A Race Like No Other

If you like running and human interest stories, you will enjoy this book. Very good writing and subject matter about the 2007 New York Marathon with every chapter representing a mile in the race. Liz Robbins writes for the New York Times, which is a paper that is known for great writers. The book details every mile of the run plus interesting and heart felt stories about the organizers, the professional runners and the everyday runners doing it for their own reasons. Definitely a book you will enjoy.

Having run the NYM several times,(19)I am very aware of the 26 miles of "sidelines". Each block along the way has its own story to tell as Ms. Robbins has done for several. The stories of the runners makes it warm reading. If you run marathons you know that the elite runners have a story worth reading. Bottom line is every NYM runner and supporter is a winner. Like Nike says, "Just Do It!"

Having participated in this race it was an excelent throw back to all the great memories. and the exhileration of having been there.

I just returned home from running the NY Marathon. I am so glad that I read this book just before running. It is outstanding. I saw several of the various characters in the book, especially the accordian player in Queens, and felt like I knew him. I would recommend this book to anyone, runner and non-runner alike. Hugely readable and very informative.

I loved this book! Liz Robbins' narrative chronicles the 2007 NYC Marathon with fact and anecdote filled chapters for each mile as the runners travel through all five boroughs of NYC and over the finish line; she does indeed manages to transport you inside the race and capture the sprit of the event that makes it A RACE LIKE NO OTHER. Perhaps it will even inspire some of the many readers that this book deserves who believe that the challenge of completing a marathon is too daunting to change minds and undertake the training required to attempt running one. It certainly will delight those who have participated and inform the millions who as spectators have cheered on the runners along the course or watched it on television in their living rooms. Before I proceed further with my enthusiastic review, I do need to offer a disclaimer. At the suggestion of the race organizers, I was one of the myriad of individuals who the author interviewed during her extensive research for this book. I am an individual who had no exhibited no previous athletic aptitude before starting to exercise after passing my thirtieth birthday during the 1970's. But my current reputation as a 65 year old streaker intrigued her, and she chronicles part of my journey as I complete this event for the 32nd consecutive year. Thus, my story is one of the many of those of us who revel in our chance to become athletes for a day. In fact, as you will learn if you read the book, she somehow managed to locate me as I was running up First Avenue in the middle of the pack long after she had observed the winners crossing the finish line in Central Park and, after being introduced to a friend who I made during the race, the three of us ran together for approximately a mile as she joined the race again to discover more stories among the anonymous throng which would still be on the course for hours. I believe that my knowledge of the race enables me to appreciate even more the excellent job that the author has done, but I felt it appropriate to inform the readers of this review of what some might view as a source of potential favorable bias. Robbins skillfully weaves into her manuscript the duel between Gete Wami and Paula Radcliffe which of course captivated even the casual observers of the race, while also managing to humanize them through the inclusion of a wealth of interesting information about aspects of their lives as diverse as their training routines, previous competitive encounters, early family experiences, and the fact that they are united by the bond that both women have returned to the sport at the highest competitive level after bearing a child. The stories of the leading competitors among the men are covered in an equally interesting manner, with many fascinating insights provided. Similarly, readers will appreciate the coverage of celebrities such as Lance Armstrong and Katie Holmes. The many anecdotes about Fred Lebow which Liz Robbins inserts throughout the book together f