommends it to other runners while not having a whole lot of personal experience and it shows.I use both so sometimes I read between the lines.He also does not understand cycling and its effect on the runner.A not uncommon malady among runners.

Great Resource
I'm a novice runner wanting to take it to the next level and needed some advise and inspiration.I found that I was doing several things wrong and I have made major improvements in my running since buying the book.I now have a plan of action for continued improvement, and this book can take me there and beyond.

This book is quick and simple to read and covers all the basics, plus more. It's been extremely helpful.

Great resource book for all road runners:beginners & elite
Since Alberto Salazar was a former world-class runner
himself, before retiring from competitive running, this
book is definitely worth checking out. It also helped that
elite runners like Bill Rodgers and Mary Decker Slaney also
had positive comments regarding this book.
This book is useful because it takes you from preparing
race, the race itself, and the post-race routines. It also
discusses injuries, and how to deal with them, and other
associated topics, like the psychological aspect of running,
and basics like weight training, crosstraining and nutrition.
If you're a beginner or even a veteran runner, you will
find useful advice, because there was a few things I picked
up in this book that I don't recall seeing in other running
books, and viceversa. If I had a complaint, is that it only
had a sample training schedule for someone training for their
first marathon, not including his own elite schedule when he
was running 120 miles or more weekly. This schedule was not
of any use to me, because my weekly training mileage already
exceeds the highest weekly mileage suggested in the book.
However, despite this, it is well worth the investment,
if you plan to enter a road race at some point in the future.
The topics are logically organized in a chronological fashion
that makes the book easy and simple to read. FYI, if you want
a sneak peek, here's a look at the Table of Contents, and you
can decide if this book is for you or you can take a pass and
look for another book that will fit your goals more suitably.

CONTENTS
Acknowledgementsix
Introduction From the 100 Yard Dash to 1
the Ultramarathon

Part 1. Preparing To Race

1. On The Road To Racing 9
Why Race*Coaching What Nature Gave You*
Before You Start*Stages of Life*Medical Issues

2. Basic Principles of Running Faster23
Muscle, Power, Fuel and Oxygen*Base Training*Speed
Training*Lab Tests and Training Theory*Callusing
The Mind*Rest*Building a Workout Schedule

3. Base Training
Hard-Easy Pattern*LSD Pacing*Warm-Up and Cooldown* 38
Hydration*Maintaining Consitency*Overtraining

4. Running Form
Upper-Body Form*Leg Motion*One Ideal Form50

5. Speed Training 61
Eyeing The Prize*The Variety of Speed Workouts*
Picking Your Benchmark Pace*How To Run A Speed
Workout*Customizing Your Speed Workout*Training for
the Distances*Other Workouts*Putting It All Together

Part 2. Oiling The Machine

6. Stretching 85
Stretching Basics*Ten-Minute Stretching

7. Weight Training and Cross-Training95
Lower-Body Exercises (Core Program)*Upper-Body
Exercises (Core-Program)*Pylometrics*Cross-
Training

8. Nutrition and Weight Control112
Nutrition Basics*Fueling The Serious Athlete*
The Right Weight For You*Body Composition:
Measuring The Fat

9. Aches and Pains126
Basics of Field Repairs*Common Hurts*Excess
Pronation and its Control*Coming Back After an
Injury Layoff*DMSO*Lesser Ailments*Other Maladies

10. The Runner's Mind 157
Paying The Price*Building The Confidence*Letting Go*
Relaxation*The Mental Race: Fighting Fatigue*Long-
Term Motivation

Part 3. The Race

11. Getting Ready 171
Choosing Your Race*Planning Your Race*Tapering*
Registration and Packet Pickup*The Night Before The
Race

12. Race Day179
Rise and Shine*Warming Up*The Start

13. After The Gun 190
Split Times*Race Strategy 101*The Dictates of Nature*
Fine-Tuning Your Pace*Hydration*Gels

14. The Finish and Beyond207
The Final Mile*At The Finish Line*Recovery*Setting
Your Next Goal

Part 4. The Marathon--And More

15. The Marathon 219
Marathon Training*The Big Day*The Recovery

16. Masters Running240
Masters Physiology: Bad News/Good News*Masters
Training*Age-Graded Performance Standards

17. Advanced Challenges255
Race Strategy 102: Racing People Rather Than The
Clock*Cross-Country and Trail Running*Relay Races*
Alternative-Format Races*Mega-Races*Triathlons*
Ultramarathons

Appendix: Pace Chart of Common 273
Workout and Racing Distances

Index279

All in all, this book is fairly easy and fast to read. You
could probably finish the book in 4-5 hours, since there

are diagrams, charts, and other detailed information. It's
nearly 300 pages, but a person could probably polish it
off in a weekend or less if they devote a couple of hours
or so each day.

Alberto Salazar's Guide to Road Racing
An excellent and complete review of this book was written by the Zimmermans. I would, however, like to add that from the perspective of a better than middle of the pack masters runner, that this book contains everything you need to be a successful road runner. Most of the information is not new but it is an excellent SINGLE SOURCE for anyone who wants to find a way to improve his or her running. Although co-written by an elite runner, I was pleased to read about training in a manner to which I could relate. The pace charts, age graded and other tables are excellent. Thanks to both Alberto and Richard for writing a running book that made me feel they were talking directly to me. BRAVO! ... Read more

Book Description
Terrorists Threaten the Boston Marathon
Race Director Killed
WorldÂ's Largest Spectator Event at Risk

The trouble with most terrorists is they think too small. This is the message Boston police receive days before fifteen thousand runners and two and a half million spectators descend on the city for the marathon. Even bin Laden only killed thousands. What if the target was larger? What if millions were at risk?

Sgt. Mike Quinn, Vietnam vet, homicide detective and addicted marathoner, is called in to help when domestic terrorists, looking too piggy-back onto the World Trade Center disaster, threaten a race day bloodbath. How real is the threat? On Sunday, October 28, 2001, six weeks after the attack on the World Trade Center, the Boston Globe printed a call-to-arms by Rocky Suhayda, the chairman of the American Nazi Party: “if we were one-tenth as serious as the bin Laden terrorists, we just might start getting somewhere.”

Quinn is a divorced, forty-something year old history buff, who loves his city and its marathon. HeÂ's run the race six times. And when marathon director Ronnie Silk is killed, Quinn is assigned to protect Raven, the red hot rock Â`n roll diva and the marathonÂ's first-ever celebrity entrant. Raven is a magnet for trouble. And Quinn scrambles to keep up with her during the final miles of the race while trying to flush out the maniac terrorists. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Heartbreak Hill: An exciting thriller!!
I recieved the book as a gift and did not have a chance to read it untill now. I regret waiting this long. The book in a few words is; awesome, exciting, entertaining! I seriously could not put it down.I ended up reading it in less then 24 hours between work and home. Very realistic and thought provoking.I also enjoyed the fact that it not only had a story of a man and his profession but it includes his personal life as well. I could almost relate to his feelings on lost love. Overall the book was excellent! Very well written. I makes you think about what goes on in the heads of the lunatics in the world today. Thanks for the book I'm deffinatly going to suggest it to all the other frequent readers in my family who are always looking for a great read.NICE JOB TOM!! YOU'VE MADE ME A FAN!!! ... Read more

Book Description
Relive the high drama and rich details of the past century's Olympic marathons!

Coauthor David Martin—the foremost authority on the history of the race and the performances of the athletes in it—presents a unique and multifaceted look at the Olympic marathon. He and Olympic marathon expert Roger Gynn have teamed up to provide a definitive resource that goes beyond statistics to offer readers a vivid chronicle of the athletes and their memorable marathon performances. For every Olympic marathon since 1896, you'll find a detailed narrative of how the race was run, fascinating biographical details of the top finishers, the political climate surrounding the race, and a map with street descriptions of the actual race course.

Generously illustrated, often with rare and never-before-published photos, a pictorial glimpse is provided into the contemporary atmosphere and dynamics of each race. From the first marathon winner, Spiridon Louis, to legends like Emil Zátopek, Frank Shorter, and Joan Benoit Samuelson, you'll find insights and race details you can't find anywhere else. If you're a fan of running or the Olympics, this is the one book you will enjoy again and again for many Olympic years to come. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

David and Roger -
I have known David and Roger since the 70's and have other books by them.They love running foot races and it shows. You can count that this will be the best researched and well written book. I was not disappointed.I dug in and read the book over a couple of weeks.If it is not in this book then it is an unproved rumor.

Great Book for Runners
If you are a runner (especially a marathoner) you have to get this book.It goes through every marathon in Olympic history, giving each race history, events, course, statistics, etc.It is very thorough, while pacing itself to get in all the Olympic marathons into a single volume.And, it was written in an interesting and readable manner.

The competition and sport of the races themselves give a great basis for an exciting read.

If you are doing a research project (like I was) this was the only book I would recommend - or, at least the first book.I could not find a book anywhere that showed the 1960 Rome Olympic course.Martin and Gynn had it.In fact, their race course map was better than the map a friend obtained for me from the Italian Olympic Library (Federazione Italiana Di Ateletica Leggera).

Fantastic, encyclopedic, and detailed historical review.
The authors, Martin and Gynn, have put together an unbelieveably detailed review of every Olympic Marathon in the modern era.The detail provided brings the excitement of each successive Marathon alive.The Olympic Marathon is, perhaps, the most grueling Olympic event, and the comprehensive coverage of each race makes the reader feel as if it's taking place before their very eyes.Read this book and you'll get a sense of the drama of the event, the personal history of the runners, and the historical setting of each race.The authors have even reconstructed old Olympic documents to trace the paths each Olympic Marathon took.The information in this book is truly encyclopedic, and the authors have given us with a wonderful sense of what this race is about.This book is a gem. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A must read for any marathon or long distance runner
Perhaps the best book to ever capture the true essence and spirit of long distance running, this well written book features interviews with both amateur and Olympic long distance runners and captures that unique rush that runners get (through the sense of challenge and accomplishment). The book also traces the history of marathon running and its place in human history. Truly a great book that any distance runner should read. ... Read more