Book review: Marathon Journey, An Achilles Story

Disclaimer: I was approached by Stephen Balsamo, the author of Marathon Journey, An Achilles Story, to read and consider his book for our book club. This one sounded inspiring, and I agreed to add it to the club. I was given a copy of the book to read and review. All the opinions and thoughts expressed below are mine.

The Walking of the Many Painting by David Kumcieng, aged 15, Sudanese, Kakuma refugee camp.

"We wanted to run, but we had to walk because we were tired and so hot and hungry. In my picture the people are wearing clothes, but of course we didn't have any clothes. We saw people dying, it was always the young ones, the hungry ones, and the old ones." 

Credit: One Day We Had to Run!: Refugee Children tell Their Stories in Words and Paintings (pbs.org)

In the early 1990s, government troops and rebels of the Southern Sudan attacked villagers, leaving many orphans in their wake. Nicknamed "the Lost Boys of Sudan", many of these boys were placed with families in the US. The main character of Balsamo's book, Adamu, was one of those boys. He was placed with a couple in Oregon. Eventually, Adamu and William find a mutual love for running. Together they decide to run the New York City Marathon. William approaches his former college cross country coach to prepare the two of them for this task.

Dick Traum
source: newsroom.blogs.cnn.com

Balsamo weaves the Achilles running club into the story, when the 2 fictional characters meet Dick Traum, the founder of Achilles International, at the marathon expo. Traum, himself an amputee, was the first amputee to run the New York City marathon in 1976. Achilles International is an international organization that helps disabled runners achieve their goals. The coach in the story also talks about the myth of Achilles and how the term Achilles heel has come to be known as an "indication of vulnerability". He also sums up the purpose of the organization:

"The Achilles team reminds me of an ancient Chinese saying I learned a long time ago, Perseverance in weakness will lead to strength."

Adamu adopts this saying as his mantra for the marathon.

He also adopts a mantra from the Frank Sinatra song, New York, New York, saying "if I can make it here, I can make it anywhere."

I won't spoil the rest of the book for you except to say that for me, the ending was somewhat improbable. With the mix of real life events in the story, I actually thought it was a true story, and was somewhat disappointed to discover at the end that it was a work of fiction. What a great story this would have been if it were true! Regardless, it is a good story full of inspiration and really helped me learn more about this wonderful organization.

The book is organized into 26 chapters (get it? mile markers!), which was clever on the author's part, but I wonder if that limited how he was able to organize the story. The book really doesn't gain momentum until the main characters head to New York City, and then it's hard to put down. Still, it was a quick, fun, and inspiring read.

I was glad to learn about Achilles International. Before I read this book, I never had heard of this organization. Last year when I ran Chicago, I ran alongside a visually impaired runner and his guide. I never really thought about disabled runners until then, except for the wheelchair athletes at the start of the race. I wonder now if that runner was a part of Achilles International. The author did a nice job incorporating the organization into the book, even having the character Adamu join the group as an ambassador and helping his brothers who were left behind in Sudan.

An Achilles athlete crossing the finish line of NYCM with the help of volunteers.
Photo courtesy of achillesinternational.org

I wonder what has happened to the Lost Boys of Sudan. According to Wikipedia, many of them are returning to Sudan to help rebuild their country and provide support to those left behind.

If you want to learn more about Achilles International and/or Dick Traum, here's some links to chase:
http://www.achillesinternational.org/
http://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/rw-hero-of-running-dick-traum
http://www.minutesformemories.org/heroes-of-hope/2015/1/3/oh4pqm14xxw1kvjmt71rvgt5nfldpl
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/03/dick-traum-disabled-veterans-athletes_n_917202.html


Have you ever heard of Achilles International? Would you consider leading a disabled runner through a marathon? What's your mantra?

Be sure to link up your review below! And if you don't have a blog, feel free to post your review in the comments. If you do link up, you know the rules: link back to this post and be sure to read everyone else's posts! Sharing is caring. Thanks so much for participating!

And join us for next month's book:

You might not be an ultra runner, but there's plenty of inspiration in this one! The author has agreed to participating too, so please let me know if you have anything you want to ask her! Thanks again for playing along!

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