Two Hours: The Quest to Run the Impossible Marathon

Debut author Caesar, a journalist and war correspondent, explores the world of elite marathon running and what it will take for someone to crack the two-hour barrier. Using the tale of champion Kenyan long distance runner Geoffrey Mutai as the through-story that holds the book together, Caesar jumps around, covering the origin and history of the 26.3-mile race, the science of long-distance running, and the role athletic shoe companies may play in an athlete achieving this record-breaking goal. Much of the book focuses on a tiny section of Africa where the best marathoners in the world%E2%80%94including Mutai%E2%80%94come from. Caesar, who has reported widely from Africa, does great work capturing the lives, training routines, and proud ancestry of these amazing runners, not to mention the pitfalls and dangers they face before and after they achieve fame. This strong tale covers the joys of athletic triumph and the pain of missed opportunities, whileinvestigating what it means to be born or bred a champion and what it will take to for someone to make running history. Caesar proves himself an engaging storyteller with a book whose time has come. (Oct.)