Recently I had seen mention of the book “The Long Run” by Martin Dugard floating around. I’m a running nerd, so I checked it out from the library. The subtext on the title is:

Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit, Grete Waitz
and the Decade That Made the Marathon Cool

The book is about a lot more than those 4 people mentioned. A LOT more. It’s almost a disservice to the countless others mentioned throughout the book that we narrow the cover down to just 4 people. And while I have obsessively absorbed a lot of information about these people over the years, there were some things that I didn’t know prior to this read.

Like JFK’s influence on the running boom…

Back in the 60’s, President John F. Kennedy wanted the US to be fitter, so we could be ready to fight for our country. (Weird how this priority passes between parties over history, and every time one side is advocating for health the opposite is against it, because our two-parties are FUBAR. But I digress…)

Anyway, JFK thought everyone was getting soft and fat. He commissioned this amazing song and had it sent to all the schools to encourage them to get rid of their “chicken fat”.

The world was so much more blunt back in the day…

I guess the song inspired or annoyed a bunch of Boomer kids into more exercise, then hopefully they carried the message home to mom and dad…

Then a mandate from Teddy Roosevelt about being able to cover 50 miles in 20 hours re-surfaced to JFK’s desk and that was turned into a formal test of vigor. JFK was big on “vigor”, giving a speech where he mentioned the word multiple times. The first 50 miler was held in the spring of 1963. JFK was assassinated later that year, but the race continues on as the oldest continuously held ultramarathon in the US.

The portions of the book covering Steve Prefontaine (Pre) and Frank Shorter, also get into legends like Bill Rodgers, Bill Bowerman, and Jeff Galloway. Because that 1970’s era of running was so intertwined. This is where I felt like it was so glossed over, but if we went too in-depth the book would never finish. But it really does introduce far more of the running history cast than just the two mentioned on the cover.

And we also have mentions of Bobbi Gibb and Kathrine Switzer in the Boston Marathon stories, before we get into Grete Waitz and Joan Benoit Samuelson really taking on the marathon stage. There is even an honorable mention chapter for Des Linden, who is probably the GOAT for American female marathoners in recent times, but there are so many good stories in female marathoning that the subject is hardly scratched in this book. A lot of them have their own books, so I get that this isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list.

Before any of these topics are covered, the book covers early marathoning and the lore surrounding the distance. From Ancient Greece and Pheidippides, to how the Queen of England was responsible for the ultimate distance. Or not responsible for the distance. So many stories over the years and as any good legend or tall tale, details change throughout time and with the storytellers.

This book is great for a running nerd, even if you know the stories. Or if you are new to the sport and want to learn some of the history. But don’t let this be your sole source for the history. There is so much more.

The writing style is kind of odd and feels very much like the personable nature one might use… on a blog? But a blog over the course of an entire book. Sometimes it’s a little weird, but mostly it works because the author is a running nerd too and you can feel it. But if you aren’t one, you’ll probably not feel the undercurrent of jittery excitement and love of the sport. (Kind of how I don’t feel that enthusiasm when people talk to me about football. I want to tune out.)

Oh, and in case you were wondering… Joan Benoit’s win in the 1984 Olympic marathon did not start the boom for women in running. Yes, her win was inspirational and did get some people going. But a decade later a little unknown named Oprah Winfrey ran the Marine Corps Marathon and BOOM… bigger spike in female participation. So… Oprah is responsible for the women’s running boom more than Olympians.

The more you know…