David Renton was in his mid-teens a county standard middle-distance runner. He tells the story of how he began to run, influenced by his father's career as a rower.
Lives; Running draws on the rivalry between Seb Coe and Steve Ovett, portrayed as a contest between two opposed philosophies, one neo-liberal, the other subjugating competition to a richer sense of personal achievement.
He describes his father's attempts to find ideas that would guide his life and portrays running as a step towards a world of freedom.
“a fine read by a man who loves his running and communicates its
joys and pains”
Lucid and compelling- Independent on Sunday
Renton has the advantage of an acute political sense and a historian’s training for sifting evidence and making an argument- Tribune
Lucidly written and full of narrative interest- Morning Star
Dave Renton writes crisply and well- Irish Times
A fascinating book- Red Pepper
Renton goes behind the accepted version- Caribbean Review of Books
Insightful, humane and crisply written- New Politics