New Book Entry - Once A Runner

Once A Runner by John L. Parker, Jr., has been described as the best book ever written about middle distance running.

It is.

Originally published in 1978, Once A Runner was out of print for years. It became a cult classic for dedicated runners (especially middle distance runners), and dog-eared copies were prized and collected by those few who happened to find a copy (for example, there are zero copies of the original 1978 printing available on either Alibris, Ebay, or Abebooks). I discovered this book via an article written last year on-line about plans to reissue it this year in hardback.

What to say? On the downside, there is some topical stuff in the book that is a litle dated, like references to the Vietnam War and such (which, in retrospect, the references to Vietnam in 1978 would have been dated even then - I suspect Parker actually wrote it earlier).

The best stuff - Parker describes running a competitive mile race, practically down to 110 yard increments, with such incredible accuracy that any middle distance runner, past or present, can feel the race in his head. It is a truly amazing narrative. Additionally, he describes a hard interval workout - the bread and butter of middle distance runners, with amazingly spot-on accuracy. I found both of these sections impossible to put down, and truly engrossing. It's like Hemingway in Nikes.

I read one review of the book by a "dedicated triathlete" who said he thought the book wasn't about running, and found it boring. All I can say is - dude, you've never been a miler.

Final note - Parker describes an incident relayed to him by famed American runner Frank Shorter in which Shorter describes running over the hood of a car stopped at a stop light after the occupants of the car verbally hassled him while he was running. I heard the same story personally from Shorter himself, while I was attending summer running camp at the University of Wisconsin when I was in high school. The way Parker writes it is the way I remember Shorter telling the story almost 30 years ago, word for word. We also got to listen to Dave Wottle describe his victory in the 800 meter in the 1972 Olympic Trials, after having been spiked and having lost one of his shoes. He then went on to win the gold at Munich. His gold medal victory in 800 final in the 72 Olympics is one of the greatest races ever run by an American athlete. Cool beans. Very cool beans.