Once a Runner by John L. Parker ISBN 13: 9781416597896

Originally self-published in 1978, Once a Runner captures the essence of competitive runningâÈ'and of athletic competition in generalâÈ'and has become one of the most beloved sports novels ever published.. Inspired by the authorâÈçs experience as a collegiate champion, the story focuses on Quenton Cassidy, a competitive runner at fictional Southeastern University whose lifelong dream is to run a four-minute mile. He is less than a second away when the turmoil of the Vietnam War era intrudes into the staid recesses of his schoolâÈçs athletic department. After he becomes involved in an athletesâÈç protest, Cassidy is suspended from his track team. Under the tutelage of his friend and mentor, Bruce Denton, a graduate student and former Olympic gold medalist, Cassidy gives up his scholarship, his girlfriend, and possibly his future to withdraw to a monastic retreat in the countryside and begin training for the race of his life against the greatest miler in history. . A rare insiderâÈçs account of the incredibly intense lives of elite distance runners, Once a Runner is an inspiring, funny, and spot-on tale of one manâÈçs quest to become a champion..