Review of “The Long Run”

 Most of my reading lately has been books about running.This one covered some topics I have read about before, but even so, it’s a well crafted book on the premier marathons for runners. 

Title/Author: “The Long Run: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Join Benoit, Greta Waitz and the Decade That Made Running Cool” by Martin Dugard

Rating:  5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: Running as a sport has had a long and interesting history. The marathon event is the premier race, testing an athlete’s endurance and mental fitness. This book by Martin Duggar’s, a marathon runner himself, tells the interesting period from the 1970s where the marathon became more popular for both runners and spectators.

The story actually starts in ancient Greece. The legend of Pheidippides running to tell the people of Athens about the victory at the battlefield of Marathon is a great story, but Dugard shows why that myth doesn’t hold up. The story of why the length of a marathon is 26 miles and 385 yards also is questioned as Dugard explains that the legend of the extra 385 yards being added so the finish line is directly in front of Queen Mary’s box doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. These stories along with others make this early part of the book very interesting.

However, it gets even better when Dugard starts writing about the great runners named in the subtitle of the book. Steve Prefontaine was THE MAN for running in the early and mid-70s as his popularity soared before his tragic death in 1975. Frank Shorter’s gold medal for the marathon brought that race home to millions of American viewers. Joan Benoit Samuelson and Greta Waitz were early pioneers in breaking the glass ceiling (wrongly constructed by the AAU and officials of the Boston and New York City Marathons) for women running long distances. Each of these athletes’ stories are fascinating and make for great reading.  It should also be noted that Dugard writes about those two marathons and important milestones for them such as when the New York City Marathon became a run through all five boroughs.

Whether you’re an experienced marathon runner, a runner who settles for shorter distances or even a non-runner, this book is sure to be one that a reader will want to add to their shelves. 

I wish to thank Dutton for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley.  The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/738256 

Review of "Hammered"

While the reading volume has slowed down as I get busy with the holiday season and work at my full time job picking up, that doesn't mean that the books I do get to read are any less interesting.  This one is a good example - the memoir of former hockey enforcer Dave Schultz. 

Title/Author:

“Hammered: The Fight of My Life” by Dave Schultz with Dan Robson

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Hockey fans will recognize the name Dave Schultz, even if they were not around to witness his legendary fights on the ice. He was one of the early “enforcers” in hockey, who would often fight or cause other ruckus on the ice. This was usually done to protect star players or to send a message to the other team that our team will not back down. His record of 472 penalty minutes in the 1974-75 season still stands. He tells his story in this memoir written with Dan Robson.

The book starts off very dark, with Schultz sharing a scenario where he is in a fight – but it is not on the ice.  Instead, he talks about provoking a fight with a bartender.  That was an attention grabber, and it worked to grab the attention of this reader. It was a good metaphor about his fight against his alcoholism.  He would fight (argue and resist, not with fists like the metaphor) those who tried to help him such as ex-teammate Bill Clement.  He would fight while in treatment.  Once done, he would fight (and still is fighting) to try to stay clean.

There are other fights he talks about, such as trying to suppress the memory of being sexually assaulted when he was a child.  He never shared that with family, his wife nor others until recently.  He was also fighting off depression over his losses, especially those of his brother and father, as well as his divorce. 

While this sounds like an unhappy book, it really isn’t as bad as this description sounds.  It is clear that he is working his way through them.  He talks about many happy memories with family and especially while in hockey.  His best days in the NHL were with the Philadelphia Flyers and he shares excellent accounts of not only his play, but that of his team when the Flyers won consecutive Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975. What is also notable about this part of the book is how he recalls the Flyers and himself in particular drawing the ire of NHL President Clarence Campbell for the rough style of play that helped the Flyers win. 

Schultz did not end his career with the Flyers, as he also played for the Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres.  He did not find the same joy with those teams like he did with the Flyers and like his other battles mentioned above, he was fighting off bouts of anger when playing for those teams.  While the book overall is not a happy one nor is it one where Schultz comes off as looking for sympathy or redemption, I found it an interesting read as someone who is realizing what life has thrown at him and his way of addressing it as he enters the latter stages of life.  It made for an interesting read.

I wish to thank Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley.  The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: Amazon.com: Hammered: The Fight of My Life: 9780735247017: Schultz, Dave, Robson, Dan, Parent, Bernie: Books

Review of "Race Across America:

This book was a little different than other running books I have read - mainly because of the endurance that these athletes had to have in order to complete a transcontinental journey.  Here is my review of "Race Across America." 

Title/Author:

“Race Across America: Eddie Gardner and the Great Bunion Derbie” by Charles B. Kastner

Rating: 

3 ½ of 5 stars (good)

Review:

It’s hard to imagine this today, but there was a time in the early 20^th century when athletes would compete in ultramarathons and other endurance running events with footwear such as working boots or shoes more fit for suits. One such event, that took place in 1928 and 1929, was a transcontinental run from Los Angeles to New York, commonly called the Bunion Derby. This book by Charles B. Kastner looks at one runner who entered both years, Eddie Gardner. 

Gardner was one of a handful of Black runners who ran the race and endured harsh racism when the race ran through southern states where Jim Crow laws were in effect, most notably Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri.  Kastner does a good job of describing what Gardner and his fellow Black runners faced during that stretch of the run.  It should be noted that the organizers of the race did what they could and when they became aware of discrimination when it came to lodging and meals, they did step up and provide these items, but often it wasn’t enough to offset the emotional toll this would take.

The book also portrays Gardner well, especially when he would show off his “Shiek” outfit while running.  That was simply a towel around his head but his fans, especially those in the Black community, loved it.  It felt like Kastner was trying to elevate Gardner into the same level of importance to the legacy of Black athletes like Jack Johnson, Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali.  While certainly not in the same level of importance to the acceptance of the Black athlete, Gardner’s story is still one that should be told, finishing 8^th in the 1928 race and was a leading contender in 1929.

While this book told a story that needed to be told, the description of the races repetitive in nature by giving updates on who was in what place at the end of each day’s events.  This was the only part that I didn’t enjoy reading – which is a rarity for me with a sports book.  I usually love the description of the actual action, but in this case, the stories of the runners – Gardner, the Black runners and other contenders – were much better and made the book a good one overall.  

Link: Race across America: Eddie Gardner and the Great Bunion Derbies (Sports and Entertainment): Kastner, Charles B.: 9780815635772: Amazon.com: Books