Running Ransom Road
Confronting the Past, One Marathon at a Time
-
-
4.5 • 2 Ratings
-
-
- $9.99
-
- $9.99
Publisher Description
One man’s chronicle of his road to recovery as he quits drinking, puts on sneakers, and sweats his way through sobriety.
Caleb Daniloff never set out to be a marathoner. Then again, he never set out to be a drunk, either. But after years of sobriety, he puts on a pair of running shoes and starts down a path that will lead him to compete in marathons across the world on a journey of self-discovery.
As he runs from Boston to Vermont to Moscow, Daniloff draws lessons from the road and confronts the most destructive period in his life, completing races in each of the cities where he once lived and wreaked havoc. With each step, Daniloff is forced to face his issues rather than maneuver around them. And as he moves forward, he connects with others who have also taken up running on their path to recovery.
At once a memoir of addiction, healing, and pushing past your limitations, Running Ransom Road is ultimately the poignant story of one man’s trek to a better life, one mile at a time—and “his captivating narrative describes a journey of personal redemption that, fortunately for us, he is willing to share” (Frank Shorter, Olympic marathon gold medalist).
“Running Ransom Road is Caleb Daniloff’s unblinking, ultimately triumphant account of his journey from mean, hopeless drunk back to humanity and himself—through distance running. It’s a searing tale of spiritual redemption—one marathon, one mile, one brave, difficult step at a time.” —Steve Friedman, coauthor of New York Times bestseller Eat & Run and author of the memoir Lost on Treasure Island
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Unlike those who embraced a certain faith or occupation to find redemption, Daniloff, a writer for Runner's World and the Boston Globe, took up a sport, running, to defeat booze, drugs, and chronic partying before discovering an emotional balance in himself, in his memoir. Once sober after a 15-year drinking spree, Daniloff battled several demons in his personality, going from shyness and self-loathing to crippling panic attacks and self-doubt, until he strapped on running shoes in 2009: "But when I took up running, I found not only a central pattern in my life, but a forum in which to confront myself." Each race challenges and strengthens him within, drawing him into a healthier, more positive consciousness while overcoming the lung-burning courses of the Boston Marathon, the Middlebury Maple Run, the Asics Moscow International Peace Marathon, and New York City Marathon 11. Undergoing a critical introspection in dissecting his former "reckless and selfish" self, he completes seven marathons in 18 months, breaking though the mental wall that previously stood between him and the outside world. This is a vital, honest, and arresting account of one flawed runner's emotional and spiritual renewal with each step toward the finish line.
