8 of the best running books

The book that launched a million barefoot runners, Chris McDougall’s account of the Tarahumara is running literature at its most exhilarating. McDougall’s quest to discover the secret of ‘natural running’ leads him on an epic adventure, complete with a roll call of colourful characters, including ultrarunner Scott Jurek and sandal-wearing eccentric Barefoot Ted.

RW’s Rick Pearson says: ‘It’s become fashionable to slag off Born to Run, due to some of the slightly dubious claims it makes vis-à-vis humankind’s capacity to run long distances while eating chia and wearing minimalist footwear, but there are precious few books that have inspired more people to run as this one.’

Back in 2016, journalist Bella Mackie wrote a piece for The Guardian about how running helped with her anxiety. Her book, Jog On, is a memoir inspired by this feature. Described as a love letter to running – in which she honestly and openly describes how she used running to battle anxiety and depression – Jog On shows how something as simple as putting one step in front of the other really can empower you.

RW’s Alice Barraclough says: ‘Reading Bella Mackie’s book confirmed everything I already knew about the link between running and mental health – that running, whether you’re gently jogging a 5K, or heading out for a long run, has the ability to make you forget about everything else, even if just for a moment. Our bodies are capable of so much more than our minds allows us to believe.”

The obscure Northern sport of fell running is the subject of this much-loved book by journalist and author Richard Askwith. It’s a split format, with chapters focusing variously on the sport’s stars and the author’s own fell-running ambition: to complete the notoriously difficult Bob Graham Round in the Lake District. Does he manage it? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

RW’s Rick Pearson says: ‘Askwith is arguably running’s finest writer, and this is his finest book: a hymn to the ecstasy and agony of fell running, complete with interviews with the sport’s under-the-radar stars. Not just one of running’s best books, but one of the best books about sport, full stop.

David Epstein’s book is an absolute classic of sports science writing. Incredibly readable, it’s full of stories that illustrate the clash between nature and nurture and examines the pervasive idea that it’s practice (10,000 hours of it) that makes perfect. He does this all with a brilliantly light touch, travelling from Kenya’s Rift Valley to Jamaica via Alaskan huskies and meeting individual athletes and telling their stories en route.

RW’s Kate Carter says: ‘Epstein’s subtitle for the book is ‘what makes the perfect athlete’. Does he answer this definitively? No, but then no one has - or can, that’s part of his argument. For every genetic ‘rule’ there is an exception, and it’s the exceptions that make it all the more interesting.’

In 2011, runner and writer Adharanand Finn spent six months in Iten, Kenya, in a bid to uncover the secrets of some of the fastest people on earth. Was it running barefoot to school? Or the fact they are born and train at high altitude? The book ends with Finn putting his research to the test by running his first marathon, across the Kenyan plains.

There are surprisingly few novels about running. Or perhaps it’s not that surprising - talk of splits and blisters and yet more splits doesn’t necessarily make for great prose. But John L Parker’s cult classic is a wonderful read. The plot - inspired by the author’s own experience as a college athlete - follows the career and exploits of Quenton Cassidy, a middle distance runner at a fictional university.

RW’s Kate Carter says: ‘Yes, you can critique the plot, but really, plot is largely irrelevant here - it’s the magnificent passages concerning running itself that will stay with you. Parker is brilliant at mythologising the whole process of training and racing, making the runner the hero (and we all want to be the hero of our own story). The sequel - complete with even more hole-ridden plot - is great too.’

The story of how Nike became a global powerhouse might sound a little dry, but not in the hands of Nike co-founder Phil Knight. His story of how he went from borrowing money from his parents to sell imported shoes out of the back of a van, to dominating the sportswear scene, is surprisingly haphazard and yet totally compelling.

RW’s Kate Carter says: ‘I confess I fully expected this to be a rather boring story of business meetings and management, or possibly a bit of a brand-PR exercise - but could barely put it down. Knight has the gift of telling a great story really well - straightforwardly but honestly and with a good sense of pace.’

Ethiopia is one of the power houses of distance running but unlike its neighbour and great rival, Kenya, little has been written about its running culture. Michael Crawley’s excellent debut redresses the balance, offering a fascinating insight into the often-unorthodox way in which the country’s athletes train. Crawley, a 2:20 marathon himself, spent 15 months living and running with Ethiopia’s best runners, and the result is a book full of interesting insights and new understanding.

RW’s Rick Pearson says: ‘Crawley immersed himself in Ethiopian running culture, and it tells in a book that is almost impossible to put down. The insights he offers into Ethiopian training philosophies, diet and racing strategies are fascinating, and it’s shot through with a reverence and appreciation of a running culture that’s created so many greats.’