Running the Dream

One Summer Living, Training, and Racing with a Team of World-Class Runners Half My Age

By: Matt Fitzgerald

Narrated by: Jamie Renell

The best-selling author of 80/20 Running and How Bad Do You Want It? reveals his inspiring and surprising journey to see just how fast he can go.

Matt Fitzgerald has already made a name for himself in the endurance-sport community with books like 80/20 Running, How Bad Do You Want It?, and Iron War. He is an accomplished amateur runner, but if he follows the training, nutrition, and lifestyle of an elite runner, just how fast could he go?

He is approaching his mid-40s, so the time to do this is now. He at last has the financial means to do nothing but train. He accepts the goodwill of a friend who will let him crash at his apartment in the running mecca of Flagstaff, Arizona, and convinces the coach of Northern Arizona Elite, one of the country's premier professional running teams, to let him train with a roster of national champions and Olympic hopefuls for an entire summer leading in to the Chicago Marathon. The results were astounding....

Filled with a vibrant cast of characters, rigorous and gut-wrenching training, Matt’s knowledgeable yet self-deprecating voice allows us to vicariously live out our own fantasies of having the opportunity to go all the way. Yet for the runners Matt trains with, it’s no mere fantasy, but a calling, and their individual stories enrich this inspiring narrative. Running the Dream is a chance for us all to experience a bit of this rarified and wild world and to take away pieces of this amazing journey to try to achieve our own potential.

©2020 Matt Fitzgerald (P)2020 Recorded Books

Loved until he was petty and cruel to Kellyn T.

As a 46 year old who's been spending the last two years being a full-time pretend pro athlete in another discipline who took up running to cross train, it's like this book was written just for me. The author has the running chops to hang just enough with the pros to really experience their routines, so there's loads of nitty gritty training stuff if you like to geek out on that as I do, but not so much of it that it becomes a "how-to" instead of a narrative about his experience.

My own experiment and heightened awareness of athletes of a certain age makes me believe that for many of us, it's the time invested, belief in ourselves, and commitment to the process that falls away moreso than an absolute capacity to improve and perform well as we age. One of my favorite parts of the book was the conversation around this topic with the non-pro woman and Matt during the retirement chapter at the conclusion of the author's journey. There's also a line from Steph Bruce that's repeated a couple of times (paraphrased) to "not let anyone trivialize your pursuit of running" that was a lovely touchstone to take away from this book for anyone who struggles to justify their passions to those who think sport for all but a few should be "just for fun."

I wished that he had dug into a more frank appraisal of the demands on the real pros for keeping a perky, inspirational, Instagram-worthy face...the reality that they make more from selling their image than from prize money. He made a statement to the effect that they got to nap in the afternoon while he had another job to do, but he left the pros' (and Team NAZ Elite's) "other job" maintaining endorsements largely unexplored. Of course, every second that they took away from focusing on their own training to help a famous writer in his pretend pro pursuit was time they spend doing this job of building their public image.

Kellyn Taylor is unusual among the pro runners in than rather than trading on her public image, she has been pursuing a regular job and raising and fostering a whole posse of kids. The author does mention her work, but with so much positive that could be said, he almost always brought up her bona fides in some backhanded way...referencing her newly minted paramedic skills; making sure you, dear reader, know it took her two tries to pass her firefighter test. It seemed to me that unlike her team and many teammates, it was not in her business model to fluff the ego of the pretend pro with a powerful pen, and he decided to punish her for it with a series of petty swipes at her personality every time she entered the scene of his book. Maybe he thought his story needed a bad guy? It didn't.

Aweome Book- makes you feel like an elite!

Loved listening to this as for most of us, this is the closest we’ll coming to being an elite. Just listening to the experience really gave me great insight. I’m so glad Matt did this and you felt like you were rooting for him to achieve his goal too. A must for any marathoner to listen/read.

A nice look into the highs and lows of being a pro

Overall, I really enjoyed this book although I must say, I wish that when it came to things in the memoir genre, the author would also do the audiobook. I found this performance a little generic and cheesy at times.

Fountain of Youth

Fitzgerald gets to relive the dream of a young person under the ruse of being a writer. It's a performance that I'm sure would make Houdini proud. Kudos to Fitzgerald who, appropriately, compares himself to author George Plimpton who pulled off the same shenanigan 50 years before. I loved both books: Plimpton's and Fitzgerald's. I would recommend
Running the Dream' to anyone who wishes for that second chance to be young again and wants to 'laugh as a young man laughs' (Sandburg's city plays a role in the story). I would recommend it to any runners who have forgotten the role that a team plays in uplifting one's spirit and motivation. I would recommend to anyone who reminisces about a coach who played a critical role in their life. And, I would recommend to anyone who just likes a good underdog story.

Delivers on the Goal

Setting out to inspire other “average,” aging runners, Fitzgerald succeeds. The story is an engaging one and offers some nice anecdotes about life and living each day to its fullest.

The writing and some poor one-liners distract from time to time, but the story is great!

Matt never disappoints!

Such an inspiring story and so full of insight into the world of elite running and it’s challenges!

Dream Job

Matt Fitzgerald just lived most runner's dream job. To be part of the pack and live the life of a pro runner--what a unique experience. This would have been a really fun book on tape for the author to have read. I also wish I could find his training log to this adventure, it would be interesting to see.

I really like Matt’s books

Great book! Inspiring and super accurate that someone who is fully committed can accomplish more than even they believe.

Inspiring, Uplifting, and Full of Heart

Running the Dream by Matt Fitzgerald is an incredible listen that left me feeling deeply motivated and excited about my own running journey. Matt’s experience training alongside elite professional athletes in preparation for the Chicago Marathon was both humbling and empowering. His honesty, determination, and passion for the sport shine through every chapter.

This audiobook is a beautiful reminder that with the right mindset, support, and opportunity, our biggest dreams are within reach. It’s not just about chasing a finish line—it’s about embracing the entire process, with all its ups and downs. I walked away feeling more committed than ever to my own goals. I can’t wait to run my first marathon and see where this journey takes me.

I highly recommend this book for runners of all levels, especially those dreaming of something bigger.

Be prepared to be motivated

This is the first book by Matt that I have read/listened to and it only made me pick up a couple more of his. The narration of it was great and I would certainly listen to other books by Jamie Renell.

The story telling was simply wonderful. As a mid-pack runner, I could not relate at all to running with elites or fathom what it is like. However, Matt told the story in a way that I could see myself there. Running a 6:05 mile for 26 miles has never been something I even thought about, but his story had me in his shoes pushing my pace for those few extra seconds per mile and having the run of my life on Lake Mary Road.