Geoff’s Media List!
Books
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
by Christopher McDougall
This book was an absolute sensation when it came out in 2009. It seemed like everyone who was remotely interested in running (and many people who weren’t) were reading this book at the time. The story is a very compelling one and follows the author, along with a group of notable American ultramarathon runners to a remote part of Mexico, where they participate in a race with a group of elusive natives from the Tarahumara tribe. Throughout the story, McDougall weaves in interesting bits of research, insight, and other anecdotes, that give the story much greater context - ultimately trying to answer the evolutionary question of how and why early humans ran.
Ultimately, this book is worth reading and re-reading because of the powerful story and the author’s own role in the incredible events and connections that unfold.
Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games
by Lopez Lomong
This is the incredible, autobiographical story of Lopez Lomong - plucked from his mother’s arms at the age of 6 by rebel soldiers in Sudan, Lomong escaped from a child soldier camp to a refugee camp, only to be adopted a few years later by a family from Syracuse, New York. Incredibly, Lomong went on to become one of the greatest runners in modern American history, an Olympian in several different events, and the flag bearer for the U.S. Olympic team in 2008.
This is a book that is incredibly inspiring and motivating, not to mention giving the reader many reasons to feel grateful for the kind of life we are fortunate to have in the Western World.
Bravey: Chasing Dreams, Befriending Pain, and Other Big Ideas
by Alexi Pappas
This is a great book by a highly talented individual. Pappas is not only a professional runner and Olympian, but also a writer, filmmaker, and a positive role model for young people everywhere who are driven to find success.
A large part of this book deals with Pappas’s own very real struggles with mental health, depression, and her mother’s suicide when she was a young child. Pappas has amazing insight and wisdom beyond her years, and she addresses a variety of personal topics that we, as readers, can learn about through her struggles: pain, death and loss, setting and achieving goals, managing stress, time, and energy, training, body image, healthy role models for young women, creativity, relationships, depression, suicide, self-help and self-love, and finding joy and success by overcoming one’s own demons.
Fauja Singh Keeps Going
by Simran Jeet Singh
This is a childrens book and a true story about Fauja Singh, a man who was unable to walk for the first several years of his life. Fauja persevered and eventually became a farmer, raising a family in India. After moving to London, England in his eighties, he took up running as a hobby. Eventually, Fauja Singh ran numerous marathons and became the first known person to run a marathon at the age of 100.
This book has great, positive messages for kids about acceptance, diversity, facing challenges, finding joy in life, and believing in oneself.
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
by Phil Knight
It’s almost a cliche at this point, the Nike ethos, but this book was shockingly suspenseful and entertaining. Honestly, it’s so well written, I have wondered whether Knight had employed a ghost writer.
Knight, himself, was a collegiate runner at the University of Oregon, and his passion for running and the quest to develop revolutionary running shoes was the original inspiration for his company.
This book follows the author on his journey as a young wanderer looking for his place in the world after college, through numerous trials, daring strategic business deals, and harrowing near-defeats. It definitely shows the human side of an entrepreneur who created “THE” running brand and “THE” lifestyle brand from which all others took their blueprint.
Short Films
“The Hunt: Inside the Portland 5000.”
Free on YouTube, this film will get you seriously pumped about middle distance running. It’s awesome to watch and re-watch. Period.
YouTube channels
Tracklandia
Equal parts wistful fanboy and connected insider, Jeff Merrill is a hilarious guy who loves all things related to running and Portland, OR. A former collegiate runner at Michigan, Merrill has worked to sponsor and provide color commentary for numerous races. He has also interviewed many of your favorite pro runners - and made them laugh.
I highly recommend watching any of the interviews, news updates, races, and episodes on his free YouTube channel.
Morgan McDonald
This former University of Wisconsin star and Australian Olympian has been called by his rivals in the professional running club Tinman Elite, “the best YouTuber in the game.”
McDonald is an incredibly talented runner who regularly posts his workouts on YouTube, but not without a large dose of irreverent humor. Everything he does seems to be highly entertaining.
