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《A Race Like No Other: 26.2 Miles Through the Streets of New York》简介：

“Gets closer to this marathon than an avenue railbird, and it leaves impressions not fleeting, but lasting.”
—Sports Illustrated

The New York City Marathon is considered one of the nation’s—and the world's—premier sporting events. A reporter for the New York Times, Liz Robbins brings the color, the history, the electricity of this remarkable annual competition alive in A Race Like No Other. Centering her narrative around the fabled 2007 running, Robbins captures all the intensity of the grand event, following the runners—both professional and amateur—along 26.2 grueling miles through the streets of New York, from the starting line at the Verrazano Narrows Bridge to the finish line in Central Park, and offering fascinating portraits of marathon legends like the race's charismatic founder, the late Fred Lebow, and nine-time champion Grete Waitz. The Wall Street Journal raves: “Robbins nails the race, painting a broad, impressionistic portrait of what I consider New York’s greatest day.” No other book captures the excitement of the New York City Marathon like A Race Like No Other.

《A Race Like No Other: 26.2 Miles Through the Streets of New York》目录：

Map vi
Introduction 1
1 Huddled Masses: The Start, Fort Wadsworth,Staten Island 9
2 Epic Aspirations: Verrazano-Narrows Bridge 23
3 Fairy-Tale Beginning: Women’s ProfessionalStart 35
4 A Deliberate Path: Men’s and Mass Start,the Bridge to Bay Ridge 45
5 Sole Searching: Miles 4 and 5, Fourth Avenue,Brooklyn 55
6 Extra Letter, Extra Help: Mile 6, Fourth Avenue,Sunset Park, Brooklyn 67
7 Second Place: Mile 7, Park Slope, Brooklyn 77
8 “Gonna Fly Now”: Mile 8, Lafayette Avenue,Brooklyn 89
9 The Kenyan Mystique: Mile 9, Entering Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn 97
10 A Modest Mile: Mile 10, Bedford Avenue,Williamsburg 109
11 “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now”: Mile 11, Williamsburg 121
12 Blintzes or Bust: Mile 12, Manhattan Avenue,Greenpoint, Brooklyn 133
13.1 Details, Details: Mile 13.1, Halfway Mark,on the Pulaski Bridge 139
14 Barbie Goes to Jail: Mile 14, Long Island City, Queens 149
15 Putting It on the Line: Mile 15, Queensboro Bridge, Queens to Manhattan 159
16 Bond of Brothers: Mile 16, First Avenue,59th Street to 72nd Street 169
17 Zoo Lake: Mile 17, First Avenue, 72nd Street to 92nd Street 181
18 Kings of Quirk: Mile 18, First Avenue, 92nd Street to 112th Street 195
19 On the Path of Pioneers: Mile 19, First Avenue,112th Street to Willis Avenue Bridge 205
20 The Wall: Mile 20, the Bronx 219
21 Breathing New Life: Mile 21, Fifth Avenue, Harlem 229
22 Victory One: Mile 22, Marcus Garvey Park to 103rd Street and Fifth Avenue 237
23 Lungs of New York: Mile 23, Fifth Avenue to Central Park 247
24 What Price Glory? Ryan Shay (1979–2007):Mile 24 Sunday; Mile 5 Saturday 259
25 The Race Must Go On: Mile 25, East Drive to Central Park South 271
26 Making the Move: Mile 26, Central Park South to West Drive 283
26.2 Reasons and Revelations: The Finish Line 291
Acknowledgments 315
Selected Bibliography 321
Index 323

《A Race Like No Other: 26.2 Miles Through the Streets of New York》评价：

Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
New York Times sportswriter Robbins captures the world's ultimate marathon, the New York City race. Set during the 2007 marathon, the narrative follows several runners: male and female professional runners with more at stake than prize money (a recovering alcoholic trying to mend her family; a cancer survivor running his first marathon; a 67-year-old grandmother on her 12th New York marathon) as they make their way through the city's five boroughs. Robbins's journalist's eye is thorough as she intersperses stories of wheelchair athletes, volunteers, spectators and even the city workers who paint the course markers. Those who've read Fred Lebow's Inside the World of Big-Time Marathoning or Ron Rubin's book on the New York City marathon, Anything for a T-shirt, will appreciate the varied voices here. Using each mile to structure the 26.2 chapters, Robbins allows readers to experience the event without ever putting on a pair of running shoes. (Oct. 7)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Robbins, who covers sports for the New York Times, offers a vivid, winning portrait of the New York City Marathon, now the largest in the world with nearly 40,000 participants. “It’s like a Cecil B. DeMille movie because it’s on such a huge, epic scale,” said one former winner. Taking the 2007 race mile by mile, Robbins profiles each of the principal elite runners, including their training regimens and personal stories; describes each mile’s particular features; limns a large cast of supporting characters, from an aid-station volunteer to a gospel choir that performs inspirational music for the marathoners on the eighth mile; and gives a good overview of how the event is organized. Along the way, Robbins conveys an intimate sense of the physical demands the race places on the body, all the while building suspense—though we know the winners—that’s the equal of a good action movie. A quality piece of journalism from start to finish. --Alan Moores --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
“Robbins, a sportswriter for The New York Times, has packed her book with scrumptious details…If the written word still has any force, then this book could take on talismanic power, like the medal or the Mylar cape that every finisher receives.” (New York Times Book Review)

“Robbins’s absorbing book...finds its stride....A Race Like No Other gets closer to this marathon than an avenue railbird, and it leaves impressions not fleeting, but lasting.” (Sports Illustrated)

“I found this fabulous history of the New York City Marathon fascinating because Robbins brings to life the incredible pressures runners are under, as well as explaining their training methods and introducing us to their intense rivalries and friendships….Whether you’re a runner or a couch potato, this will make you at the very least want to watch the marathon, armed with a sense of what each and every mile means to the thousands of competitors who run them.” (Penthouse)

“This book brings the race alive, detailing the running of the 2007 Marathon through the stories of the runners themselves...You won’t stop reading ‘til they’ve crossed the finish line.” (Best Health Magazine)

“Robbins, who covers sports for the New York Times, offers a vivid, winning portrait of the New York City Marathon, now the largest in the world with nearly 40,000 participants. Taking the 2007 race mile by mile, Robbins profiles each of the principal elite runners, including their training regimens and personal stories; describes each mile’s particular features; limns a large cast of supporting characters, from an aid-station volunteer to a gospel choir that performs inspirational music for the marathoners on the eighth mile; and gives an good overview of how the event is organized. Along the way, Robbins conveys an intimate sense of the physical demands the race places on the body, all the while building suspense-though we know the winners-that’s the equal of a good action movie. A quality piece of journalism from start to finish.”” (Booklist (starred review))

“If you can’t make the trek from Fort Wadsworth to Central Park, and can’t get there to watch it in person, this new account of the world’s biggest marathon is the next best source of inspiration.” (The Advocate)

“An engrossing, edifying and moving chronicle of a day in the life of the marathon and its participants.…[Robbins] is a master of her craft: she deftly combines historical fact with creative interpretation, statistics and time-splits with detailed description….A Race Like No Other is a satisfying read for many reasons, not least because Robbins’ writing is fluid and engaging, and she offers an unprecedented inside look at the storied event.” (BookPage)

“Whether you have run the New York City Marathon or not, or even any marathon, you will likely be inspired and encouraged by the stories in A Race Like No Other.” (Boulder Daily Camera)

“Lace up your sneakers and take a run like no other. Liz Robbins has written a poignant, fast-paced profile of a world-class event that is more than just a sports story. It’s a rare view behind the city scenes and an inspirational look into the souls of athletes – from the pros to the plodders – revealing why they are so driven and yet so human. A heart-pounding read from start to finish.” (Jeremy Schaap, New York Times bestselling author of Cinderella Man and Triumph)

“Lace up your sneakers and take a run like no other. Liz Robbins has written a poignant, fast-paced profile of a world-class event that is more than just a sports story. It’s a rare view behind the city scenes and an inspirational look into the souls of athletes – from the pros to the plodders – revealing why they are so driven and yet so human. A heart-pounding read from start to finish.” (Sally Jenkins, Washington Post columnist, author of The Real All-Americans and co-author of the New York Times bestselling It's Not About the Bike)

“One of the great pleasures of running the Marathon for me was being among the masses of people. Thousand of personal stories drive runners to compete in New York each year. With the touch of a gifted storyteller, Liz Robbins brings to life the faces in the crowd, and draws the reader right into this amazing race.” (Christine Brennan, USA Today columnist, author of Best Seat in the House)

“One of the great pleasures of running the Marathon for me was being among the masses of people. Thousand of personal stories drive runners to compete in New York each year. With the touch of a gifted storyteller, Liz Robbins brings to life the faces in the crowd, and draws the reader right into this amazing race.” (Grete Waitz, nine-time winner of the New York City Marathon)

“One of the world’s great races finally has its own biography, and it’s as wacky, entertaining, and beguiling as the Big Apple itself. If you had no interest in ‘running New York’ beforehand, this book will definitely change your mind.” (John L. Parker, author of Once a Runner and Again to Carthage)
From the Back Cover
The New York City Marathon: 26.2 grueling miles across five bridges and through five distinct boroughs, accompanied by the cheers of two million fans and propelled by the unique motivation that churns inside every participant.

New York Times reporter Liz Robbins brings the famed New York City Marathon to life, capturing the day's festivities mile by mile. She tells the stories of the determined competitors—from their friendships and rivalries to their adversity and redemption—through the prism of the unforgettable 2007 race. Infused with rich history of the event's legends and its colorful neighborhood characters, A Race Like No Other provides a curbside seat to the first Sunday in November, breathlessly carrying the reader from the start on the towering Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to the triumphant finish line in Central Park.

About the Author
A sportswriter for seventeen years—the last nine at the New York Times—Liz Robbins has covered marathons, the Olympics, tennis, and the NBA. She lives in New York City and frequents the running trails of Central Park.

《A Race Like No Other: 26.2 Miles Through the Streets of New York》读者评论：

I loved this book! Liz Robbins' narrative chronicles the 2007 NYC Marathon with fact and anecdote filled chapters for each mile as the runners travel through all five boroughs of NYC and over the finish line; she does indeed manages to transport you inside the race and capture the sprit of the event that makes it A RACE LIKE NO OTHER. Perhaps it will even inspire some of the many readers that this book deserves who believe that the challenge of completing a marathon is too daunting to change minds and undertake the training required to attempt running one. It certainly will delight those who have participated and inform the millions who as spectators have cheered on the runners along the course or watched it on television in their living rooms.

Before I proceed further with my enthusiastic review, I do need to offer a disclaimer. At the suggestion of the race organizers, I was one of the myriad of individuals who the author interviewed during her extensive research for this book. I am an individual who had no exhibited no previous athletic aptitude before starting to exercise after passing my thirtieth birthday during the 1970's. But my current reputation as a 65 year old streaker intrigued her, and she chronicles part of my journey as I complete this event for the 32nd consecutive year. Thus, my story is one of the many of those of us who revel in our chance to become athletes for a day. In fact, as you will learn if you read the book, she somehow managed to locate me as I was running up First Avenue in the middle of the pack long after she had observed the winners crossing the finish line in Central Park and, after being introduced to a friend who I made during the race, the three of us ran together for approximately a mile as she joined the race again to discover more stories among the anonymous throng which would still be on the course for hours. I believe that my knowledge of the race enables me to appreciate even more the excellent job that the author has done, but I felt it appropriate to inform the readers of this review of what some might view as a source of potential favorable bias.

Robbins skillfully weaves into her manuscript the duel between Gete Wami and Paula Radcliffe which of course captivated even the casual observers of the race, while also managing to humanize them through the inclusion of a wealth of interesting information about aspects of their lives as diverse as their training routines, previous competitive encounters, early family experiences, and the fact that they are united by the bond that both women have returned to the sport at the highest competitive level after bearing a child. The stories of the leading competitors among the men are covered in an equally interesting manner, with many fascinating insights provided. Similarly, readers will appreciate the coverage of celebrities such as Lance Armstrong and Katie Holmes.

The many anecdotes about Fred Lebow which Liz Robbins inserts throughout the book together form a wonderful picture of the individual whose passion for the sport and ceaseless promotion of the marathon helped transform it from a race for elite runners who circled Central Park slightly more than four times to the spectacle which reinforced the running explosion which was just beginning in the mid-1970's. But for me, by far the most interesting aspect of the book was how she managed to meld the interesting stories of many individual runners into a mosaic that captured the essence of the experience. Included among these stories are many of the Achilles Club runners, whose members' disabilities cover a wide spectrum which range from the blind runners tethered loosely to their guides to amputees with artificial limbs and several cancer survivors, for whom completing the marathon is a way to celebrate their triumph over the disease. Many of them will spend several more hours on the course than the main field and thus start the race early, as a consequence as the race proceeds many of us runners have the opportunity to share in their inspirational achievements as we run by them and cheer them on in their pursuit of their dreams. Thus, I finally learned that it is 55 year old Bill Reilly whom I see every year along the course determinedly pushing his wheelchair backwards with his feet for 26.2 miles despite his severe cerebral palsy. And that Zoe Koplowitz who I also pass has completed her 20th NYC Marathon the next morning despite her diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Perhaps the most moving of all was the tale of Donald Arthur, a heart transplant victim who started walking to strengthen his new heart and three years later in 1999 completed the marathon together with the brother of his transplant donor (a victim of gunfire in the Bronx) and who then are both embraced by the victim's mother after they cross the finish line. In 2007 Arthur has recovered from a subsequent bout of cancer and is completing his tenth marathon that year. The joy in the streets, the agony and the ecstasy are all captured in this book.

Robbins also does justice to the other crucial elements of the race, the almost countless volunteers, the musicians whose performance adds to the celebratory atmosphere, the millions of supportive spectators (some of whom cheer the runners through the final three miles along Central park for as long as six hours), the unique and memorable landmarks along the race course, such as the towering Verranzano-Narrows Bridge, the Williamsburg Bank clock tower (a landmark visible for several miles along Brooklyn's Fourth Avenue), and the distinct neighborhoods which the runners traverse. We learn the background stories about the Bishop Laughlin High School Band and the Emmanuel Baptist Church choir, whose music only five blocks apart inspires the runners as they run down Lafayette Avenue with five miles still to go before leaving Brooklyn and reaching the halfway point as they cross the Pulaski Bridge and enter Queens.

In summary, if you like inspirational and feel good stories, read this book. If you want to learn more about the NYC marathon, read this book. If you want the unique experience of reading a book which fittingly ends with chapter 26.2, then read this book. We can't all hope to compete at an elite level or duplicate such feats of endurance as Dean Karnazes' running 50 marathons in 50 consecutive days and finishing with the NYC event , but this book captures how the NYC marathon undoubtedly deserves the credit for establishing the tradition of every runner being a winner over their own pain, and feeling deserving of the medal placed around his or her neck at its conclusion in the knowledge that on that day they had done their best as they were cheered on by the millions of spectators who line the route. When Liz Robbins explained the idea for her book while first interviewing me, I was both excited by the concept but fearful of the challenge which she had before her to accurately capture all the facets of the event. Now, I am delighted that she has succeeded, and hope that her book will achieve the readership which it deserves and in the process create even more appreciation for the unique nature of the event. Indeed every year its essence is the same, yet every year the details are different, new friends are made and different sights and sounds assault three runners' sense which are heightened by the inevitable surge of endorphins, which is why I will enjoy it as much this year as what I expected in 1976 would be not only my first but my only run through the streets of NYC, a Bicentennial celebration which not only linked the residents of the city's diverse neighborhoods but changed the face of marathoning. I highly recommend this book; as a reader you will share in the joy in the streets on that special day, and experience the palpable inspiration which results when everyone is a winner and the triumph of the human spirit is so clearly on display. .