 Jonny
Langenfelder will do whatever it takes to make the Olympics. He
will run 150 miles per week through duststorms or snowstorms, endure the
torment of crazed coaches and teammates, flip burgers, wash dishes, and
live in a van or a basement or with the two people who tell him he is wasting
his time—his parents.
Jonny’s career starts at age 14 after watching the
1972 Olympic 5,000 meters final on the black and white television in his
family’s den. His path toward his own Olympic dream is crossed by
many bizarre characters and circumstances, some that move him closer to
his goal and others that send him spinning on a downward spiral. Jonny
must set a fast pace to follow in his hero’s footsteps and break
the shadow of his famous late uncle.
Follow Jonny on a whirlwind—and sometimes wild—journey
that will take you around the world and into the locker rooms, hotels,
stadiums, bars, and training ground of some great and not-so-great athletes,
and inside the mind of a high-spirited runner who battles to stay on the
straight path—no matter what temptation or tragedy threatens to
keep him from reaching his goal.
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