The Best Books About Running to Read While You’re Marathon Training, According to Chicago Run Club Leaders
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👟The Best Books About Running to Read While You’re Marathon Training
📚 Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn't Built for Us by Alison Mariella Désir
📚 Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes
📚 What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
📚 Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory by Deena Kastor and Michelle Hamilton
📚 26 Marathons by Meb Keflezighi and Scott Douglas
📚 Me, You & 26.2: Coach Denise’s Guide to get YOU TO YOUR First Marathon by Denise Sauriol
📚 Performance Nutrition: Applying the Science of Nutrient Timing by Krista G. Austin and Bob Seebohar
📚 Friluftsliv: Connect with Nature the Norwegian Way by Oliver Luke Delorie
📚 Spark:The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J Ratey with Eric Hagerman
by Allison Yates
A Read & Run, we believe stories and movement enhance our lives and athletic experiences, and there’s nothing more motivating than reading the achievements of some of our most inspiring running celebrities.
The Chicago running community officially kicks off training for the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon this week, so we asked local run club leaders to share the best books to read while training.
[Related: Chicago Readers & Runners Race the Chicago Distance Series in the Entries for Equity Program]
Whether it's your first or fiftieth marathon, here are the best books about running to read while you’re marathon training this summer.
[Related: Guide to Chicago’s Running Community 2025]
Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn't Built for Us by Alison Mariella Désir
Recommendation from: Sabrina Ehmke, Founder of Skokie Swifters Run/Walk Club and Tahnee Lacey of Read & Run Chicago
Why You Should Read It
“Whether or not you’re marathon training, Running While Black is an essential read for runners everywhere. Hearing directly from Désir about her experiences as a Black female runner in a mostly white runner-dominated world will offer you a perspective into the running world that is significant to truly understanding all runners. And during those long training miles, her audiobook allows you to hear inspiration and food for thought directly from Désir herself.”
“It’s hard to sum up why this book is so incredibly amazing and a must read, but one of the takeaways for me is to remember that running is about community and joy, and not about our times or BQs.”
Meet the Skokie Swifters
Skokie Swifters with Alison Mariella Désir, courtesy of Skokie Swifters.
Follow on Instagram at @skokieswifters.
From Skokie Swifters: Skokie Swifters is a running and walking club for everyone from beginners to experienced distance runners. Whether you want to get moving outside, are looking to make some new friends, or need a little motivation while you train for an upcoming race, you'll find a welcome community in the Swifters.
Community is at the heart of what they do. Whether it is supporting local businesses, learning about new parts of Skokie, cleaning up our local paths, or providing fellow residents with food pantry items, the Skokie Swifters foster connections between their club and the people of Skokie and surrounding communities.
They believe if you run or walk, you belong.
2. Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes
Recommendation from: Kelly Devine of Run to the Pub Running Club
Why You Should Read It
“I loved reading his story and how he gutted through the pain, and I especially loved all the food he ate while training for his ultras!”
Meet Run to the Pub Running Club
Run to the Pub Running Club, courtesy of Run to the Pub.
Follow on Instagram at @runtopub
Run to the Pub is a social running club in the north and south suburbs of Chicago.
3. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
Recommendation from: Allison Yates, Founder of Read & Run Chicago and Read & Run Tours
Why You Should Read It
“I listened to this on audiobook while training for my first marathon in the grueling Chicago summer humidity. His precise and vivid descriptions of the pain in the body and the joy of having a running routine were the perfect compliment for my first woes and wins in running.
I will never forget doing speed work in this odd pandemic-era training cycle, dodging fellow pedestrians to stay safe, having to bring all hydration with me due to closed water fountains. There was something so comforting about the solidarity I felt with his pain, both in relation to my burgeoning body strength and given the emotional turmoil we were all in during that time. ”
4. Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory by Deena Kastor and Michelle Hamilton
Recommendation from: Allison Yates, Founder of Read & Run Chicago and Read & Run Tours
“Having not grown up as an athlete, the whole concept of “mental skills” was so foreign to me. Suffice to say, when I started distance running, I had a lot to learn. Though my slow pace is far from Deena Kastor’s, I had so many tangible takeaways from the mental skills she uses to break records and win marathons. Whether you’re a new runner or have done dozens of marathons, there’s so much goodness in this book to apply to your own training. ”
5. 26 Marathons by Meb Keflezighi and Scott Douglas
Recommendation from: Allison Yates, Founder of Read & Run Chicago and Read & Run Tours
Why You Should Read It
“Meb Keflezighi is one of the most accomplished elite runners, and hearing his hilarious, heartfelt, and human stories of facing what feel like impossible challenges reinvigorated my love for racing and got me eager to sign up for another marathon.”
6. Me, You & 26.2: Coach Denise’s Guide to get YOU TO YOUR First Marathon by Denise Sauriol
Recommendation from: Anchisa, Tammy, & Ali of Gold Coast Run Club
Why You Should Read It
“Before our first marathon Coach Denise was very kind to send us her book when the run club did not even exist yet. The book is filled with tips, guidance on training, great perspectives, and incredible first-timers’ stories. The stories are very motivating, inspiring, and assuring (that you can trust your training)!”
Meet Gold Coast Run Club
Anchisa, Tammy, & Ali of Gold Coast Run Club. Courtesy of Gold Coast Run Club.
Follow on Instagram @goldcoastrunclub
From Gold Coast Run Club: Gold Coast Run Club began as a way to bring together runners in their neighborhood to train on the beloved Lakefront Trail. Their runs are designed to offer support, encouragement, and a consistent space for runners building mileage around Chicago’s half and full marathon seasons. Over time, they’ve expanded not just in size, but in spirit—adding more pace groups, incorporating social events, and collaborating with fellow run clubs, brands, and companies across the city. They’re especially grateful for their incredible volunteers/pacers and the runners who travel from all over the world to meet them at Castaways.
They regularly share our run schedules and pace groups on their Instagram stories—come run with them!
7. Performance Nutrition: Applying the Science of Nutrient Timing by Krista G. Austin and Bob Seebohar
Recommendation from: Lucy Negrete of Venados Running Club
Why You Should Read It
“I’ve been trying really hard to zone in on nutrition. As a woman, endurance plus aging has been challenging. ”
8. Friluftsliv: Connect with Nature the Norwegian Way by Oliver Luke Delorie
Recommendation from: Pat Dwyer of West Town Brew Crew
Why You Should Read It
“Friluftliv is the enjoyment of the outdoors no matter the weather, which is the secret to getting through a Chicago winter as we have every Friday since December 2020. The secret to toughing it out is finding the moments of beauty and joy that you can find (in Chicago winters especially) while running outside with friends.”
Meet West Town Brew Crew
West Town Brew Crew courtesy of West Town Brew Crew.
Follow on Instagram @westtownbrewcrew
From West Town Brew Crew: Runners in the midst of marathon training often find West Town Brew Crew (WTBC) as a Friday morning "oasis" during a grueling training week as WTBC tries to accentuate humor and friendship according to our catchphrase: running, outside, with friends.
We also began as a way to support our beloved local West Town coffee shops and their staffs during the depth of the pandemic in December 2020. We explore different coffee shops throughout the West Town community area and other parts of the city, highlighted by a new route each week, and sometimes lake jumps in the summer. The 6:40 a.m. start on a Friday is "magic" as it is perfect to allow time for a run and a chat before runners have to get to work either remotely or in the office.
The leader Pat Dwyer is a self-described “broken down ex-hooper” and a current RRCA certified run coach whose special niche is connecting runners of different paces with runs that begin with the ritual “doffing of adidas basketball snap pants” which creates a laugh and community spirit.
Each week a new regular assumes the role as a "cruise director" and leads the runners at a 10:30 mile per minute-ish pace which tends to be the best meet-in-the-middle for elite runners and non-elite runners. The group always makes at least one photo stop to ensure no one is left behind. We are constantly amazed by the new acquaintances and friendships that arise out of this weekly run. We even have a sister club in Seattle, WestWestTownBrewCrew which the Seattle locals affectionately call "West West."”
9. Spark:The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J Ratey with Eric Hagerman
Recommendation from: Pat Dwyer of West Town Brew Crew
Why You Should Read It
“This book is all about science-backed reasons why we should exercise—remarkably, also the inspiration behind the West Town Brew Crew catchphrase ‘Running Outside With Friends’.”