Book description
Everyone can run. It is the simplest of sports, requiring only a pair
of trainers and the open road. Its simplicity is part of its beauty. But
why do we do it? Obsessive amateur runner Robin Harvie wants to
understand what makes him run mile after mile, venturing far from home
into remote places, and into the solitude of his own mind, pushing
himself to the limit and beyond. Is it to break out of the clutter of
his everyday life, into a freedom in which he has only himself to rely
upon? Is it to affirm his own will, conquering his fatigue? Is it a
fundamental instinct, inseparable from what it is to be human? In
examining the lure of long-distance running, Robin speaks to famous
runners, explores the literature of running and recounts his own
experiences. His feats of running culminate in an effort to run the
Spartathlon, retracing the 150 mile journey from Athens to Sparta made
by Philippides in 490BC. Part memoir, part meditation,Why We Run is a
compelling, rich and haunting account of what it is that makes us take
to the road and learn what we are made of. Robin Harvie ran his first
marathon in 2000 after a bet. Since then he has run 15 more.
