The Long Run

by Catriona Menzies-Pike

No one ever expected Catriona Menzies- Pike to run a marathon. She hated running, and was a hopeless athlete. When she was twenty her parents died suddenly – and for a decade she was stuck. She started running on a whim, and finally her grief started to move too.

Until very recently, it was frowned upon for women to run long distances. Running was deemed unladylike – and probably dangerous. How did women’s running go from being suspect to wildly popular? How does a high school klutz become a marathon runner? This fascinating book combines memoir and cultural history to explore the rich and contradictory topic of women and running.