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John Murray has acquired world rights to a book charting the debut author’s rise from “occasional jogger” to the ranks of ultra running, which includes “taking on the challenge of the 150-mile Spartathon”.
This race, which takes place each year in Greece, must be completed within 36 hours. Why We Run: The Memoir of an Obsession, by Fourth Estate editor and publisher Robin Harvie, is due out in January 2011, to pre-empt the 30th anniversary of the London Marathon.
The book was acquired by Eleanor Birne, publishing director at John Murray, via agent Laetitia Rutherford from Toby Eady Associates. Birne said: "This is a terrifically written account of one man’s obsession, which is sure to resonate with many, many people." She added the book would "tell the story of the runner’s unique relationship with nature and the journey of self-discovery that every one of the 35,000 who line up for the London Marathon each year to push themselves to the outer limits of their physical and mental capacity will feel is their own."