"Martin Dugard on running is like reading Anne Lamott on faith, John Grisham on law, or William S. Burroughs on drugs. He is entertaining, enlightening and inspiring. Read this book, but keep your running shoes close by. Because when you put it down, you're gonna want to go find a trail."
~ Austin Murphy, Sports Illustrated
Order Now!Martin Dugard is the New York Times bestselling author of To Be A Runner, available now in bookstores everywhere. To Be A Runner bridges the chasm between the two categories of running books: how-to and personal narrative, motivating runners and non-runners alike. Read an excerpt here.
"Attention all runners: if running is your life, your lifeline, your escape, or even if you're hopelessly caught up on the What Makes Sammy Run rat race -- this is your book."
~ James Patterson, the world's best selling author
"Running is the ultimate school master. I learn something about myself, others, and life every time I lace up my shoes and head out the door. Whether you are a seasoned runner that can relate to the lessons learned in To Be A Runner, or just a beginner looking to avoid painful lessons that those who have gone before you can attest to, you will be sure to find some gold nuggets for your next run around the block."
~ Ryan Hall, Olympian, and America's Top Marathoner
"Martin Dugard is an amazing writer, no matter what the topic. But the fact that his latest book, To Be A Runner, is about the one subject that he lives and breathes for makes this his best book ever. After each chapter you’ll want to lace ‘em up and get in a quick five-miler!"
~ Bob Babbitt, Co-Founder Competitor Magazine and the tenth inductee into the Ironman Triathlon Hall of Fame
"Martin Dugard has filled every role a runner can—athlete, teammate, coach, adventurer, wanderer—and, as such, writes with a perspective any runner can appreciate. Whether you’re a beginner or an ultra-runner, you’ll see yourself in this book, which is a testament to the important places that running takes you."
~ Dimity McDowell, co-author, Run Like A Mother: How to Get Moving and Not Lose Your Family, Job or Sanity
Its insights, philosophizing, adventures, and instructional nuggets come from the point of view of one who has been a runner since the age of six. Yet To Be A Runner is about far more than running. It is about life itself, and how the simple act of stepping outside for a run is a metaphor for our daily desire to be the best possible version of ourselves.
Martin's other bestselling titles include Chasing Lance, Into Africa, and The Murder of King Tut, among others. Martin's magazine work has appeared in Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and GQ. A lifelong runner and endurance athlete, he has completed the Raid Gauloises adventure race, flown around the world at twice the speed of sound (New York-New York in 31 hours 28 minutes), and traced Henry Morton Stanley's path across Africa. His annual dispatches from the Tour de France from 1999-2009 were followed by an enthusiastic international audience, and his new motion picture A WARRIOR'S HEART premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2011. The common thread uniting all these aspects of his personality is the motto "Keep Pushing... Always," a personal reminder to constantly strive and push personal limits.