Once a Runner by John L. Parker Jr. is a story about a cometitive collegiate distance runner named Quenton Cassidy. Quenton specializes in the mile for "Southeastern University" (a fictional university based on the University of Florida), but ends up being kicked off the team for opposing a dress and conduct code impressed upon athletes.

The main storyline of the book revolves around Quenton's quest to run a sub 4 minute mile. Once kicked off the team he is coached by friend and former Olympic athlete Bruce Denton and trains exclusively for months leading up to a one mile race that he is entered in under a fake name and a fake university. The climax is the detailed description of the 4 lap race.

The other storylines involve his relationship with a girlfriend and his relationship with the school athletic authorities.

There are times when the storyline involving the school seems to drag a bit, and it is a story that may not appeal to those who are not competitive runners, but otherwise I have nothing negative to say about this novel. It completely captures the thoughts and feelings associated with the trials and triumphs of competitive running.

There are not many fictional stories about running. There are nonfiction stories that read like fiction, such as Running with the Buffaloes by Chris Lear, but nothing in the fictional realm even comes close to Once a Runner.

The language is practically poetic at times, and the suspense Parker builds throughout the book and especially while describing the four laps of the mile race at the end of the book is fantastic. As a competitive runner myself, I can relate to the descriptions of training and racing and I am so thankful Parker was able to find the perfect words. I would recommend this book to any competitive runner, or anyone interested in the world of competitive running. ( )

At this point there are many reviews of this book and I have read most of them. It would be difficult for me to add any new insightful look into this review process; or should I call it an almost discussion. I do feel that Andrew, in this review of September 30, 2004, which was sometime ago, probably pretty well hit the nail on the head with this one. But reviews are reviews and I might as well put in my little bit.
I have to agree with many of the reviewers here that this is probably the best novel addressing running ever written. I have been aware of this work for a number of years now via friends and in fact have had several discussions now and then over different aspects of Parker’s work. This book was first published in the middle of my “running days” which lasted from the early 1960s through the early 1980s. (I still jog, but my days of competitive running are over, alas).

John L. Parker , Jr. has captured perfectly, and I might say almost poetically, the essence of running; no actually the obsession for running that many have. While never being able to compete at the level the main character in this book, I never the less was almost as driven as he was. Running can indeed become a central part of a person’s life and indeed, can at times, become the absolute most important thing. In some ways this is good, in some ways this is bad…it just depends on how you look at it. For me it was great but for my wife and family…well they have a different opinion.

This work is highly motivational. The story is rather low key to some extent and to be honest I think you would almost have to be a competitive runnier, or at least an extremely dedicated running to appreciate the full impact of this work. The weekend jogger can certainly enjoy it, don’t get me wrong, but to truly understand what the books is actually about, the reader must have “been there and done that.” This work might also be quite useful to all those “running widows” and ‘running widowers” who might have trouble understanding just what drives their somewhat irrational mate.

I love Parker’s writing style. It is clear and concise. He has the ability to capture the moment and has the ability to look into the soul of his characters. Reading the author’s own history it is easy to understand why his writing in relationship to running is so insightful; he has not only talked the talk, but he has walked the walk.

I must say that I enjoyed ever page, every word of this book and it is one that I will most assuredly give multiple reads. I may be to old now to do what I want in the area of running, but I am able to remember and dream. ( )

Even though it was a little hard to get through with the cliches and typos, it is a must-read for every competitive runner.
I think it's slightly rare--my public library didn't have it, so I bought a copy--I remember it was a little pricey.

The quaking of your mattress upon waking in the morning, driven by the slow pumping of your supercharged heart muscle. The harsh forms of retribution imposed on upstart "workout heroes" by track team veterans. The nearly intolerable psychological contortions required to rev up the psyche in those eternal moments before a big race. The sheer torture experienced by the middle-distance runner as the will to win clashes with a body in the throes of anaerobic respiration. And, most of all, the obsession and single-minded focus required to become a champion.

By finding the right words to capture these kinds of experiences, "Once a Runner" has rightfully earned its cult status as the classic running novel. The basic plot is simple and unadorned: Quentin Cassidy, a senior at Southeastern University, embarks on a quest to become the best four-lap runner he can be. Everything else in his life be damned, as it must be, for distance running is the ultimate jealous mistress.

"Once a Runner" creates the archetypal runner hero and uses him to convey the inner world of the competitive distance runner like nothing I've ever read, but it unfortunately suffers from a number of literary shortfalls. Much of the conflict between Cassidy and the monsters who populate the university's athletic department comes across as contrived. The portions of the novel that depict this secondary conflict tend to drag and detract from the power of the passages focused on the primary and more convincing conflict (Cassidy versus himself). And the editing of the novel is sub par, with a number of jarring typographical errors breaking the narrative flow.

Shortcomings aside, though, this is a must read for anyone who would like to relive what it was like to lay it all on the line as a competitive runner or for anyone who's considering making the enormous sacrifices necessary to do so in the future.

-Kevin Joseph, author of "The Champion Maker" ( )