Why we run

Why We Run by Robin Harvie.


I have never written a book review so please bare with me here.
I recently completed Robin Harvie's Why We Run. It was a book I was at first unsure of because I don't tend to read biographies or autobiographies.

But as a keen but amateur runner I thought this would be a good read. And I was right.
It is a truly emotional tale about an addiction to running and bettering yourself -something I believe most people aspire to in some way or another.
You really feel like you are on this journey with Robin and you can't help but empathize not only with him but his wife too.
Not born a natural runner, the things Robin has accomplished are incredible and something that I envy, as I know I will never manage the majority of his achievements.
This is a story about the Spartathalon in Greece. A 246km, 36 hour race that follows the footsteps of Pheidippides, an ancient Athenian long distance runner, who in 490 BC, before the battle of Marathon, was sent to Sparta to seek help in the war between the Greeks and the Persians. According to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, Pheidippides arrived in Sparta the day after his departure from Athens.
Robin's goal is to complete the remarkable race and all the way through you cannot help but root for him.
It is so well written. At one point in the book, Robin gets incredibly lost on a long, hot run and you can almost feel the pain he describes both physically and mentally. My feet were throbbing just reading it.
One thing is for sure though, as a short distance runner (I never go more than eight miles - usually six), it really inspired me to run more.
Every time I read it all I wanted to do was get up and run and challenge myself.
So I would dub this book as heartfelt and inspiring. Worth a read if you like a little run once in a while.