Roger Robinson, "When Running Made History" (Syracuse UP, 2018)

“A race can mean more than a race,” Roger Robinson writes in his new book, When Running Made History. “It can show that human beings are still capable of attaining pure beauty through arduous endeavor.” Written as a personal history, elite runner and literary scholar Roger Robinson expresses the vast and often untold history of running as seen through his own eyes. Whether it was the Boston Marathon in 2014, the 1948 Olympic games in London, or the 1988 World Cross-Country Championships, Roger Robinson was there. Using descriptive literary prose, Robinson captures running’s most historic moments while considering their significance and impact on the world. Robinson considers how running has changed, grown, and led to positive social and cultural change, definitively showing readers that running has and will continue to make history.

Roger Robinson is a literary scholar, award-winning writer, and longtime elite runner. He has represented England and New Zealand in world championships, set records as a master at the Boston, New York, Vancouver, and other marathons, and returned after a knee replacement to set records in the over-seventy age group. He is the author or editor of works such as the Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature and was a senior writer for Running Times. Robinson has published often in Runner’s World, Canadian Running, and European magazines. He lives in New York state and Wellington, New Zealand, with his wife, running pioneer Kathrine Switzer.

Colin Mustful has an M.A. in history from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and is currently a candidate for an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Augsburg University. You can learn more about his work at his website: www.colinmustful.com.

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