In 1982, after selling his jazz bar to dedicate himself to writing, Murakami began running to stay fit. A year later, he completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, not to mention triathlons and a series of critically acclaimed books, he reflects on the impact that sport has had on his life and writing. This insightful memoir, which is equally a travelogue, training log, and memoir, covers his four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon and locations ranging from the Jingu Gaien Gardens in Tokyo, where he once shared the course with an Olympian, to the Charles River in Boston, among young women who overtake him. Through this wonderful lens of sport, a cornucopia of memories and insights unfolds: the Eureka moment when he decided to become a writer, his greatest triumphs and disappointments, his passion for vintage LPs, and the experience itself.