Looking for Inspiring Running Books? Here's a Great Selection!
Updated: Feb 21
Running with books I rescue on my training runs.
Photo credit: Jon Gilbert
I enjoy reading books and reviewing them. Add these books and memoirs about endurance and running to your running reading list.
These ordinary and elite endurance athletes and ultrarunners will inspire and motivate you to lace up your shoes, train well, race well, endure, overcome adversity, be resilient, and get to the finish!
Click on the links to read reviews of books by Catra Corbett, Charlie Engle, Emelie Forsberg, Kara Goucher, Bart Yasso, Scott Jurek, Dean Karnazes, Bill Watts, Scott Douglas, Colleen Kelly Alexander, Maria Papalia-Meier, Rachel Cullen, Rob Steger, and Janet Patkowa.
"Running helped me kick a ten-year addiction to cocaine and had kept me to stay sober
for over twenty years. Running saved my life - and then it gave me a life." ~ Charlie Engle
"I fell in love with everything about being an ultrarunner, not just the races
themselves or the good feeling they provided. I loved the races. I loved the course, and I loved
the challenge. But most of all, I loved the people." ~ Catra Corbett
"As I have witnessed in myself and other ultramarathoners, we tend to be a hopeful and
optimistic lot. Rather than fixating on the consequences of failure, we project forward and
concentrate on the elation that will ensue as a result of accomplishing a goal." ~ Dean Karnazes
"Many people on my medical team told me that if I hadn't been a conditioned
athlete, my heart would have never withstood the multiple cardiac arrests and surgeries
afterwards. I had defied the odds." ~ Colleen Kelly Alexander
"Each of us has taken a different path to the starting line. Sometimes
it is riddled with obstacles of every sort. Other days we are blessed
with smooth sailing from day one." ~ Bart Yasso
"Adjust your training to your goals and prerequisites. And make it joyful!" ~
Emilie Forsberg
"Running an ultramarathon is never an easy task, but it can be fun."~ Bill Watts
"Running is a powerful vehicle for bonding." ~ Kara Goucher
"Those most joyous moments out here were those of natural serendipity
and grace; slow moments, the moments of stillness and smallness. I agree with those who
saw the AT as a place of worship." ~ Scott Jurek
"I didn't set unrealistic goals. I did it one step at a time. I set achievable targets,
and by doing so, I didn't set up for failure." ~ Maria Papalia-Meier
"It took me a while to be able appreciate and articulate just how
profoundly running improved my life by improving my
mental health." ~ Scott Douglas
"I know how it feels to begin to run, and to push through the mental
and physical blocks that scream, "You can't do this.
You're making a complete fool of your self!" ~ Rachel Ann Cullen
"It can be hard, out there during a tough race or long run gone wrong,
to remember that we choose these mental and physical tests." ~ Rob Steger
"I wanted the race to hurt as little as possible.' ~ Janet Patkowa
"...when it comes to pushing our limits, we're just getting started." ~
Alex Hutchinson
Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
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