Lonely Loneliness

Runner's Reading Review

Question:

You may also want to try "The Runner’s Literary Companion", which seems to be in most major bookstore chains right now. — How much of what you know was told to you by others? If we don’t have freedom of speech, how can we truly have freedom of thought?

Response:

writes: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hromjak) writes: Just about the best novel I have read on running is John L. Parker Jr.’s 1978 work "Once A Runner."  Parker was a training partner of Frank Shorter and also has written a brief biography of Shorter. "Once A Runner" is fiction about a world class miler. In 1969, Cordner Nelson, a founder of Track and Field News, wrote a forgetable novel called "The Miler." I just finished Patricia Nell Warren’s novel "The Frontrunner."  It moved me more than any fictional piece on running.  I recommend it. One caution: if you have a "problem" with descriptions of explicit male homosexual sexual activity you might want to avoid the book or skip over parts of it. Patricia Nell Warren, as Pat Tarnawsky, wrote a column called "Women’s Wanderings" for Runner’s World magazine for a couple of years in the early 1970s.  At that time she was an editor at Reader’s Digest magazine.  I believe she "came out" while working there. She was Public Relations Director of the early New York Marathons. The novel deals realistically with AAU/TAC/USAT&F and IOC politics. Many people involved in the running game in the early 1970s appear, with slight name changes, in this 1974 novel. The book has sold 10,000,000 copies.  There now are Frontrunner running clubs in over 50 big cities throughout the world, I believe. The book is about a world class 5,000/10,000 meter runner who was kicked off the team at Oregon, with two other guys, because they are gay. They are preparing for the Montreal Olympics in 1976. If you want to know more about the book and/or the author just go to the AltaVista search engine and put in their names. —–Al Hromjak May I also suggest the short story "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner."  I believe it was written by Alan Stiltoe if I recall correctly.  Unfortunately the title is misleading and has stuck with a lot of non-runners. Jim

Thanks for reminding me.  I tried to get the book out of the local library system many, many years ago, but without success. I have a Los Angeles County library card now so maybe I will give it another try. That book was also made into a movie. On Iron Maiden’s album Somewhere In Time there is a song "The Lonliness of the Long Distance Runner."  The words are available on the WWW.

Response:

Al Hromjak writes:

| | Just about the best novel I have read on running is John L. Parker | Jr.’s 1978 work "Once A Runner."  Parker was a training partner of | Frank Shorter and also has written a brief biography of Shorter.  "Once | A Runner" is fiction about a world class miler. Amen! And the great part, if you like his style of writing, is he still writes for Running Times so his humor continues. I also enjoyed the sarcastic realism of Scott Douglas – so much for values.  By the way, Scott Douglas has moved on and will only free-lance for RT. — Doug Freese  All opinions are mine. IBM Tele: 8-293-8098

Response:

Just about the best novel I have read on running is John L. Parker Jr.’s 1978 work "Once A Runner."  Parker was a training partner of Frank Shorter and also has written a brief biography of Shorter.  "Once A Runner" is fiction about a world class miler. In 1969, Cordner Nelson, a founder of Track and Field News, wrote a forgetable novel called "The Miler." I just finished Patricia Nell Warren’s novel "The Frontrunner."  It moved me more than any fictional piece on running.  I recommend it. One caution: if you have a "problem" with descriptions of explicit male homosexual sexual activity you might want to avoid the book or skip over parts of it. Patricia Nell Warren, as Pat Tarnawsky, wrote a column called "Women’s Wanderings" for Runner’s World magazine for a couple of years in the early 1970s.  At that time she was an editor at Reader’s Digest magazine.  I believe she "came out" while working there. She was Public Relations Director of the early New York Marathons. The novel deals realistically with AAU/TAC/USAT&F and IOC politics. Many people involved in the running game in the early 1970s appear, with slight name changes, in this 1974 novel. The book has sold 10,000,000 copies.  There now are Frontrunner running clubs in over 50 big cities throughout the world, I believe. The book is about a world class 5,000/10,000 meter runner who was kicked off the team at Oregon, with two other guys, because they are gay. They are preparing for the Montreal Olympics in 1976. If you want to know more about the book and/or the author just go to the AltaVista search engine and put in their names. —–Al Hromjak

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Hromjak) writes: Just about the best novel I have read on running is John L. Parker Jr.’s 1978 work "Once A Runner."  Parker was a training partner of Frank Shorter and also has written a brief biography of Shorter. "Once A Runner" is fiction about a world class miler. In 1969, Cordner Nelson, a founder of Track and Field News, wrote a forgetable novel called "The Miler." I just finished Patricia Nell Warren’s novel "The Frontrunner."  It moved me more than any fictional piece on running.  I recommend it. One caution: if you have a "problem" with descriptions of explicit male homosexual sexual activity you might want to avoid the book or skip over parts of it. Patricia Nell Warren, as Pat Tarnawsky, wrote a column called "Women’s Wanderings" for Runner’s World magazine for a couple of years in the early 1970s.  At that time she was an editor at Reader’s Digest magazine.  I believe she "came out" while working there. She was Public Relations Director of the early New York Marathons. The novel deals realistically with AAU/TAC/USAT&F and IOC politics. Many people involved in the running game in the early 1970s appear, with slight name changes, in this 1974 novel. The book has sold 10,000,000 copies.  There now are Frontrunner running clubs in over 50 big cities throughout the world, I believe. The book is about a world class 5,000/10,000 meter runner who was kicked off the team at Oregon, with two other guys, because they are gay. They are preparing for the Montreal Olympics in 1976. If you want to know more about the book and/or the author just go to the AltaVista search engine and put in their names. —–Al Hromjak

May I also suggest the short story "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner."  I believe it was written by Alan Stiltoe if I recall correctly.  Unfortunately the title is misleading and has stuck with a lot of non-runners. Jim

Response:

Filed under: Loneliness

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