The Ghost Runner

I have just finished reading The Ghost Runner by Bill Jones.  I found this to be a fascinating account of the life and times of John Tarrant and his fight against a lifetime ban from amateur athletics imposed because as a teenager in the 1950's he had been paid £17 expenses for fighting in a boxing match.

Among John Tarrant's list of achievements are:

40 mile world record (1966) of 4hrs 3min 28sec
100 mile world record (1969) of 12hrs 34min 10sec

Tarrant also won a number of prestige races including the London to Brighton Race (twice).

I must admit there are times I found the narrative a little condescending but I guess the idea was to add some emotional texture to John Tarrants' own account of his life, also called The Ghost Runner, published  by Athletics Weekly (I think during the 70's and no longer in print).

Well worth a read!