From the philosophy behind why we run, to technical guides and inspiring stories, running has a lot of depth and many fascinating aspects.
While there are countless amazing racing books out there, in this article we’ve compiled a definitive list of the best racing books in several different categories.
You are reading: Best books for runners
Even better, they’re all available in audio, so you can even listen to them while you run.
These are the categories of the best featured running books:
- best technical guides for running
- best books on the nature of running
- best running memories
- the best athletics history books
- the best racing fiction
Let’s start reading!
Best Running books: Technical Guides
running refreshed: reinvent your running for stability, strength and speed
jay happy
First on our list of the best running books is Running Rewired. In this book, Jay Sayrry shares with us his expertise and experience as America’s leading endurance sports coach and physical therapist, creating a solid foundation and program for runners increase their strength, endurance and speed. Based on cutting-edge biomechanical research, dicharry breaks it down into a series of 15 exercises that any runner can easily implement into their daily routine. running rewired also provides readers with vital information on overcoming old injuries, weaknesses, and imbalances.
how bad do you want it? mastering the psychology of mind over muscle
mat fitzgerald
How is it possible that record-breaking athletes can take their bodies this far and retain such mental toughness? how much you want it, matt fitzgerald fuses the latest science and theory with in-depth explorations of some of the greatest moments in endurance sports history, showing us how people can seemingly push them further beyond its biological limits.
running science: analyze your technique, prevent injuries, revolutionize your training
chris napier
in this clear and no-nonsense guide, chris napier shows the runner’s anatomy and how the different parts of the body are used when running, and then builds on this with an extensive guide to injury prevention as well as 30 key exercises and training plans for all levels of runners.
how he did it: stories, tips and secrets to success from fifty legendary distance runners
molly huddle and sara slattery
how he did it is widely recognized as one of the best books on racing. Here, Molly Huddle, two-time Olympian and internationally known distance runner, and Sara Slattery, professional trainer, have worked hard to offer all they can to the next generation of female runners. Based on her own experiences and those of 50 top female runners, her way of doing it is as interesting as it is helpful, and provides an in-depth and robust process for becoming a successful long-distance runner.
running is my therapy: relieve stress and anxiety, combat depression and live happier
scott douglas
scott douglas occupies a well deserved place in this list of the best books on athletics. Most of us are aware of the physical benefits of running, but Scott Douglas explores the proven benefits of running for the mind and how it’s the best form of exercise for the brain. These days, many doctors recommend running as one of the first treatments for depression, and Running Is My Therapy shows readers how we can all use running to improve mental health and live happier lives.
mental gym: an athlete’s guide to inner excellence
gary mac
From the experience of a professional sports psychologist and consultant, Mind Gym offers a comprehensive review of how the brain is just as important as the body when it comes to performance on the field. Broken down into 40 lessons and tips from some pros, Mental Gym gives you the knowledge to train your mind just like a professional athlete.
tthe lost art of running: a journey to rediscover the forgotten essence of human movement
Shane Benzie and Tim Major
With an absolute mountain of sometimes contradictory information on running techniques available on the internet, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Taking you on an adventure from Kenya’s famous running cities to the Arctic Circle, The Lost Art of Running explains how to incorporate natural running techniques, based on some of the world’s greatest athletes.
best books on the nature of running
footnotes: how running makes us human
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vybarr cregan-reid
In the footnotes, Vybarr Cregan-Reid takes an in-depth look at the deeply human desire to run, exploring the topic from the perspectives of neuroscience, philosophy, biology, and literature, and looking at why running is so much more than just a sport. As she transports the reader to a series of locations around the world, the footnotes contextualize and emphasize the importance of running in our modern structured lives and how it reconnects us with our own minds, nature and the places in which we run. that we live.
running with the kenyans: uncovering the secrets of the world’s fastest people
adharan and finn
Holding continuously on various lists of the best running books since it was first published in 2012, Running with the Kenyans is a must-read for runners and non-runners alike. Why are Kenyan athletes able to win so many of the world’s best long-distance races? Is it because of running to school every day, diet, altitude, or something else? adharanand finn made it his mission to find out why, moving to kenya with his family in the process, concluding their journey and solidifying his knowledge with an epic run across the plains.
The rise of ultra runners: a journey to the limit of human endurance
adharan and finn
why is such a grueling sport becoming more and more popular every year, where people struggle to endure so much pain and their bodies to the limit? adharanand finn dives headfirst into a he travels the world in an effort to find out why, and whether or not he himself might become an ultramarathon runner.
born to run
christopher mcdougall
In this captivating book, McDougall embarks on an anthropological, historical, and cultural exploration of running, based on his time with the Tarahumara people of Mexico’s Copper Canyon, for whom running is a central part of their lives. lives. mcdougall explores what makes these individuals the so-called best runners in the world, and uses their acquired knowledge to show that, in fact, we are all born to run.
best running books: memoir
running with sherman
christopher mcdougall
running with sherman, christopher mcdougall shares with us the inspiring story of how he decided to adopt an abused rescue donkey and how it became his trusted running partner. While the donkey was initially unable to move, McDougall recalls how an entire community came together to help the poor animal, and how that led to him and his animal friend eventually entering a world championship race. /p>
26 marathons: what I’ve learned about faith, identity, career and life in every marathon I’ve run
meb keflezighi
In this memoir, four-time Olympian Meb Keflezighi reflects on his extraordinary career as a runner and the lessons he learned along the way, with each marathon bringing new challenges, rewards and insights. keflezighi inspires the reader by breaking down the key moments in his career while offering practical advice.
nothing can bring me down: chasing me in the race against time
keel out
Next on our list of the best running books is Nothing Can Bring Me Down, where 104-year-old Ida Keeling is simply an inspiration to all of us. in her memoir, she recalls living through the great depression and civil rights movement as a single mother, and then having to endure the unthinkable hardship of having two of her children murdered. After putting on her running shoes for the first time at age 67 to help ease her pain, Ida is still going strong and shows no signs of slowing down. in fact, she now holds the world record for the fastest 60m sprint time for the 95-99 age group.
eating and running: my unlikely journey to ultramarathon greatness
scott jurek
scott jurek has been a competitive ultrarunner for over a decade and is a seven-time champion of the western states endurance race (a 100-mile race through the sierra nevada mountains), making him safe to say that there is a lot that can be learned from him. In Eat & Run, Jurek looks back on his time with the Tarahumara Indian running tribe and shows the reader how his vegan diet has been crucial to his success, while offering inspiring advice and insights along the way. >
a beautiful work in progress
mirna valerio
In a beautiful work in progress, mirna valerio shows us from her experience how it is not necessary to be skinny or white to be a successful runner. valerio recalls his ultramarathon adventure that broke down prejudice and his struggles along the way in a humorous, honest and body-positive memoir that will inspire anyone to go get their running shoes .
what do I talk about when I talk about running
haruki murakami
While Murakami is internationally famous for his incredible fiction novels, this running memoir details a more personalized experience showcasing his journey as a runner that grew alongside his writing career. Beautifully written, informative, playful and philosophically, what i talk about when i talk about running recalls murakami’s own marathon travels, as well as the experiences of running and training and the people and things he encountered along the way.
run in black
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alison wish
alison désir running as a black sheds light on racial bias within running and how, despite appearing to be open to all, the sport has not always been as available to black people. Undeniably one of the best books on running, in this part memoir and part expository, Désir uses her experience as an endurance athlete, activist, and mental health advocate to unravel the story of why running is what it is. today and how, despite its prejudices, it has the potential to be used as an empowerment tool.
good for a girl: my life takes place in a world of men
lauren fleshman
Since she began running to her current position as one of America’s fastest women, Lauren Fleshman has faced a male-centric system that is not designed for women. Recalling her own impressive story, Fleshman explores the scientific research on how even professional trainers fail to tailor training to properly fit women’s bodies, and how women are vulnerable to abuse, underpayment, and abuse. misrepresentation, showing us that now is the time. to rebuild the system. available for pre-order until launch in 2023.
best athletics history books
the perfect mile
neal bascombe
A list of the best athletic books simply wouldn’t be complete without a title from Neal Bascombe. for a long time, the four-minute mile was considered impossible. however, in 1952, four young people living in different countries set it as their goal, and what followed was an epic journey of triumphs and failures, culminating in the impossible that was finally achieved in oxford in 1954. this is the story of that mile and the epic competition that followed.
running: a global story
tor drops
iin this book, thor dropss has undertaken the immense task of showing the entire history of athletics, from its beginnings to the birth of the olympic games and world championships today. get ready for some Fascinating examples of racing in challenging cultures and histories around the world, ranging from Mesopotamian kings 4,000 years ago to animal-racing Vikings.
triumph: the untold story of jesse owens and hitler’s olympics
jeremy schaap
In a context of swastikas, soldiers and Nazi propaganda, African-American Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, shattering the Hitler myth of white supremacy. Using exclusive interviews with family members and previously unseen documents, Jeremy Schaap tells the dramatic story like never before, shedding new light on one of running’s greatest moments.
running with the buffaloes: a season inside with mark wetmore, adam goucher and the university of colorado men’s cross country team
chris lear
With access to new resources and insights from expert coaches, Chris Lear unravels in detail Buffalo’s eventful 1998 season as the team searched for its first national victory. What followed was a story of tragedy, fortune and absolute commitment in the face of adversity.
mighty moe: the true story of a revolutionary thirteen-year-old female runner
rachel swaby
In 1967, at just 13 years old, Maureen Wilton achieved the incredible feat of breaking the women’s marathon world record, with a time of 3:15:23. however, her feat was sadly met with misogynistic accusations of cheating. sheshe left the sport and kept her achievement a secret, and she didn’t return to running until she became a mother. Rachel Swaby takes us through the life of this amazing runner and her story.
best running fiction books
once a runner: a novel
john l. parker jr.
Originally published in 1978 and sold out of the trunk of the author’s car, over time, once a runner became a classic among countless athletes, it was passed down from person to person. Cited as one of the best sports novels ever published, it tells the story of one man’s ambition to become a champion and devote everything to achieving one goal.
run the crack
naomi benarón
Last but not least, on our list of the best racing books is the crack. Naomi Benaron tells the story of Jean Patrick, a Rwandan runner whose dreams of qualifying for the Olympics are in sight, but as a Tutsi ethnic minority living in preparation for the genocide, violence begins to erupt around them, and running may be your only lifesaver. While fictional, running the rift sheds light on the atrocities, trauma, and collective force of real life through the eyes of a runner.
for more information, check out these comprehensive and practical running guides from thomas watson’s own marathon manual.
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