The Long Run

“Dugard’s compelling narrative about a transformative decade that catapulted jogging into today’s popular long-distance events with mass participation is sure to be popular with runners of all ages.” —Booklist

“A fittingly fast-moving account of the rise of modern marathon and distance running… A welcome book for running fans, and an inspiration to lace up and get moving.” —Kirkus

“[Dugard] offers affecting stories of the sport’s brightest stars. Runners will be delighted.”
—Publishers Weekly

“To best appreciate the current boom in distance running, it’s necessary to peek back at its history. Martin Dugard’s The Long Run is an entertaining look at the roots of the sport, a celebration of its heroes, and a beautiful reminder that, while distance running hasn’t always been the most popular sport, it’s always been pretty dang cool.” —Des Linden, Boston Marathon Champion and New York Times bestselling author of Choosing to Run

“The Long Run goes beyond recounting America’s running boom, showing how Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Grete Waitz helped turn running—and the marathon—into a national force. With a historian’s eye and a runner’s heart, Martin Dugard delivers racing accounts that put you in the shoes of these legends, infused with his own passion for the sport. It’s a reminder not just of how running got cool (and keeps getting cooler), but why we keep doing it.” —Chris Chavez, founder of Citius Mag and author of the forthcoming The Marathon Book

“Martin Dugard’s The Long Run unearths and relates many fascinating, long-forgotten stories of the first running boom. Dugard’s love of the sport infuses every page, while his rapid-fire narrative style makes every chapter a readable feast. From Bowerman to Pre, Shorter to Rodgers, Waitz to Benoit, it’s all here. A marathon tour-de-force that moves at sub-4 mile pace.” —Amby Burfoot, winner, 1968 Boston Marathon, author of Run Forever, and longtime editor of Runner’s World

“The Long Run is a brilliantly written education of the most mass-participated sport in the world, the marathon. It is a must read for the millions of people who take on the distance each year.” —Deena Kastor, Olympic bronze medalist and New York Times bestselling author of Let Your Mind Run

“In The Long Run Martin takes us back to when running started and how it inspires to this day. Every runner should be a student of the sport and learn from Martin Dugard’s amazing book.”
—Meb Keflezighi, 2004 Olympic silver medalist, Boston Marathon champion, and New York Times bestselling author of 26 Marathons

“This just may be the best book on running that I have read. Combining the research skills of an historian with the powerful storytelling of a novelist, Martin Dugard gives us a thrilling narrative. He tells the incredible history of long distance running, it’s larger than life personalities, the dramatic events that brought running to millions around the globe and why it all matters so much.” —George A. Hirsch, chairman emeritus of the New York Road Runners, co-founder of the five borough New York City Marathon, founding publisher of Runner’s World

“More than a sports history, The Long Run is the story of a cultural phenomenon. Dugard shows how a perfect storm of charismatic figures and cultural anxiety transformed running from an obscure activity into a global phenomenon. It’s a powerful exploration of how we learned to embrace endurance, not just as a physical test, but as a defining part of our modern identity. A must read!” —Steve Magness, author of Do Hard Things

“Reading The Long Run is like pounding out some miles with a great friend on a Sunday morning. Pure joy. And most importantly, it will make you want to run — as far and as fast as you can.” —Matthew Futterman, author of Running to the Edge

“Is there anything more pure than a foot race? In The Long Run, Martin Dugard captures both the passion of the hardcore runner and the curiosity of the beginner, taking readers on a journey from the mythic contests of ancient times to the boom of the 1970s and the electrifying competitions that define running today. The Long Run explores why people continue to be drawn to a seemingly simple sport and to a distance so iconic that it is sometimes used as a metaphor for life itself: the marathon.” —Grant Fisher, Team USA. 2024 Olympic Medalist in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters

“The Long Run is required reading for anyone who loves the marathon. It gave me a greater appreciation of the legends in the sport who came before me and created the momentum for the running movement that I benefit from today. It reminded me how truly special our sport it.” —Sara Hall, pro marathon runner and author of For the Love of the Grind

“I simply can’t stop reading Martin Dugard’s new masterpiece, The Long Run. I guarantee that if you have ever laced up a pair of running shoes, you will simply love this book. What a great read!” —Bob Babbitt, co-founder of Competitor Magazine and inductee into the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame and Ironman Hall of Fame

“Martin Dugard skillfully shares an unprecedented account of the wonderful sport of distance running through his peerless ability to depict historical legends, running pioneers, unrecognized influencers, iconic coaches, and competitors. The Long Run is an extremely special opportunity to personally connect with and to uniquely appreciate one of the world’s greatest sports.” —Jeff Messer, distance coach, exercise physiologist, and top coaching clinician

“A swift, totally engrossing narrative about the men and women who turned distance
running into an American obsession. As I read, I didn’t feel like I was holding a book.
I felt like I was on the side of the road, cheering in Boston, New York, Los Angeles,
Munich, Eugene. It’s a story for people who lived through the first running boom,
but even more for those discovering the one happening now.” —Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and author of the national bestseller The Running Ground

“As an aspiration, a peak accomplishment, or a foundation for more, we have no more universal symbol of human potential than the marathon. The Long Run tells the story of how this came to be true. It does this with gripping narratives of pivotal moments.” —Rush of It All