{"product_id":"once-a-runner-by-john-l-parker-9781416597896","title":"Once a Runner","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe undisputed classic of running novels and one of the most beloved sports books ever published, \u003ci\u003eOnce a Runner\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of an athlete’s dreams amid the turmoil of the 60s and the Vietnam war.\u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eInspired by the author’s experience as a collegiate champion, the novel follows Quenton Cassidy, a competitive runner at fictional Southeastern University whose lifelong dream is to run a four-minute mile. He is less than a second away when the turmoil of the Vietnam War era intrudes into the staid recesses of his school’s athletic department.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAfter he becomes involved in an athletes’ protest, Cassidy is suspended from his track team. Under the tutelage of his friend and mentor, Bruce Denton, a graduate student and former Olympic gold medallist, Cassidy gives up his scholarship, his girlfriend, and possibly his future to withdraw to a monastic retreat in the countryside and begin training for the race of his life against the greatest miler in history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA rare insider’s account of the incredibly intense lives of elite distance runners, \u003ci\u003eOnce a Runner\u003c\/i\u003e is an inspiring, funny, and spot-on tale of one individual’s quest to become a champion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46550323069164,"sku":"9781416597896","price":50.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9832283482692.jpg?v=1749971272","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/once-a-runner-by-john-l-parker-9781416597896","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}