Flanagan’s Run

By: Tom McNab

Narrated by: Rupert Degas

Length: 16 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

During the Depression, the ebullient American entrepreneur Charles Flanagan assembles 2,000 runners from all corners of the earth to run from Los Angeles to New York for prize-money of $150,000. Flanagan’s Trans-America runners face 3,000 miles, across the Mojave desert and the frozen Rockies, running a daily average of 50 miles for three months. The American sports establishment, however, is desperate to crush what it sees as a professional challenge to the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. Every day is therefore a struggle for survival, for Flanagan himself as well as the runners. Flanagan’s Run is an epic tale, and a testimony to the strength of the human spirit.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2010 Naxos Audiobooks (P)2010 Naxos Audiobooks

Wow - this was one great story

I rooted for the wonderful characters who ran in the race from the beginning to the end. There wasn't a boring section in this book. One of the best audiobooks I've listened to in a while.

Don't need to run to enjoy, great story !!

Any additional comments?

Chose this book because I thought it would be great to run and listen to since its based on a long distance run. Turns out shortly after downloading I broke my foot running.

Thought about holding off and waiting until my foot healed but I started listening and was instantly hooked. While being interested in running wouldn't hurt, its definitely not needed. What really sucked me into this book was the amazing stories along the run across America (The Transamerica). Most were completely unrelated to running rather the struggles to keep the run going in depression era America and focusing in on a subset of key runners through the race. The narrator (Rupert Degas) is by far the best I have experienced taking on male and female characters from all over the world (Scottish, Mexican, French etc ...)

Great story for runners and lover's of human exp

What made the experience of listening to Flanagan’s Run the most enjoyable?

Storyline and history combined

What did you like best about this story?

Never knew what crazy thing they'd end up in next.

Which character – as performed by Rupert Degas – was your favorite?

Doc cold then Kate Sheridan

If you could take any character from Flanagan’s Run out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The scot

Any additional comments?

Long but worth it. You really know characters by the end.

Won't be disappointed

As a runner I loved this book, I think non runners will enjoy it also, although fiction it is based on an actural race and is an entertain listen.

Absolutely riviting

I don't know how one can call an audiobook a page turner with a straight face but this recording was absolutely riviting. I stayed up late to finish it because I couldn't bear to stop. The reader did an excellent job and it was very exciting. It's been a while since a book pulled me into it this deep.

I woke up thinking about the characters and what became of them this morning. It told you about the main characters but there were almost a thousand runners who finished. I had to keep reminding myself that this is a work of fiction because I really cared what happened to these people after they completed such a huge event. I do have a problem separating fictional people from non fictional people sometimes. What a silly person I can be. But anyway, a delightful, exciting read that's for sure.

Amazing narrator and fun book for runners

Flanagan's Run is a great book to listen to while running. You can't help but be motivated by the story of these runners making their way across the country in all kinds of weather and conditions. The story is well paced and exciting.

However the thing that pushed this book into a five star rating is the amazing job of the narrator Rupert Degas. I have listened to so many wonderful audiobooks but he's in a class by himself. At one point, I even came back to the website to see if there were more than one narrator because the voices of the characters were so distinct and believable. This is a fun story, with likable characters who triumph over long odds.

Interesting story coupled with great narration

This book shines based off its character development and narration. Degas is a master of narration, he can make an average book a 5 star audiobook. The story line kept my interest though felt carnival like. A little unrealistic to a point of creating disinterest in the plot of some of the chapters. If you are a runner, even more so a marathon runner, this is a 5 star book. For everyone else, a solid 4 star book (probably in large part because of the excellent narration) and a good use of a credit. A nice change of pace for me.

Wonderful Listen!

Where does Flanagan’s Run rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Well, the performance was hands down the very best with nothing close. The narrator, Rubert Degas, is amazing. I will even be going on a search for books narrated by him because the accents he did for the different characters were so amazing!

What did you like best about this story?

Again, I might have to say the narration but I also loved the stories and the characters. I really felt like I knew them and related to them. This was a great book to pass the time away while running and biking. Just super enjoyable and amusing. I'd always look forward to my next run, spin bike session, commute to hear how the next part of the story played out.

What does Rupert Degas bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His brilliant use of accents made everything come so much more to life than if I'd just read it.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Definitely had me laughing at times. Really enjoyed it.

Not my usual cup of tea . . .

But I enjoyed this immensely. I am no athlete, and do not share the all-out admiration for athletes of McNab—indeed, the glorification of “running through the pain” I think has been proven to be destructive for many young athletes—nor do I admire hucksterism in general. Still, I was totally pulled into the narrative. The stories of the individual characters and the stories of the crises and contests along the way kept me going. I’m a sucker for happy endings, and he gives us plenty of those, told well enough that even though we could pretty much predict many of the outcomes, the drama was not lost. I took off one star for “story” because it almost became repetitive, but he did have to get us through 3000 miles at the pace of 50 miles/day, so it’s a minor criticism. His weaving of 1930s Americana and the history of running throughout the book is very skillfully done (though it leaves me wondering how much of the history of running is true and how much is fiction. An appendix clarifying that, and where relevant who inspired his characters, would have been welcome.)
If I could give Rupert Degas ten stars for the narration, I would. He’s amazing. Very few people can do both British and American accents well, and he pulls off a variety of both, to say nothing of German, French, and Spanish. To say nothing of others with which I am unfamiliar and so can’t judge their accuracy. His pacing, the number of distinct voices he produces, his use of his voice to clarify meaning and add to the story—all are phenomenal. I did hear a handful of words (maybe six altogether) he gave the British pronunciation instead of the American, but in 16 hours his American accent for the narrative portions otherwise never slipped. Plus, his voice is very pleasant to listen to. I would not have enjoyed the book as much in print or with a different reader. The man is a miracle.

Absolutely Delightful in Every Way

On your marks, get set, go! And I was off and running for 16 wonderful hours. How is it possible that this book is so unknown. It was utterly charming, compelling, riveting, suspenseful, uplifting . . . . I could go on and on. I adored the characters - with a special love for the enduring Doc Cole and the unapologetic Charles Flanagan, and the ever feisty Kate Sheridan. The weaving through of historical figures of the 1930s - like Al Capone and J. Edgar Hoover gave this book a E. L. Doctorow feel, combined with Steinbeck-ian prose and P.T. Barnum hoopla.

A full review is not complete without RAVES for the narrator - Rupert Degas. This band of merry travelers, diverse and multi-cultural, was performed masterfully by a single man, doing justice to each character's unique personality. Even singing Scottish folk songs as the story unfolded. Bravo!