The Best Running Books
“What are the best books for runners and marathoners?” We looked at 30 sources and found 256 unique books to find the answer to that very question!
The hardest part about running is rarely the act itself. Of course going out and running to workout, for a marathon, or even an ultra marathon can be difficult, but if you are prepared and ready, a run can be an amazing experience. No, the hardest part of running is making yourself get up, go out and do it.
Reading is a great way to continue procrastinating that run or cross-country jog you;ve been meaning to go on, but it is also a great way to motivate yourself to actually get up and go for it. The books listed below offer up a wide range of information for all kinds of runners. There are motivational books to get you up and out the door, educational to teach you the proper way to engage in the activity without hurting yourself, biographies about individuals who accomplished amazing running feats (zing!), autobiographies about personal experiences with running and marathons.
Below you will find the top 40 books with images, links, and summaries. The remaining 216 books can be found below and the sources we used to create the aggregated article before that!
Happy Scrolling!
The Top Running Books Of All-Time
40 .) Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World’s Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself by Rich Roll
Lists It Appears On:
- Run To The Finish
- Strength Running
- The Christian Science Monitor
The incredible true story of the author’s remarkable transformation, at the age of 40, from out-of-shape average Joe into one of the world’s best endurance athletes.
39 .) Going Long: Legends, Oddballs, Comebacks & Adventures by David Willey
Lists It Appears On:
- Run To The Finish
- The Christian Science Monitor
- The Motivated Runner
For more than 40 years, Runner’s World magazine has been the world’s leading authority on running―bringing its readers the latest running advice and some of the most compelling sports narratives ever told. From inspirational stories such as “A Second Life”(the story of Matt Long, the FDNY firefighter who learned to run again after a critical injury) to analytical essays such as “White Men Can’t Run” (a look at what puts African runners at the front of the pack), the magazine captivates its readers every month.
38 .) Hansons Marathon Method: A Renegade Path to Your Fastest Marathon by Luke Humphrey with Keith & Kevin Hanson
Lists It Appears On:
- Run To The Finish
- Strength Running
- The Runner’s Resource
Hansons Marathon Method tosses out mega-long runs and high-mileage weekends–two old-fashioned running traditions that often injure and discourage runners. Runners using the Hansons method will gradually build up to the moderate-high mileage required for marathon success, spreading those miles more sensibly throughout the week. Running easy days mixed with precisely paced speed, strength, and tempo workouts, runners will steel their bodies and minds to run the hardest final miles of the marathon–and finish strong.
37 .) Marathon Man: My 26.2-Mile Journey from Unknown Grad Student to the Top of the Running World by Bill Rodgers
Lists It Appears On:
- Bookish
- Run To The Finish
- The Huffington Post
“Within a span of two hours and nine minutes, Bill Rodgers went from obscurity to legend, from Bill Rodgers to “”Boston Billy.”” In doing so, he instantly became the people’s champ and the poster boy for the soulful 1970s distance runner. Having won the Boston Marathon and New York Marathon four times each, he remains the only marathoner to have appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated twice. Winning the Holy Grail of marathons in an unthinkable record time changed Bill’s life forever.
But his dramatic breakthrough in Boston also changed the lives of countless others, instilling in other American runners the belief that they could follow in his footsteps, and inspiring thousands of regular people to lace up their shoes and chase down their own dreams. In the year before Rodger’s victory at the 1975 Boston Marathon, 20,000 people had completed a marathon in the United States. By 2009, participants reached nearly half a million.”
36 .) Marathon Woman by Kathrine Switzer
Lists It Appears On:
- Bookish
- Buzzfeed
- Complete Running
In 1967, Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to officially run what was then the all male Boston Marathon, infuriating one of the event’s directors who attempted to violently eject her. In what would become an iconic sports image, Switzer escaped and finished the race. This was a watershed moment for the sport, as well as a significant event in women’s history.
35 .) Natural Born Heroes: How a Daring Band of Misfits Mastered the Lost Secrets of Strength and Endurance by Christopher McDougall
Lists It Appears On:
- Tips on Life & Love
- Ultra Running Community
- UK Sports Chat
Christopher McDougall’s journey begins with a story of remarkable athletic prowess: On the treacherous mountains of Crete, a motley band of World War II Resistance fighters—an artist, a shepherd, and a poet—abducted a German commander from the heart of the Axis occupation. To understand how, McDougall retraces their steps across the island that birthed Herakles and Odysseus, and discovers ancient techniques for endurance, sustenance, and natural movement that have been preserved in unique communities around the world.
34 .) Running Through the Wall: Personal Encounters with the Ultramarathon by Neal Jamison
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- Flashlight Worthy
- The Clymb
For those who are not content to run merely 26.2 miles, there is ultramarathoning. Some of the biggest ultras are 50 or 100 miles long, races in which people run all day, through the night and on into the next day. What makes them tick? What thoughts go through their minds at mile 93? How is the pain different from that of a marathon? How can you train for such a colossal undertaking? All these questions are answered in 35 interviews with ultramarathoners. Ultramarathoning is the logical next step for those who burn with a desire to achieve and explore their limits. Every kind of ultra runner is included here, and this book will be an indispensable volume for anyone dreaming of running long.
33 .) Running with the Legends by Michael Sandrock
Lists It Appears On:
- Competitor (Again)
- Lets Run
- The Christian Science Monitor
Read Running with the Legends and become a training partner, student, friend, and fan of some of the greatest runners ever. You’ll be informed, inspired, and entertained by the programs, prescriptions, and personalities in this book. Who better to learn from than the best?
32 .) Running with the Mind of Meditation by Sakyong Mipham
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Competitor (Again)
- Run To The Finish
As a Tibetan lama and leader of Shambhala (an international community of 165 meditation centers), Sakyong Mipham has found physical activity to be essential for spiritual well-being. He’s been trained in horsemanship and martial arts but has a special love for running. Here he incorporates his spiritual practice with running, presenting basic meditation instruction and fundamental principles he has developed. Even though both activities can be complicated, the lessons here are simple and designed to show how the melding of internal practice with physical movement can be used by anyone – regardless of age, spiritual background, or ability – to benefit body and soul.
31 .) Running Within: A Guide To Mastering The Body-Mind Spirit Connection for Ultimate Training and Racing by Jerry Lynch and Warren Scott
Lists It Appears On:
- Lets Run
- The Runner’s Resource
- Very Well
Runners know all too well the physical and mental challenges of their sport. Plodding for miles through inclement weather, rising before dawn to squeeze a daily run into a busy schedule, overcoming minor aches and lethargy that pose a threat to an active lifestyle,
30 .) Swoosh: The Unauthorized Nike Story by Swoosh: Unauthorized Story of Nike and the Men Who Played There
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Competitor (Again)
- Complete Running
The unauthorized national-bestselling sensation revealing the absorbing story of the rise, fall, and recovery of Nike, by a former employee and a Los Angeles Times reporter.
29 .) The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe
Lists It Appears On:
- Competitor (Again)
- Complete Running
- The Next Challenge
Perhaps one of the most revered works of fiction in the twentieth-century, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runneris a modern classic about integrity, courage, and bucking the system. Its title story recounts the story of a reform school cross-country runner who seizes the perfect opportunity to defy the authority that governs his life. It is a pure masterpiece. From there the collection expands even further from the touching “On Saturday Afternoon” to the rollicking “The Decline and Fall and Frankie Buller.” Beloved for its lean prose, unforgettable protagonists, and real-life wisdom, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner captured the voice of a generation, and its poignant and empowering life lessons will continue to captivate and entertain readers for generations to come.
28 .) Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Run It Fast
- Run To The Finish
“On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.
The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.”
27 .) A Race Like No Other: 26.2 Miles Through the Streets of New York by Liz Robbins
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Competitor (Again)
- Run To The Finish
- Tips on Life & Love
The New York City Marathon is considered one of the nation’s—and the world’s—premier sporting events. A reporter for the New York Times, Liz Robbins brings the color, the history, the electricity of this remarkable annual competition alive in A Race Like No Other. Centering her narrative around the fabled 2007 running, Robbins captures all the intensity of the grand event, following the runners—both professional and amateur—along 26.2 grueling miles through the streets of New York, from the starting line at the Verrazano Narrows Bridge to the finish line in Central Park, and offering fascinating portraits of marathon legends like the race’s charismatic founder, the late Fred Lebow, and nine-time champion Grete Waitz. The Wall Street Journalraves: “Robbins nails the race, painting a broad, impressionistic portrait of what I consider New York’s greatest day.” No other book captures the excitement of the New York City Marathon likeA Race Like No Other.
26 .) Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzinger
Lists It Appears On:
- Best-running
- Bookish
- Complete Running
- I Love Running Magazine
“Shave minutes off your time using the latest in science-based training for serious runners. Advanced Marathoning has all the information you need to train smarter, remain injury free, and arrive on the start line ready to run the marathon of your life.
Including marathon-pace runs and tempo runs, Advanced Marathoning provides only the most effective methods of training. You’ll learn how to complement your running workouts with strength, core, flexibility, and form training; implement cutting-edge nutrition and hydration strategies and recovery techniques; and taper properly to reach peak performance.”
25 .) Brain Training For Runners by Matt Fitgerald
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- I Love Running Magazine
- Run To The Finish
- Strength Running
Based on new research in exercise physiology, author and running expert Matt Fitzgerald introduces a first-of-its-kind training strategy that he’s named “Brain Training.” Runners of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels can learn to maximize their performance by supplying the brain with the right feedback.
24 .) Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running UltraMarathons by Bryon Powell
Lists It Appears On:
- Rock Creek Runner
- Run To The Finish
- Strength Running
- Ultra Running Community
Dean Karnazes’ Ultramarathon Man and Chris McDougall’s Born to Run have inspired tens of thousands to try these seemingly superhuman distances. But to date, there has been no practical guide to ultramarathoning. Now, Bryon Powell has writtenRelentless Forward Progress, the first how-to manual for aspiring ultrarunners. Powell covers every aspect of training for and racing ultra distances. Along the way, more than a dozen elites and experts, including Geoff Roes, Krissy Moehl, Michael Wardian, Dave Mackey, and David Horton, provide invaluable advice on running ultramarathons. By its conclusion, this encyclopedic volume prepares runners for going farther than they have ever gone before and, in the process, shows them that they are capable of the “impossible.”
23 .) Run Faster from the 5K to the Marathon by Brad Hudson & Matt Fitzgerald
Lists It Appears On:
- I Love Running Magazine
- Rock Creek Runner
- Run To The Finish
- Strength Running
Do you want to run faster? Are you trying to peak for a particular race? Would you like to find your true running potential? Brad Hudson, former Olympic Trials marathoner and current coach to Olympians like Dathan Ritzenhein, will show you the way in this practical, reader-friendly guide. Hudson is the most innovative running coach to come along in a generation. Until now, only a handful of elite athletes have been able to benefit from his methods. Now Run Faster from the 5K to the Marathon shows all runners how to coach themselves as confidently and effectively as Brad coaches his world-class athletes. Becoming your own best coach is the ticket to running faster at any distance.
22 .) Running on Empty: An Ultramarathoner’s Story of Love, Loss and a Record-Setting Run Across America by Marshall Ulrich
Lists It Appears On:
- Rather Be Runnin’
- Run It Fast
- Run To The Finish
- The Huffington Post
The ultimate endurance athlete, Marshall Ulrich has run more than one hundred foot races averaging over one hundred miles each, completed twelve expedition-length adventure races, and ascended the seven summits— including Mount Everest. Yet his run from California to New York—the equivalent of running two marathons and a 10k every day for nearly two months straight—proved to be his most challenging effort yet. In Running on Empty he shares the gritty backstory of his run and the excruciating punishments he endured on the road. Ulrich also reaches back nearly thirty years to when the death of his first wife drove him to run from his pain.
21 .) The Cool Impossible: The coach from Born to Run shows how to get the most from your miles- and yourself by Eric Orton
Lists It Appears On:
- Men’s Running
- Run To The Finish
- The Denver Post
- UK Sports Chat
Natural running is more than barefoot running. It’s about the joy of running that we were all born with and can reawaken. With a program focused on proper form, strength development, and cardiovascular training, Orton will help beginners, competitors, and enduring veterans reach “the cool impossible”—the belief that any achievement, athletic or otherwise, is within our reach.
20 .) The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances by Matthew Inman, The Oatmeal
Lists It Appears On:
- Competitor
- Competitor (Again)
- Tips on Life & Love
- Very Well
“ This is not just a book about running. It’s a book about cupcakes. It’s a book about suffering.
It’s a book about gluttony, vanity, bliss, electrical storms, ranch dressing, and Godzilla. It’s a book about all the terrible and wonderful reasons we wake up each day and propel our bodies through rain, shine, heaven, and hell.”
19 .) Dual in the Sun: Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley, and America’s Greatest Marathon by John Brant
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Competitor (Again)
- Complete Running
- Run It Fast
- Run To The Finish
The 1982 Boston Marathon was great theater: Two American runners, Alberto Salazar, a celebrated champion, and Dick Beardsley, a gutsy underdog, going at each other for just under 2 hours and 9 minutes. Neither man broke. The race merely came to a thrilling, shattering end, exacting such an enormous toll that neither man ever ran as well again. Beardsley, the most innocent of men, descended into felony drug addiction, and Salazar, the toughest of men, fell prey to depression. Exquisitely written and rich with human drama, John Brant’s Duel in the Sunbrilliantly captures the mythic character of the most thrilling American marathon ever run―and the powerful forces of fate that drove these two athletes in the years afterward.
18 .) Feet in the Clouds: A Tale of Fell-Running and Obsession by Richard Askwith
Lists It Appears On:
- Competitor (Again)
- Men’s Running
- Run It Fast
- The Next Challenge
- UK Sports Chat
The concept of fell-running is simple: it’s a sport that involves running over mountains – sometimes one, sometimes many. It’s also immensely demanding. While running uphill is a stamina-sapping slog, running pell-mell down the other side requires the agility – and even recklessness – of a mountain goat. And there’s the weather to contend with. It may make the sports pages only rarely, but in areas like the Lake District and Snowdonia fell-running is the basis of a whole culture – indeed, race organisers sometimes have to turn competitors away so that fragile mountain uplands are not irrevocably damaged by too many thundering feet.
17 .) Lore of Running by Tim Noakes
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Competitor (Again)
- I Love Running Magazine
- Run It Fast
- Run To The Finish
“Lore of Running gives you incomparable detail on physiology, training, racing, injuries, world-class athletes, and races.
Author Tim Noakes blends the expertise of a physician and research scientist with the passion of a dedicated runner to answer the most pressing questions for those who are serious about the sport”
16 .) Running Like a Girl: Notes on Learning to Run by Alexandra Heminsley
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Men Who Stare At Books
- The Huffington Post
- Tips on Life & Love
- UK Sports Chat
“When Alexandra Heminsley decided to take up running, she had hopes for a blissful runner’s high and immediate physical transformation. After eating three slices of toast with honey and spending ninety minutes creating the perfect playlist, she hit the streets—and failed spectacularly. The stories of her first runs turn on its head the common notion that we are all “born to run”—and exposes the truth about starting to run: it can be brutal.
Running Like a Girl tells the story of getting beyond the brutal part, how Alexandra makes running a part of her life, and reaps the rewards: not just the obvious things, like weight loss, health, and glowing skin; but self-confidence and immeasurable daily pleasure, along with a new closeness to her father—a marathon runner—and her brother, with whom she ultimately runs her first marathon.”
15 .) Running With the Kenyans by Adharanand Finn
Lists It Appears On:
- Competitor (Again)
- Independent
- Run To The Finish
- UK Sports Chat
- Ultra Running Community
Whether running is your recreation or your religion, Adharanand Finn’s incredible journey to the elite training camps of Kenya will captivate and inspire you, as he ventures to uncover the secrets of the fastest people on earth. Finn’s mesmerizing quest combines a fresh look at barefoot running, practical advice on the sport, and the fulfillment of a lifelong dream: to run with his heroes. Uprooting his family of five, Finn traveled to a small, chaotic town in the Rift Valley province of Kenya—a mecca for long-distance runners, thanks to its high altitude, endless paths, and some of the top training schools in the world. There Finn would run side by side with Olympic champions, young hopefuls, and barefoot schoolchildren, and meet a cast of unforgettable characters. Amid the daily challenges of training and of raising a family abroad, Finn would learn invaluable lessons about running—and about life.
14 .) Why We Run: A Natural History by Bernd Heinrich
Lists It Appears On:
- Competitor (Again)
- Complete Running
- Run It Fast
- Strength Running
- The Motivated Runner
In Why We Run, biologist, award-winning nature writer, and ultramarathoner Bernd Heinrich explores a new perspective on human evolution by examining the phenomenon of ultraendurance and makes surprising discoveries about the physical, spiritual — and primal — drive to win. At once lyrical and scientific, Why We Run shows Heinrich’s signature blend of biology, anthropology, psychology, and philosophy, infused with his passion to discover how and why we can achieve superhuman abilities.
13 .) Chi Running by Danny Dreyer
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- I Love Running Magazine
- Rock Creek Runner
- Run To The Finish
- The Runner’s Resource
In Chi Running, Danny and Katherine Dreyer, well known walking and running coaches, provide powerful insight that transforms running from a high-injury sport to a body-friendly, injury-free fitness phenomenon. Chi Running employs the deep power reserves in the core muscles, an approach found in disciplines such as yoga, Pilates, and T ai Chi.
- Very Well
12 .) My Life on the Run by Bart Yasso
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Complete Running
- Flashlight Worthy
- Run It Fast
- Run To The Finish
- The Christian Science Monitor
With My Life on the Run, Bart Yasso–an icon of one of the most enduringly popular recreational sports in the United States–offers a touching and humorous memoir about the rewards and challenges of running. Recounting his adventures in locales like Antarctica, Africa, and Chitwan National Park in Nepal (where he was chased by an angry rhino), Yasso recommends the best marathons on foreign terrain and tells runners what they need to know to navigate the logistics of running in an unfamiliar country. He also offers practical guidance for beginning, intermediate, and advanced runners, such as 5-K, half marathon, and marathon training schedules, as well as advice on how to become a runner for life, ever-ready to draw joy from the sport and embrace the adventure that each race may offer
11 .) Running & Being: The Total Experience by Dr. George Sheehan
Lists It Appears On:
- Competitor (Again)
- Men’s Running
- Rather Be Runnin’
- Rock Creek Runner
- The Huffington Post
- The Motivated Runner
Written by the late, beloved Dr. George Sheehan, Running & Being tells of the author’s midlife return to the world of exercise, play, and competition, in which he found “a world beyond sweat” that proved to be a source of great revelation and personal growth. But Running & Being focuses more on life than it does, specifically, on running. It provides an outline for a lifetime program of fitness and joy, showing how the body helps determine our mental and spiritual energies.
10 .) Daniel’s Running Formula by Dr. Jack Daniels
Lists It Appears On:
- Best-running
- Book of Running
- Bookish
- Complete Running
- I Love Running Magazine
- Rock Creek Runner
- Strength Running
“Get in the best shape of your running career with the help of Daniels’ Running Formula, the book that Runner’s World magazine calls the best training book. Premier running coach Jack Daniels provides you with his legendary VDOT formula to guide you through training at exactly the right intensity to run stronger, longer, and faster.
Choose a program to get in shape, target a race program, or regain conditioning after layoff or injury. Train for competition with programs for 800 meters, 1500 meters to 2 miles, cross country races, 5K to 10K, 15K to 30K, and marathon events. Each program incorporates training intensities to help you build endurance, strength, and speed. With Daniels’ Running Formula, you’ll track the time you spend at each level, train more efficiently, and optimize results.”
9 .) Eat & Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness by Scott Jurek
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Competitor (Again)
- Men’s Running
- Rather Be Runnin’
- Run To The Finish
- The Runner’s Resource
- UK Sports Chat
In Eat and Run, Jurek opens up about his life and career as a champion athlete with a plant-based diet and inspires runners at every level. From his Midwestern childhood hunting, fishing, and cooking for his meat-and-potatoes family to his slow transition to ultrarunning and veganism, Scott’s story shows the power of an iron will and blows apart the stereotypes of what athletes should eat to fuel optimal performance. Full of stories of competition as well as science and practical advice—including his own recipes—Eat and Run will motivate readers and expand their food horizons.
8 .) Pre: The Story of America’s Greatest Running Legend, Steve Prefontaine by Tom Jordan
Lists It Appears On:
- Competitor (Again)
- Complete Running
- Rather Be Runnin’
- The Clymb
- The Motivated Runner
- The Runner’s Resource
- Tips on Life & Love
“For five years, no American runner could beat him at any distance over a mile. But at the age of 24, with his best years still ahead, long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine finally lost. Driving alone at night after a party, Prefontaine crashed his sports car, putting a tragic, shocking end to the life and career of one of the most influential, accomplished runners of our time.
More than 20 years later, Pre continues to influence the running world.
From his humble origins in Coos Bay, Oregon, Pre became the first person to win four NCAA titles in one event. Year after year, he was virtually unbeatable. Instead of becoming one of the new breed of professional track athletes, Pre chose to stay amateur and fight for the adequate funding he felt American amateur athletes deserved.
A man of incredible desire and energy, Pre trained relentlessly. In his drive to be the best, he spurred others to do their best. As one racer said, “”He ran every race as if it were his last.”””
7 .) The Perfect Mile by Neal Bascomb
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Competitor (Again)
- Complete Running
- Men Who Stare At Books
- Strength Running
- The Christian Science Monitor
- The Runner’s Resource
There was a time when running the mile in four minutes was believed to be beyond the limits of human foot speed, and in all of sport it was the elusive holy grail. In 1952, after suffering defeat at the Helsinki Olympics, three world-class runners each set out to break this barrier. Roger Bannister was a young English medical student who epitomized the ideal of the amateur — still driven not just by winning but by the nobility of the pursuit. John Landy was the privileged son of a genteel Australian family, who as a boy preferred butterfly collecting to running but who trained relentlessly in an almost spiritual attempt to shape his body to this singular task. Then there was Wes Santee, the swaggering American, a Kansas farm boy and natural athlete who believed he was just plain better than everybody else.
6 .) Bowerman and the Men of Oregon by Kenny Moore
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Competitor (Again)
- Complete Running
- Complete Running
- Strength Running
- The Christian Science Monitor
- The Motivated Runner
- The Runner’s Resource
“No man has affected more runners in more ways than Bill Bowerman. During his 24-year tenure as track coach at the University of Oregon, he won four national team titles and his athletes set 13 world and 22 American records. He also ignited the jogging boom, invented the waffle-sole running shoe that helped establish Nike, and coached the US track and field team at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games
With the full cooperation of the Bowerman family and Nike, plus years of taped interviews with friends, relatives, students, and competitors, two-time Olympic marathoner Kenny Moore – himself one of Bowerman’s champion athletes – brilliantly re-creates the legendary track coach’s life.”
5 .) Running With The Buffaloes by Chris Lear
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Competitor (Again)
- Complete Running
- Lets Run
- Run It Fast
- Run To The Finish
- Strength Running
- The Clymb
- The Motivated Runner
- The Runner’s Resource
In RUNNING WITH THE BUFFALOES, writer Chris Lear follows the University of Colorado cross-country team through an unforgettable NCAA season. Allowed unparalleled access to team practices, private moments, and the mind of Mark Wetmore–one of the country’s most renowned and controversial coaches–Lear provides a riveting look inside the triumphs and heartaches of a perennial national contender and the men who will stop at nothing to achieve excellence. The Buffaloes’ 1998 season held great promise, with Olympic hopeful Adam Goucher poised for his first-ever NCAA cross-country title, and the University of Colorado shooting for its first-ever national team title. But in the rigorous world of top-level collegiate sports, blind misfortune can sabotage the dreams of individuals and teams alike. In a season plagued by injury and the tragic loss of a teammate, the Buffaloes were tested as never before. What these men managed to achieve in the face of such adversity is the stuff of legend and glory.
4 .) Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an all night runner by Dean Karnazes
Lists It Appears On:
- Bookish
- Complete Running
- Flashlight Worthy
- Men Who Stare At Books
- Rather Be Runnin’
- Run It Fast
- Run To The Finish
- Strength Running
- The Christian Science Monitor
- UK Sports Chat
As an athlete, ultrarunning legend (Men’s Journal) Dean Karnazes has run 350 miles without rest and is probably the first person to eat an entire pizza while running. As an author, he has inspired countless couch potatoes to get off the couch, cancel the cable, and start running.
3 .) Once a Runner by John L. Parker
Lists It Appears On:
- Book of Running
- Competitor (Again)
- Complete Running
- Lets Run
- Rather Be Runnin’
- Run It Fast
- Run To The Finish
- The Christian Science Monitor
- The Clymb
- The Guardian
- The Huffington Post
- The Motivated Runner
- The Runner’s Resource
Inspired by the author’s experience as a collegiate champion, the story focuses on Quenton Cassidy, a competitive runner at fictional Southeastern University whose lifelong dream is to run a four-minute mile. He is less than a second away when the turmoil of the Vietnam War era intrudes into the staid recesses of his school’s athletic department. After he becomes involved in an athletes’ protest, Cassidy is suspended from his track team. Under the tutelage of his friend and mentor, Bruce Denton, a graduate student and former Olympic gold medalist, Cassidy gives up his scholarship, his girlfriend, and possibly his future to withdraw to a monastic retreat in the countryside and begin training for the race of his life against the greatest miler in history. .
2 .) What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
Lists It Appears On:
- Best-running
- Bookish
- Buzzfeed
- Competitor (Again)
- Complete Running
- Men Who Stare At Books
- Men’s Running
- Rather Be Runnin’
- Rock Creek Runner
- Run To The Finish
- The Huffington Post
- The Motivated Runner
- The Next Challenge
- Tips on Life & Love
- UK Sports Chat
An intimate look at writing, running, and the incredible way they intersect, from the incomparable, bestselling author Haruki Murakami.While simply training for New York City Marathon would be enough for most people, Haruki Murakami’s decided to write about it as well. The result is a beautiful memoir about his intertwined obsessions with running and writing, full of vivid memories and insights, including the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer. By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is rich and revelatory, both for fans of this masterful yet guardedly private writer and for the exploding population of athletes who find similar satisfaction in athletic pursuit.
1 .) Born To Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
Lists It Appears On:
- Best-running
- Book of Running
- Bookish
- Buzzfeed
- Competitor (Again)
- Complete Running
- Flashlight Worthy
- Independent
- Men Who Stare At Books
- Men’s Running
- Rather Be Runnin’
- Rock Creek Runner
- Run It Fast
- Run To The Finish
- Strength Running
- The Christian Science Monitor
- The Clymb
- The Huffington Post
- The Runner’s Resource
- UK Sports Chat
- Ultra Running Community
- Very Well
Isolated by Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful Tarahumara Indians have honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury. In a riveting narrative, award-winning journalist and often-injured runner Christopher McDougall sets out to discover their secrets. In the process, he takes his readers from science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to a climactic race in the Copper Canyons that pits America’s best ultra-runners against the tribe. McDougall’s incredible story will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.
#41 – 78 Best Marathon and Running Books (Appear on 2 lists each)
41 .) 101 Simple Ways to be a Better Runner by Jason Fitzgerald
Lists It Appears On:
- Rock Creek Runner
- Strength Running
42 .) 14 Minutes by Alberto Salazar
Lists It Appears On:
- Bookish
- Run To The Finish
43 .) 50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days — and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance! by Dean Karnazes
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- Run It Fast
44 .) Again to Carthage by John L. Parker
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- Run It Fast
45 .) Alberto Salazar’s Guide to Road Racing
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- Complete Running
46 .) Anatomy for Runners by Jay Dicharry
Lists It Appears On:
- Run To The Finish
- Strength Running
47 .) Complete Book of Running for Women
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- Tips on Life & Love
48 .) Devoted by Don Yeager & Dick Hoyt
Lists It Appears On:
- Bookish
- Run It Fast
49 .) Explosive Running by Michael Yessis
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- Strength Running
50 .) Fixing Your Feet by John Vonhof
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Complete Running
51 .) Galloway’s Book of Running by Jeff Galloway
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- Bookish
52 .) Jogging by Bill Bowerman
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- Buzzfeed
53 .) Kara Goucher’s Running for Women
Lists It Appears On:
- Very Well
- Tips on Life & Love
54 .) No Meat Athlete: Run on Plants and Discover Fittest, Fastest, Happiest Self by Matt Frazier
Lists It Appears On:
- Strength Running
- Rock Creek Runner
55 .) Paula Radcliffe Paula: My Story So Far by Paula Radcliffe
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- UK Sports Chat
56 .) Racing the Antelope: What Animals Can Teach Us About Running and Life by Bernd Heinrich
Lists It Appears On:
- The Huffington Post
- Run It Fast
57 .) Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance by Matt Fitzgerald
Lists It Appears On:
- Strength Running
- Run To The Finish
58 .) Ready to Run
Lists It Appears On:
- Ultra Running Community
- Tips on Life & Love
59 .) Run or Die by Kilian Jornet
Lists It Appears On:
- The Motivated Runner
- Run To The Finish
60 .) Run to Overcome by Meb Keflezighi
Lists It Appears On:
- Run To The Finish
- Run It Fast
61 .) Run! 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss by Dean Karnazes
Lists It Appears On:
- Run To The Finish
- Run It Fast
62 .) Runner: A Short Story About a Long Run by Lizzie Hawker
Lists It Appears On:
- Independent
- UK Sports Chat
63 .) Running on Air by Breathing Smarter
Lists It Appears On:
- I Love Running Magazine
- Run To The Finish
64 .) Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron
Lists It Appears On:
- The Guardian
- Competitor (Again)
65 .) Running To The Top by Arthur Lydiard
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- I Love Running Magazine
66 .) Running Tough by Michael Sandrock
Lists It Appears On:
- Strength Running
- Lets Run
67 .) Strides: Running Through History With An Unlikely Athlete by Benjamin Cheever
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- Buzzfeed
68 .) Terry Fox
Lists It Appears On:
- Bookish
- Complete Running
69 .) Terry Fox: His Story
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- Complete Running
70 .) The Athlete’s Palate Cookbook by Yishane Lee
Lists It Appears On:
- Very Well
- Run To The Finish
71 .) The Courage To Start by John Bingham
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- The Christian Science Monitor
72 .) The Extra Mile: One Woman’s Personal Journey to Ultrarunning Greatness by Pam Reid
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- Run It Fast
73 .) The Greatest: The Haile Gebrselassie Story by Jim Denison
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- UK Sports Chat
74 .) The Nonrunner’s Marathon Guide for Women: Get Off Your Butt and On with Your Training by Dawn Dais
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- The Denver Post
75 .) The Perfect Distance
Lists It Appears On:
- Book of Running
- Complete Running
76 .) The Quotable Runner
Lists It Appears On:
- Complete Running
- Very Well
77 .) The Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of Life
Lists It Appears On:
- Run To The Finish
- Complete Running
78 .) The Way of the Runner
Lists It Appears On:
- Independent
- Ultra Running Community
The Remaining 178 Best Books For Runners, Joggers, And Marathoners
| 1:59: | Competitor | |
| 100 Day Marathon Plan | Best-running | |
| 26 Miles to the Moon: The Great Space Race Is On! | Andrew Males | UK Sports Chat |
| 26.2 Marathon Stories | Katherine Switzer | Complete Running |
| 4:09:43: Boston 2013 Through the Eyes of the Runners | Hal Higdon | Buzzfeed |
| 5-Minute-Plantar-Fasciitis-Solution | Complete Running | |
| A Cold Clear Day | Frank Murphy | Run It Fast |
| A Few Degrees from Hell: The 2003 Badwater Ultramarathon | Scott Ludwig | Run It Fast |
| A life without limits | Chrissie Wellington | Run To The Finish |
| Absolute Beginners Guide to Half Marathon Training | Complete Running | |
| Adidas Puma Sneaker Wars: The Enemy Brothers Who Founded Adidas and Puma and the Family Feud That Forever Changed the Business of Sports | Complete Running | |
| Alan Webb & the Quest for the Sub-Four Minute Mile | Complete Running | |
| Athletes Guide to Recovery: Rest, Relax, and Restore for Peak Performance | Ultra Running Community | |
| Barefoot Runner: Abebe Bikila | Complete Running | |
| Beginning Runner’s Handbook | Complete Running | |
| Believe Training Journal | Competitor | |
| Better Training for Distance Runners | The Runner’s Resource | |
| Big Book of Endurance Training | Phil Maffetone | Run To The Finish |
| Bikila: Ethiopia’s Barefoot Olympian | Tim Judah | Run It Fast |
| Boston, a Century of Running : Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Boston Athletic Association Marathon | Complete Running | |
| Brewster | Mark Slouka | The Guardian |
| Build Your Running Body | Independent | |
| Building the Nike Empire | Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight | Complete Running |
| Building Your Running Body | Competitor | |
| C.C. Pyle’s Amazing Foot Race: The True Story of the 1928 Coast-to-Coast Run Across America | Geoff Williams | The Next Challenge |
| Coaching Cross Country Successfully | The Runner’s Resource | |
| Competitive Triathlon in 10 Hours a Week | Patrick McCrann | Strength Running |
| Complete Book of Running | Jim Fixx | Buzzfeed |
| Confessions of an All-Night Runner | Dean Karnazes | The Next Challenge |
| Core Performance | Mark Verstegen | Complete Running |
| Diet Cults | Matt Fitzgerald | Run To The Finish |
| Dr. Jordan Metzl’s Running Strong: The Sports Doctor’s Complete Guide to Staying Healthy and Injury-Free for Life | Tips on Life & Love | |
| Elite Minds: Creating the Competitive Advantage | Dr. Stan Beecham | Run To The Finish |
| Endurance Sports Nutrition | Complete Running | |
| Falling Forward: Tales from an Endurance Saga | Dallas Smith | Run It Fast |
| Faster Higher Stronger | Competitor | |
| Fat Man To Green Man: From Unfit to Ultramarathon | Ira Rainey | UK Sports Chat |
| Feed Zone Portables: A Cookbook of On-the-Go Food for Athletes | Biju Thomas and Allen Lim | Buzzfeed |
| Food Guide for Marathoners | Nancy Clark | Run It Fast |
| From Fairbanks to Boston: 50 Great U.S. Marathons | Complete Running | |
| Full Tilt Boogie | Competitor | |
| Gigantic Book of Running Quotations | Complete Running | |
| Girl Runner | Independent | |
| Going Down Slow | Dallas Smith | Run It Fast |
| Gordon Pirie Running Fast and Injury Free | Complete Running | |
| Great Races, Incredible Places: 100+ Fantastic Runs Around the World | Complete Running | |
| Hal Koerner’s Field Guide to Ultra Running | Competitor | |
| Healthy Intelligent Training: The Proven Principles of Arthur Lydiard | Complete Running | |
| HOHA’s In Love: The Lessons of Running Reveal the Secrets of Love | Laurence Graham | Run To The Finish |
| I Run, Therefore I Am –Nuts! | Complete Running | |
| In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto | Michael Pollan | Strength Running |
| Injury Prevention for Runners | Jason Fitzgerald | Strength Running |
| Iron War: Dave Scott, Mark Allen, and the Greatest Race Ever Run | Matt Fitzgerald | Strength Running |
| Jack Daniels’ Running Formula | The Runner’s Resource | |
| Jeff Galloway’s Marathon: You Can Do It! | Complete Running | |
| Joan Benoit Samuelson’s Running for Women | Complete Running | |
| Jogging With Lydiard | Complete Running | |
| Jumping Into Plyometrics | Complete Running | |
| Just a Little Run Around the World | Rosie Swale Pope | The Next Challenge |
| Keep on Running: The Highs and Lows of a Marathon Addict | Phil Hewitt | UK Sports Chat |
| Life at These Speeds | Complete Running | |
| Life Outside the Oval Office | Competitor | |
| London Marathon: The History of the Greatest Race On Earth | Complete Running | |
| Marathon | Bookish | |
| Marathon Roadmap: The Vegetarian Guide to Conquering Your First Marathon | Matt Frazier | Strength Running |
| Marathon: A Novel | Hal Higdon | Run It Fast |
| Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide | Hal Higdon | Complete Running |
| Marathoning for Mortals | John Bingham | Complete Running |
| Meb For Mortals: How to Run, Think, and Eat like a Champion Marathoner | Tips on Life & Love | |
| Meditations from the Breakdown Lane: Running Across America | James E. Shapiro | Run It Fast |
| Mile Markers: The 26.2 Most Important Reasons Why Women Run | Kristin Armstrong | The Huffington Post |
| Nancy Clark’s Food Guide for New Runners | Very Well | |
| Natural Born Runners | Independent | |
| Never Wipe Your Ass with a Squirrel: A trail running, ultramarathon, and wilderness survival guide for weird folks | Ultra Running Community | |
| New York Marathon: A Race Like No Other | Complete Running | |
| No Bugles, No Drums | Book of Running | |
| No Need for Speed | John Bingham | Complete Running |
| Olympic Marathon Centennial | Complete Running | |
| Out of Nowhere | Complete Running | |
| Out There: A Story of Ultra Recovery | Ultra Running Community | |
| Overthinking the Marathon | I Love Running Magazine | |
| Paula | Bookish | |
| Pedestrianism | Competitor | |
| Personal Record: A Love Affair with Running | Rachel Toor | Run To The Finish |
| Pose Method of Running | Dr. Nicholas Romanov | Complete Running |
| Roger Bannister The Four Minute Mile | Complete Running | |
| Run Less, Run Faster | Complete Running | |
| Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving—and Not Lose Your Family, Job or Sanity | Competitor (Again) | |
| Run Ride Sink or Swim | Independent | |
| Run with the Champions: Training Programs and Secrets of America’s 50 Greatest Runners | Marc Bloom | Strength Running |
| Run Your Best 10k | Best-running | |
| Run Your First Marathon: Everything You Need to Know to Reach the Finish Line | Gret Waitz & Gloria Averbuch | Run It Fast |
| Runner’s World Complete Book of Women’s Running | Very Well | |
| Runner’s World Guide to Running and Pregnancy | Very Well | |
| Runner’s Book of Daily Inspiration | Complete Running | |
| Runner’s World Complete Book of Running | Amby Burfoot | Strength Running |
| Runner’s World Complete Book of Women’s Running | Complete Running | |
| Runner’s World Complete Guide to Trail Running | Complete Running | |
| Runner’s World Cookbook | sample recipe} | Run To The Finish |
| Runner’s World Guide to Injury Prevention | Complete Running | |
| Runner’s World Guide to Running and Pregnancy | Complete Running | |
| Runner’s World Guild to Cross Training | Complete Running | |
| Runner’s World Runner’s Diet: The Ultimate Eating Plan That Will Make Every Runner (and Walker) Leaner, Faster, and Fitter | Complete Running | |
| Runner’s World The Runner’s Body: How the Latest Exercise Science Can Help You Run Stronger, Longer, and Faster | Complete Running | |
| Running | Jean Echenoz | The Guardian |
| Running & Walking for Women Over 40 | Complete Running | |
| Running and Fatburning for Women | Complete Running | |
| Running and Stuff | Ultra Running Community | |
| Running Away | Competitor | |
| Running Cultures: Racing in Time and Space | Complete Running | |
| Running for Mortals | Very Well | |
| Running for My Life | Ray Zahab | Flashlight Worthy |
| Running High: The First Continuous Traverse of the 303 Mountains of Britain & Ireland | Hugh Symonds | UK Sports Chat |
| Running Hot and Cold | Doug Richards | UK Sports Chat |
| Running Ransom Road: Confronting the past one marathon at a time | Caleb Daniloff | Run To The Finish |
| Running Through the Ages | Complete Running | |
| Running Times Guide to Breakthrough Running | Complete Running | |
| Running To Win | George Sheehan | Complete Running |
| Running Well | I Love Running Magazine | |
| Running with Joy | Ryan Hall | Run To The Finish |
| Running With Lydiard | Complete Running | |
| Running With the Pack: Thoughts from the Road on Meaning and Mortality | Mark Rowlands | The Denver Post |
| Running: From Start to Finish | John Stanton of the Running Room | Complete Running |
| See Mom Run | Competitor | |
| Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes | Complete Running | |
| Sub 4:00 | The Runner’s Resource | |
| Sugar Shock | Connie Bennett | Run To The Finish |
| The Accidental Athlete: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Middle Age | Competitor (Again) | |
| The Art of Running:The Steve Prefontaine Story | Matthew Crehan (A Graphic Novel) | UK Sports Chat |
| The Big Picture: 11 laws that will change your life | Tony Horton | Run To The Finish |
| The Boston Marathon – A Century of Blood, Sweat and Cheers | Complete Running | |
| The Chi Marathon: The Breakthrough Natural Running Program for a Pain-Free Half Marathon and Marathon | Tips on Life & Love | |
| The Competitive Runner’s Handbook | Very Well | |
| The Complete Book of Running | Competitor (Again) | |
| The Coolest Race on Earth: Mud, Madmen, Glaciers, and Grannies at the Antarctica Marathon | Complete Running | |
| The Divided Mind: An epidemic of Mind Body Disorders | Dr. John Sarno | Run To The Finish |
| The Endurance Handbook: How to Achieve Athletic Potential, Stay Healthy, and Get the Most Out of Your Body | Ultra Running Community | |
| The Essential Guide to Running the New York Marathon | Complete Running | |
| The First Four Minutes | Roger Bannister | The Next Challenge |
| The Four-Minute Mile | Sir Roger Bannister | Strength Running |
| The Ghost Runner: The Tragedy of the Man They Couldn’t Stop | Bill Jones | UK Sports Chat |
| The Jade Rabbit | Mark Matthews | Run It Fast |
| The Last Pick: The Boston Marathon Race Director’s Road to Success | David J. McGillivray | Strength Running |
| The Long Run: A New York City Firefighter’s Triumphant Comeback from Crash Victim to Elite Athlete | Matt Long | Run To The Finish |
| The Longest Race: A Lifelong Runner, an Iconic Ultramarathon, and the Case for Human Endurance | Ed Ayres | The Denver Post |
| The Lore of Running | Dr. Tim Noakes | Complete Running |
| The Man Who Ran Faster Than Everyone: The Story of Tom Longboat | Complete Running | |
| The Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei | Ultra Running Community | |
| The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition: A Cutting-Edge Plan to Fuel Your Body Beyond ‘the Wall | Matt Fitzgerald | Buzzfeed |
| The Non-Runner’s Marathon Trainer | Very Well | |
| The Other | David Guterson | The Guardian |
| The Paleo Diet for Athletes | Loren Cordain and Joel Freil | Strength Running |
| The Power of Habit | Rock Creek Runner | |
| The Runner | Cynthia Voight | Run It Fast |
| The Runner’s Rule Book | Very Well | |
| The Runner’s Body: How the Latest Exercise Science Can Help You Run Stronger, Longer, and Faster (Runners World) | Ross Tucker and Jonathan Dugas | Strength Running |
| The Runner’s Rule Book: Everything a Runner Needs to Know–And Then Some | Mark Remy | Run To The Finish |
| The Runner’s Yoga Book | Complete Running | |
| The Runners’ Repair Manual: A Complete Program for Diagnosing and Treating Your Foot, Leg and Back Problems | Complete Running | |
| The Running Man | Gilbert Tuabonye | Run It Fast |
| The Running Revolution: How to Run Faster, Farther, and Injury-Free–for Life | Tips on Life & Love | |
| The Silence of Great Distance: Women Running Long | Complete Running | |
| The Silence of the Great Distance: Women Running Long | Competitor (Again) | |
| The Start Here Diet | Tosca Reno | Run To The Finish |
| The Ultimate Guide to Trail Running: Everything You Need to Know About Equipment * Finding Trails * Nutrition * Hill Strategy * Racing * Avoiding Injury * Training * Weather * Safety | Complete Running | |
| The Ultra Mindset | Competitor | |
| Thrive Vegan guide to sports nutrition | Brendan Brazier | Run To The Finish |
| To Be A Runner | Martin Dugard | The Motivated Runner |
| Total Heart Rate Training | Complete Running | |
| Trail Running: From Novice to Master (The Mountaineers Outdoor Expert Series) | Complete Running | |
| Training Young Distance Runners | The Runner’s Resource | |
| Tread Lightly: Form, Footwear, and the Quest for Injury Free Running | Peter Larson and Bill Katovsky | Strength Running |
| Treadmill Training for Runners | Complete Running | |
| Ultimate Weight Training for Runners | Complete Running | |
| Ultra Running With Scott Jurek | Complete Running | |
| Unbreakable Runner | Competitor | |
| Wild Trails to Far Horizons | Mike Cudahy | Run It Fast |
| Women Who Run | Complete Running | |
| Your Performing Edge: The Complete Guide to Success and Fulfillment in Sports and Life | Rock Creek Runner | |
The Top Running Book Sources
