Once a Runner review

“Running to him was real; the way he did it the realest thing he knew. It was all joy and woe, hard as a diamond; it made him weary beyond comprehension. But it also made him free.” – Quenton Cassidy in “Once a Runner.”

You’re a runner.

A small group of your friends understands and accepts. Everyone else wants know what possesses you to run 10 miles at a crack, or a marathon. “What is that? A hundred miles or something? I can’t even drive that far.”

You could try to explain why. All runners have. Or you could hand them “Once a Runner” a novel by John L. Parker, Jr. The book will provide understanding. Or possibly prove your lunacy.

Parker’s book, originally self-published in 1978 but out of print since 2002 and largely unavailable to decades of runners, has reached cult status in the running community. It has not been unusual to see the book offered for sale online for $100 or more.

If you’re among the many who’ve chased this book for a generation, the finish line is just ahead. Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group released it April 7. Advertised prices are under $20.

“Once A Runner” follows elite collegiate miler Quenton Cassidy as he prepares for his biggest race. Don’t let pent up anticipation and expectation ruin your run through this book. It’s paced a little like a marathon – slow start, strong finish.

Oh, there’s plenty of running and racing in the early chapters; but time is spent meeting Cassidy, his college buddies and his girlfriend, and getting a taste of life on campus.
You deduce that Cassidy is a normal college student. Except for one thing: he’s dedicated, almost to the point of death, to the perfect mile run. One other thing: he doesn’t think that’s particularly noteworthy. Aren’t all real runners willing to die out there?

The book is full of visual imagery that runners can identify with. In Chapter One, Cassidy encounters night joggers “slogging along while fleshy knees quivered. ...And men too of various ages and levels of dilapidation, perhaps grinding out secret fantasies..."

With the prelims out of the way the story turns to Cassidy alone, and Parker gets way inside his head, somehow finding ways to express the physical and emotional struggles that he and all competitors go through. Some of it is excruciating, and palpable. Our runner’s most demanding workout – the details of which might draw you to the curb to cheer your neighborhood five-miler - could leave some readers mentally and physically exhausted. Check your heart rate.

Don’t think you have to be a world class athlete to connect with Quenton Cassidy and love this book. If you’ve ever trained and competed at your own highest level, you’ll get this guy. And you’ll be grateful for someone who can put your inner experience into words.

-- Written by Rob Perschau