Marathon Man

My Life, My Father's Stroke and Running 35 Marathons in 35 Days

By: Alan Corcoran

Narrated by: Alan Corcoran

Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

"The best running books have character, an amazing tale and passion. This ticks all those boxes and more." (Trail Running Magazine)

"A must-read for 2022." (Irish Runner Magazine)

"An intimate and uplifting story of grit, tenacity and healing and one that is sure to stir the soul." (Dean Karnazes)

Marathon Man is an uplifting story of an extraordinary achievement - all the more inspiring given that the author was an inexperienced long-distance runner and only 20 when embarking on his mission to run 35 marathons in 35 consecutive days. After an introduction to Corcoran's Irish upbringing, he responds to the shock of his dad's stroke, by getting active, creating positive from negative and raising money for charity. Alan faced many obstacles along the road - beyond the sheer physical endurance challenge of running 1,500 kilometres around Ireland's coast. He candidly submerges the listener into his world with an endearingly light touch, showing how through sheer perseverance, you can achieve your objectives. Alan's Irish humour, positivity, and pure determination shine through this new sports memoir. Whatever your challenge, this motivational story will show you that you can succeed.

"...a timely reminder that life is to be seized." (Irish Independent)

"A charming, detailed running account that should appeal to fans of endurance stories...sense of humour throughout." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Alan Corcoran's book is definitely different...engaging...refreshing." (Reedsy - 5/5)

"An inspirational tale." (Athletics Weekly)

"For runners and non-runners alike...a well-structured and well-edited memoir written with an admirable level of openness and honesty...touching, meaningful and cautionary tale." (Indie Reader, 4.5/5)

"Bravo!" (Eddie Jordan OBE)

"Inspiration for anyone to raise the bar on their own fitness goals." (Men's Fitness Magazine)

©2021 Alan Corcoran (P)2021 Alan Corcoran

Critic reviews

"A fantastic read." (Love Reading, the UK's leading book recommendation website)

"An intimate and uplifting story of grit, tenacity and healing and one that is sure to stir the soul." (Dean Karnazes, New York Times best-selling author and ultra-distance runner)

"The best running books have character, an amazing tale and passion. This ticks all those boxes and more." (Trail Running Magazine)

A passionate account of commitment, determination and the will to succeed. 🍻Congrats, Alan!👏🏽

The author’s account of how he dealt with loss, apparent despair and the reality of mortality’s fickle nature is inspirational, demonstrating how each person even doing a little can cause great ripples of change.

This book celebrates life, nature, commitment, dedication and reminds us that the best laid plans will have its obstacles but dig and and push through it.

A shining example that we are capable of so much.

In a world where taking the easy path is only getting easier Alan shows us the benefits of leaning into discomfort and how taking a harder path can have profound results for us and those around us.

This book gives great insight into what our human bodies are capable of as Alan shares a great story bringing the reader around Ireland sharing deep personal insights, powerful family bonds and plenty of humor along the way.

A must read for someone who has an itching feeling they are capable of more and need a spark of inspiration to START!

It's not a book about 35 marathons in 35 days.

I am halfway through the book and its still on his life and his families life. The only thing about running around Ireland and doing 35 marathons in 35 days that it's mentioned is that he thought it would be a neat goal and kept it to him self. No planning of the event, no break down of the event, nothing.

From the description I thought the book would focus most of the story around doing 35 marathons in 35 days. If I did not know this from the description, I would not even realize he did this at the 1/2 way point.