THE BORN AGAIN RUNNER represents more than the cathartic outpouring of a single author. Instead, it required the contributions of a talented team, all of whom have earned my heartfelt gratitude.
Thanks first to Nicholas Cizek, my editor, for his skill and guidance. And to Matthew Lore, president and publisher at The Experiment. Also to Sarah Smith, art director for the book, and to managing editor Jeanne Tao, as well as to Stuart Calderwood, the book’s copy editor.
Next, thanks to my agent, Thomas Flannery Jr., and to David Vigliano and everyone else at AGI Vigliano Literary.
A huge thanks to Diana Hernandez for her photographic (and modeling) work. And to Bill Greene for allowing us to use Sports Tutor for multiple shoots. And to Michael P. Parkinson, PT, whose expertise informed both the injury-prevention routines and the exercise shoots.
Thanks to both Dr. Aurelia Nattiv and Dr. Paul Thompson for their terrific interviews.
The runner profiles were made possible by the candor and generosity of these runners: Hugh Campbell, Chuck Coats, Gideon Connelly, Samantha de la Vega, Eric Dixon, Mike Hutchins, Luis Palacios, Marissa Pearson, Suzanne Rybak, Greg Schnoor, Cori Shuford, and Brian Spangenberg. Thanks also to the photographers who provided snapshots of each runner: Bob Brock, Howard Fan, Alfred Higgs, Paul Nelson, Movin’ Pictures, Mike Connors, REVEL Canyon City, Caroline Hollister, Tommy Chambers, Jennifer Mills, and Michael Andrew Kukuchka.
Thanks to the book’s models for their patience and professionalism: Kevin Wile, Omar Naranjo, and Marie Champion.
And thanks to the various individuals, from coaches to teammates to friends, who shared my running journey, including Pat Logan, Tom McMurray, Dave Appleton, Andy DiConti, Brad Jensen, Bob Montgomery, Tom Reed, Eric Waian, Rich Burns, Steve Moreno, Dave Clingan, Ken Stone, Mary Sikkel Miller, Sumi Verbeck, Charlene Hare, Angel Roman, Tony Young, David Olds, Kevin Paulk, Kelly Kruell, Christian Cushing-murray, and all my running mates from La Cañada High School, Glendale City College (California), Aztlán, Team Runners High, the Fluffy Bunny Track Club, Compex Racing, and the Cal Coast Track Club.
And finally, thank you to Jinny Magill and Sean Magill, who lived through so many of the times, good and bad, recounted in this book, and whose company during distance runs, drills, hill sprints, and other workouts produced my fondest memories from forty years in the sport.