THE WAY OF THE RUNNER A Journey into the Fabled World of Japanese Running

Narrator Derek Perkins takes listeners on an energetic trip to Japan, where Adharanand Finn (RUNNING WITH THE KENYANS) spent six months as an observer and participant with the serious marathoners of Japan. Perkins captures Finn's quirky humor and English accent and deftly conveys the fascination--and trepidation--of his children as they learn the language and attend school. Most fascinating is hearing about Ekiden, the 135-mile relay race, which is the Japanese equivalent of our Super Bowl. Listeners will enjoy Perkins's impressive Japanese accent and ebullient descriptions of people and places as well as learning about the tradition of bowing to the track at the finish line. In addition to comments from university and corporate running teams, the "marathon monks" (who run for spiritual enlightenment) enthusiastically recount their running stories. Non-runners will be equally fascinated by this unique audio journey. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2017]