My Life on the Run

Dubbed the "Mayor of Running," Bart Yasso is one of the best-known figures in the sport, but few people know why he started running competitively, how it changed his life, or how his brush with a crippling illness nearly ended his career a decade ago. With insight and humor, My Life on the Run chronicles the heatstroke and frostbite, heartache and triumphs he's experienced while competing in more than 1,000 competitive races during his nearly 30 years with Runner's World magazine.
Yasso gives valuable and practical advice on how to become a runner for life and continually draw joy from the sport. He also offers practical guidance for beginners, intermediate, and advanced runners, such as 5-K, half-marathon, and marathon training schedules including his innovative technique known as the Yasso 800s.
Recounting his adventures in exotic locales like Antarctica, Africa, and Chitwan National Park in Nepal (where he was chased by an angry rhino), Yasso recommends the best exotic marathons for runners who want to grab their passports to test themselves on foreign terrain. With the wit and wisdom of a seasoned insider, he tells runners what they need to know to navigate the logistics of running in an unfamiliar country.
Yasso's message is this: Never limit where running can take you because each race has the potential for adventure.

BART YASSO is the Chief Running Officer of Runner's World magazine. He has completed more than 1,000 races, triathlons, biathlons, and eco-challenges over the past 25 years. He has run a majority of American marathons and at least one on all seven continents. In 2007 he was inducted into the Running USA Hall of Champions in recognition of his contribution, impact, and dedication to the sport.


KATHLEEN PARRISH is an award-winning writer and former special projects reporter at The Morning Call in Pennsylvania and a freelance writer for Better Homes and Gardens magazine.