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7 sports books that inspire

From the story of a long-distance ocean swimmer to a basketball player who turned his life around after regular run-ins with the law, these new titles offer inspiration and variety. 

5. ‘My Years of Running Dangerously,’ by Tom Foreman

  • By Ross Atkin

Most people will know Tom Foreman as a CNN correspondent who has reported from war zones and the scenes of natural disasters. Few might imagine, therefore, that such a busy person in a high-pressure profession could also find time to train not only for a marathon but also a 55-mile ultramarathon. But that’s exactly what happened after he determined that he might form a new connection to his teenage daughter, who wanted to run a marathon with him. As a young man, he had been a talented runner, but he had to start from scratch as an out-of-shape 50-year-old. Foreman’s reawakened passion for running and what it can mean in a father-daughter relationship makes for a grand personal adventure in a book that transcends being just a sports read.

Here’s an excerpt My Years of Running Dangerously:

“Something magical happens in the last four miles of a marathon. You would think it would happen at twenty miles, but at that point there is still enough distance ahead to keep spirits in check. After twenty-two, however, everyone smells the finish line. Eyes that have been glued to the next piece of pavement are raised to the horizon. Feet that are shuffling start stepping. Like trail horses at a dude ranch, everyone can sense the barn, and most start running again. Not fast, but running nonetheless.”

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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