Nominated for the Skroutz Book Awards 2026 Audience Awards.
In 1982, after selling his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Murakami began running to stay in shape. A year later, he had completed the Athens–Marathon route on his own. Now, after dozens of races like it—not to mention triathlons and books that have earned rave reviews—he reflects on the impact the sport has had on his life and, more importantly, on his writing.
Part training diary, part travelogue, and part memoir, this revealing book recounts his four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon and takes us to places such as the gardens of Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine, where he once shared the route with an Olympic champion, and the Charles River in Boston, where young women run past him at speed.
Through this captivating lens on sport unfolds a panorama of memories and reflections: the moment of inspiration when he decided to become a writer, his greatest successes and disappointments, and his passion for old vinyl records.
Funny and serious, playful and philosophical, Haruki Murakami’s memoir is revealing both for his fans and for athletes who find similar fulfillment in running.
