• My Year of Running Dangerously

  • By: Tom Foreman
  • Narrated by: Tom Foreman
  • Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (3,092 ratings)

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My Year of Running Dangerously  By  cover art

My Year of Running Dangerously

By: Tom Foreman
Narrated by: Tom Foreman
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Publisher's summary

As a journalist whose career spans three decades, CNN correspondent Tom Foreman has reported from the heart of war zones, riots, and natural disasters. He has interviewed serial killers and been in the line of fire. But the most terrifying moment of his life didn't occur on the job - it occurred at home, when his 18-year-old daughter asked, "How would you feel about running a marathon with me?" My Year of Running Dangerously is Foreman's journey through four half marathons, three marathons, and one 55-mile race. What started as an innocent request from his daughter quickly turned into a rekindled passion for long-distance running - for the training, the camaraderie, the defeats, and the victories. Told with honesty and humor, Foreman's account captures the universal fears of aging and failure alongside the hard-won moments of triumph, tenacity, and going further than you ever thought possible.

©2015 Tom Foreman (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Even the author's long-suffering family had to admit at the end of the season that he was happier, and readers will enjoy running alongside him." ( Kirkus)

Featured Article: The Best Running Audiobooks You Should Be Listening to


Running can be an arduous task, especially for those who are new to the sport. It can also be a life-giving force for those who are already more involved in the running community. Either way, it’s one of the best athletic ventures to couple with a great audiobook. Listening to the inspirational stories of other runners can be just what you need to push through a difficult jog or set a new personal record. Our list of great listens about running has you covered.

What listeners say about My Year of Running Dangerously

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

ESPECIALLY Good for Those of Us Who Don't Run!

I don't run--I watch the Iron Man contest whilst sitting on the sofa and eating Boom Chicka Pop. I creak; I groan. But the thought of running chills my very blood.
That said, I AM into motivation and inspiration and "My Year of Running Dangerously" is most certainly that. We watch as Tom first beats his 7-year old daughter in a foot race then goes on to join her in a marathon where he can come to terms with her being a full-grown young woman. What starts off as her offhand request turns into his obsession and it's fascinating and inspiring to read, excuse me, listen to.
It's about training in sleet and snow, training after a Broadway show. It's about having a wonderful date with your spouse and winding up asking about running gear at the very end of the date... a mood killer if there ever was one.
There's plenty here for the runner (my husband is a runner) about diet and endurance and pacing, but when you look at his journey as a metaphor, there's so much here about how to see and engage in struggle, about how to live with passion and joy. About fear that eats at you as you get ready to attempt your greatest aspiration. About how to go on when the voice in your head says, "Quit... quit... quit..." and, "You'll never make it." Rising up strong from that? How can any listener not be inspired?
Then too, Tom's wonderful narration is topped only by his ability to write. This is one darned funny book. The similes are to die for (him being as graceful as a pig thrown from a train? Poor pig, but pretty hilarious), and his way of viewing life brings many chuckles and smiles. His explanation about how the title marathon got its name is worth the price of admission.
I finished this book inspired. Maybe not to run (walking, anybody?), but to tackle my latest bit of procrastination, definitely.
Most certainly worth the time and price!
For more reviews, of all genres, check out Audiobook Accomplice!

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98 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining for Runners & Non-Runners

I hate running; I'll admit it. I can't stand it. It can be boring, exhaustive, and just down right painful. So why did I choose this book? I asked myself that same question. Yet, the more I listened to this book, the more interested in running I became. Soon, rather than walking my dog in the evening, I was running with my dog instead. The author's experience is more extreme than my own – he ran 2000 miles in his first year as Quinquagenarian which included a bunch of half-marathons, several full marathons and an ultramarathon of over 50 miles. I'm not even gonna get close to any of those distances, and that's fine by me.

The book begins with an underlying tale of the author attempting to forge a closer relationship with his daughter, who had suggested he return to marathon running and agreed to join him in this venture. The initial idea and the training for the marathon takes up the first half of the book. As it progresses he realizes he’ll have to intensify his training significantly – to double the number of miles he runs each week, essentially. This is hard-core and starts to have a significant impact on his life: the number of hours he’s out on the trail means he’s got precious little time for anything else other than sleep and work. This part of the book gets more interesting as he describes the weather he endured and the grueling toll running for hours at a time takes on his body.

This book opened my eyes about running. It changed my perception of running, and now I find it a little more enjoyable. I'd recommend it for sure.

The narration was good, since the author is a newsman, he's not new to the microphone.

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30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Hilarious

Loved the witty, fast paced self depreciating well informed journey. This guy inspired me to start running again at 52! You're an interesting guy Tom Foreman

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23 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Truely inspiring tale

The author tells his inspiring story with good humor and humility. It was as compelling as any novel, yet it's true.

I highly recommend it to runners and their families, especially to people who are contemplating taking on somethings extreme, like their first marathon or ultramarathon!

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21 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Never try to impress people with where you start

When you're a middle aged woman who accidentally started running again because, well, tall friends at a Thanksgiving Tofurkey Trot and it didn't actually hurt so much (the running and the Tofurkey) you look for inspiration where you can find it. Especially if the one local running club whose run schedule works for you says, "Well, you can always just follow along behind us (20- and 30- somethings). One person did that once!" Right.

Tom Foreman's "My Year of Running Dangerously" (2015) is the most amusing book I've listened to on long distance running. Most books on marathons and ultra running are Too Very Serious and Somewhat Existential. Foreman is funny and self-deprecating, and I can relate to that. He leaves the mysticism and self-absorbed aesthete's veganism to runners like Scott Jurek ("Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness" (2012)).

Foreman, however, is not some middle aged writer dad who just happened to get the running bug. First, he's a journalist with CNN, and he's been to interesting and deadly places. He's a well spoken journalist. Second, he's got an amazingly supportive family - including the daughter that inveigled him into trying a marathon. Third, he was a very good high school runner, and kept running in a desultory way for several decades before seriously training again. Foreman's book is inspirational, but to be fair to all marathon runner wanna-be's (including me) he wasn't a beginner. He had a solid athletic background to start with.

"My Year of Running Dangerously" definitely isn't a training guide, but it is a guide on how to have fun when training - and pushing through the pain. There's also some not-to-do takeaways - like don't run a lot of miles in the middle of a blizzard.

The title of the review is a quote from the book, and Foreman makes a good point - both in running and in life. Foreman's discussing adequately assessing your abilities and starting in the right wave for a race so you don't spend the race being passed by people because you went out too fast. Where you start simply doesn't matter as much as where you finish.

Foreman narrated himself, and I enjoyed the listen.

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  • ZT
  • 02-19-16

Hilarious, heartfelt, sometimes a bit cheesy

As a runner I found this to be completely entertaining and was a very enjoyable listening experience. The story was great and absolutely hilarious. Some of it was a bit over the top and cheesy but still highly recommend for runners, and non-runners alike.

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Great book!!

A must read! Even if you're not a runner, it's a journey that all can enjoy!! Funny and inspiring for all ages.

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Really enjoyed it!

Great listen and wonderful story. Worthy performance, and highly recommended for everyone, especially anyone with an interest in running.

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Funny and Inspirational.

As a relatively new runner, it was great to hear about his very human struggles along the way to running an ultra marathon. Loved tbe reationship with his family and the genuine way they communicated with each other. The author did a great job of narrating!

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Very good!

Well written, funny, honest and inspiring. You do not need to be a runner to enjoy this book. Highly recommended. Thank you Tom.

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