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Why Running Matters
- Narrated by: Ian Mortimer
- Length: 8 hrs
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Sports
Non-member price: $25.82
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Running is not just a sport. It reconnects us to our bodies and the places in which we live, breaking down our increasingly structured and demanding lives. It allows us to feel the world beneath our feet, lifts the spirit, allows our minds out to play and helps us to slip away from the demands of the modern world. When Vybarr Cregan-Reid set out to discover why running meant so much to so many, he began a journey which would take him out to tread London’s cobbled streets, climbing to sites that have seen a millennium of hangings, and down the crumbling alleyways of Ruskin's Venice.
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 127
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- By Starbuck on 24-08-2019
Publisher's Summary
A memoir about the meaning of running from renowned historian and author of The Time Traveller's Guides.
You might run for fitness. You might run for speed. But ultimately, running is about much more than the physical act itself. It is about the challenges we face in life and how we measure up to them. It is about companionship, endurance, ambition, hope, conviction, determination, self-respect and inspiration. In this yearlong memoir, which might be described as a historian’s take on Haruki Murakami’s What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, the celebrated historian Ian Mortimer considers the meaning of running as he approaches his 50th birthday. From injuries and frustrated ambitions to exhilaration and empathy, it is a personal and yet universal account of what running means to people and how it helps everyone focus on what really matters.
What listeners say about Why Running Matters
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 29-11-2019
Insightful about life AND running
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was insightful about life AND running and that was not expected. Being over 40 myself, i now will consider my goals and aspirations in a totally different light. Thank you.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- adam viljoen
- 18-12-2020
from Adam
Adam Viljoen . At the age of 75 this book inspires me to keep on , and on and on with my jogging. In my 50 ' s I was n. one over 32 km and n. two over 21 km , in South Afrika.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- V.Mac
- 10-11-2020
Objectifies women
This audiobook made me feel incredible uncomfortable at times when discussing women in their running clothes.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jason 2013
- 11-08-2019
This is exactly how I feel about running!
What a book. I am a self confessed running bore, and my long suffering wife and most of my friends can’t understand why. This book describes how I feel, the reason why and the meaning. The euphoria I felt when I ran the Brighton Marathon to the disappointment to not getting a time I wanted, even when it was a “good time”. I can’t recommend highly enough especially if you want to understand why we run and why Park Run matters. Totally excellent, I will recommend to anyone and everyone I meet!
2 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Kiwi in UK
- 18-01-2021
Just Terrible
The writer is comedically egotistical, sexist and pompous. Constantly talking about his legacy to the world, what he can pass on to his sons, comparing himself to the builders of medieval cathedrals! Not to mention the constant biological justification of lusting after women half his age. I’m afraid this is what most women fear is really going on in the minds of the Pale, Stale & Male. It’s not becoming written down or read aloud. Do not read if female.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Nick
- 27-05-2019
You have to be a runner
Overall, I would class this book as a background book. You probably need to like running regularly and also like numbers. I listened to it on several training runs for the Paris Marathon. Good going Ian for your achievement, and you might have encouraged me to try a park run one day. I even signed up for a barcode. Would I listen again - no, but it certainly got me through some good 50 miles :)
3 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 25-02-2021
Boring
There are so many better running books out there. This book is quite boring because it is all about one middle aged man’s “revelations” about running and life. There are 40 odd chapters in the book and all of them are about a park run. So it feels like you are listening to the same story over and over again with him mostly talking about his pbs, his times, his injuries... At one point you realise that you just don’t care. Ian Mortimer thinks he got all these big lessons about life from running but I suspect the only thing he cares about is how fast he runs. Couldn’t stand it after chapter 11 and I will return it. He also objectifies women. Talking about female runners’ clothing and lusting after them. So don’t buy this book, try something else there are a lot of books out there about running that are actually inspirational.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sw19
- 03-02-2021
An interesting view of the benefits of running
Engaging story about the benefits of park run and running. Like how it links running to improvements in other aspects of life.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- ElvistheBoy
- 14-12-2020
Enjoyable
Enjoyed listening to Ian and his Park Run stories. Very easy listening and would recommend!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- lifeclearout
- 16-09-2020
A year of runs
This is a great book, read in a very engaging way by the author. So inspirational to listen to while you’re running — and so many great lessons to learn. Thoroughly recommend.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ROGER F WATERHOUSE
- 13-09-2020
Inspirational
Loved this audio book and will definitely listen to it again many times, totally inspired
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 28-07-2020
all C25K' runners should listen to this
loved this audiobook. there's lots of stories about the author's park runs.
l listened to it whilst running my 5ks and I want to run Parkruns more than ever.
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