The Man Who Ran Faster Than Everyone: The Story of Tom Longboat

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Tom Longboat was a hero. A member of the Onondaga Nation, he was born on the Six Nations reserve in Oshwegen, near Brantford, Ontario. Despite poverty, poor training, and prejudice, Longboat went on to become one of the world's best runners. In 1907, at the height of his fame, he won the Boston Marathon and ran in the 1908 Olympic Marathon. Longboat was one of the best-known people of his day, and certainly the most prominent member of the Six Nations. Throughout his career he had to race against opponents, as well as rumors of illegal running activities. Nevertheless, he maintained his dignity, and his achievements still inspire people who understand the great pleasure of running, and running fast.

Reviews

Winner of the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Childrens Non-Fiction

fast-paced, deeply researched and freshtreats the reader with respect and the subject with great respectthrows new light on the little-known Longboatvividly readablebrilliantly done!
Norma Fleck Jury

[T]his book is a superb narrative and a revelatory one about a largely unknown if not quite unsung Canadian icon.
The Globe and Mail

a wonderful book. Jack Batten has written a riveting sports storyan intriguing slice of social and economic life in the early decades of the 20th century, raising some provocative questions
Books in Canada

Dozens of photos complement the exciting prose of Jack Batten.
Owl Canadian Family

This biography of Canadas greatest runner salutes him while providing a not-too-pretty lesson in Canadian sports and social history Jack Battenwrites in a colloquial, entertainingly frank style.
Quill & Quire

It is an engrossing and poignant storya fascinating look at the history of running, the history of prejudice and the legacy of a man whos enduring story continues to inspire.
Books

Batten writes with honesty of the hypocrisies and injustices of the time: heres one biography that doesnt gloss over the more ugly aspects of our culture. [a] clear, sensitive biography
The Toronto Star

Batten tells a fast-paced, deeply researched and fresh story while unflinchingly facing up to the everyday bigotries of Canadian society
The Vancouver Sun

Author Bio

Jack Batten is a well-known author, journalist, reviewer and radio personality. He has written thirty books on subjects that include biography, crime fiction, law and court cases, and sports. Jack Batten's first career was as a lawyer. After four years, he turned with relief, to writing. He has been a staff writer at Maclean's Magazine and the Star Weekly. Batten has written for many magazines including Chatelaine, Rolling Stone, Toronto Life. He has written radio plays for the CC and a jazz column for The Globe and Mail. Nowadays, Jack Batten writes books and reviews videos for CBC Radio's Metro Morning and Ontario Morning. The Man Who Ran Faster than Everyone is Jack's most recent book, for which he has won the Fleck Award for non-fiction, the biggest prize in Canadian Children's literature.