26.2 Miles to Happiness

A Comedian’s Tale of Running, Red Wine and Redemption

By: Paul Tonkinson

Narrated by: Paul Tonkinson

Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

***WINNER OF THE TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2021 – SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR***

'Utterly joyous!' - Bryony Gordon

'The best book about running I have read' – Nick Cohen, The Critic

'The funniest book about running I have ever read. In fact it is the only book about running I have ever read, but it is HILARIOUS!' - David Walliams

'...insightful, inspiring and laugh-out-loud funny!' - Michael McIntyre

'Pain. Hope. Misery. Joy. All the big stuff. Excellent.' - Dara Ó Briain

'This book is funny (which I expected) and concerns running (ditto), but it is also exceptionally moving and profound. Don't be fooled: it's not really about completing a marathon. It's about life and all its joy and weirdness. Recommended to all…' - Miranda Sawyer

'Very good book... very funny, very insightful, very inspiring' - Chris Evans, Virgin Radio

'Fabulous book' - Radio 2

The hilarious trials and tribulations of stand-up comedian Paul Tonkinson as he attempts to beat the much lauded 3-hour mark at the London Marathon. With a supporting cast of fellow comedians, this is a warmly written and wonderfully honest adventure-through-sport that will both entertain and inspire.

Along the way, we are introduced to the characters helping Paul with his quest. Celebrity names such as Bryony Gordon, Russell Howard, Roisin Conaty and Vassos Alexander pop up with wit and wisdom, alongside an alpine adventure to the Mayr Clinic with Michael McIntyre that pushes Paul to the limit. And not forgetting the ‘words of wisdom’ and derision from Paul’s anti-running friend, Richard.

©2020 Paul Tonkinson (P)2020 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Funny but not only

Comedy writer put together a book that goes beyond the funny to dive deeper into the emotions of training, racing, living. Good one.

Funny, motivating, epic.

What a great read. Training for a marathon myself which made it extra special. Even if not a runner, provides more context for all those crazy people that do it. A fantastic journey.

Kept me company on the Virtual London Marathon

I decided this book would accompany me on the Virtual London Marathon- as part of my training plan I was going to have to go pretty slowly for 26.2 miles and I predicted it would take around 6 hours.
This epic book kept me going, kept me motivated , kept me laughing like a maniac going past strangers and took me through the entire marathon , (each chapter happened to coincide with each mile I ran) completely entertained.
If you’ve ever done a marathon, or just starting out, this is a great book to take you through all of the “am I going mad” thoughts that you absolutely WILL have at some point and then inspire you to keep the dream alive, whether that’s finishing your first marathon or training for a specific time.
Well read, and thoroughly entertaining, it will inspire you to keep putting one foot int front of the other.

Relatable, Never Slow, Fun and Satisfying

I'm probably biased because I love listening to Paul Tonkinson and his fellow comedian Rob Deering every week and their running podcast "Running Commentary". Both are comedians. But having watched a few clips of both, I don't think I ever laugh so hard as the conversations they have spur of the moment running.

Paul is a northerner who doesn't seem the type to be really introspective. But he has an interesting history and life and I enjoyed hearing how that led into his cracks at running as a young person and again as he got older. I loved all the characters in his life like his friends and coaches. I'd already followed the specifics of his training in real time through the podcast but still enjoyed all the stories and anecdotes. I think most runners will identify with most of the ups and downs. But overall, even when it gets serious the book keeps a very positive and optimistic tone. And it's not about some amazing world class runner that no one can identify with either. Would absolutely recommend if you want one man's funny account of trying to hit a marathon goal. You might find plenty of parallels to your own life and your own running.

Very good. Better than expected.

I love books about running and have binged on books by Vassos Alexander, Scott Jurek, etc. I held off buying this one because despite the positive reviews I thought it was mainly about someone’s crappy life being transformed by running and I didn’t much care. However I soon did care and although finding happiness through running is a part of it, there is no sob story here. Amusing, informative, was sad when it was over.

Recommended

As a middle aged avid runner this book was easy to relate to and an amazing story. Training guides are one thing, but hearing how and why a 47 year old, sub 3 hour marathon runner, fits marathon training into life and hearing the author's passing thoughts that give some logic and inspiration to running marathons make this book a worthy read.

Boring

Could not wait for it to be over. Save your $. Do they refund for being tortured?