This Article was Originally Written/Published in conjunction with the 2008 New York City Marathon - but all that was written remains true.
Note that as of October 2009, A Race Like No Other is available in Paperback.
A Race Like No Other - a Review
by John Elliott
In A Race Like No Other, Liz Robbins paints a beautiful picture of the people and place that make the New York City Marathon unique.
Using the specific 2007 race and the course as the backdrop, Robbins' book is set out in 26.2 chapters - with each chapter nominally set on the corresponding mile of the marathon course. That book layout allows the author to describe a section of the course - in a level of detail that a runner will never experience - and then to focus on one of the elite athletes in the 2007 marathon as it passes that point or to speak to one of the volunteers, spectators or recreational runners in the race. One might think that would ensure that there was at least one story that would appeal to any reader - but the fact is that the way the stories are exposed and treated, they are all compelling and interesting.
The writing is absolutely flawless with each word carefully and correctly chosen. We're honestly not sure why Robbins has been a sportswriter seventeen years, mostly with the New York Times, covering running, tennis and the NBA - she should certainly have been writing poetry or travel biopics or something that is meant to stay on one's bedside shelf - oh, like this book...
An Interview with Author Liz Robbins
Robbins tells us that at readings she is often asked how many marathons she has run and in particular how many New York City Marathons has she run - and the answer to both questions is none yet. This book is an attestation to the possibility that one actually can write about something that one has observed and not done, and having run a number of marathons and the New York City Marathon three times myself, I can honestly say that I saw more of the New York City Marathon course and the people through reading Robbins' book than from having been on the course on race day in the flesh.
The book is a good read for anyone who has run or watched or thought about a marathon. It is about a race - the 2007 New York City Marathon - but that is just the the backdrop for a compelling examination of the people and personalities that make New York a diverse city and runners a species of their own. Now if I could only write half as well as Robbins does...
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A Race Like No Other - a Review
