Outrunning the Demons: Lives Transformed through Running

by Phil Hewitt

Overview

An exploration of the transformative power of running—and it can be the key to unlocking resilience we never knew we had. With a foreword by Dean Karnazes.

Outrunning the Demons is an in-depth exploration of just why running can so often seem the answer to everything when you find yourself in extremis. Phil Hewitt has been there himself. He was viciously mugged in 2016 and left for dead. Suffering the acute symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and unable to make any sense of what had happened to him, Phil found that dedicating himself to running—and its possible healing powers—was the only route ahead.

Running can take us to fantastic places. Just as importantly, it can also bring us back from terrible ones. For people in times of crisis, trauma and physical or mental illness, running is often the means by which they reconstruct fractured, fragmented identity—or indeed the means to a new identity. When normality collapses, running can put it back together again. In the very worst cases, it can actually create a new normality and offer us the chance to move on.

The author's own experiences place him in a unique position as he interviews runners who have suffered similarly and worse in a wide range of scenarios. The book covers the themes of Trauma, Bereavement, Depression & Anxiety, Addiction & Alcoholism, Terrorism, Violence/Sexual Abuse, Long-term Health Conditions (cancer, stroke etc), and Eating Disorders.

While dealing with heavy, harrowing subjects, this powerfully compelling, engrossing, and enriching book will ultimately uplifting and celebratory, an exploration of why running can be the key to overcoming traumatic experiences and rebuilding lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472956514
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	03/05/2019
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	1,074,232
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Phil Hewitt is the author of ten books including Keep On Running: The Highs and Lows of a Marathon Addict, the story of my obsession with running marathons and In The Running: Tales of Extraordinary Runners from Around the World. The author's role of group arts editor for Sussex Newspapers gives him access to 15 weekly newspapers, plus websites with an online audience of over one million. @marathon_addict

Table of Contents

Foreword Dean Karnazes viii

The Start Line: 'And then I did what I have always done. Iran' 1

'When I run, I become the absolute epitome of who I am.' Charlie Engle 8

'I know he was with me every step of the way.' Theresa Giammona 16

'I learn so much about how to cope with life when I go on a long run.' Isabel Hardman 23

'When I need that extra push to finish strong, I think of my fallen running partner… my chosen sister.' Jessica Rigo 30

'I was an absolute mess… But I did it. I ran. Three times, sobbing my heart out.' Eleanor Keohane 38

The Schneider Twins: 'I truly believe that running has saved my family.' 44

'They said there was blood everywhere.' Sandra Laflamme 51

'You'd be hard-pressed to find a happier, more grateful person than I am right now.' Dan Keeley 58

'Knowing that I'm always recovering, one small step at a time.' Caroline Elliott 66

'I am so glad now that I had that hallucination.' Sujan Sharma 74

'A disease so insidious that it captures the best in everyone.' Linda Quirk 79

'Once you have seen dead people, you realise that death is real and that it is going to happen.' James Buzzell 86

'I remember seeing a solitary robin … and thinking it was a sign my dad was watching.' Anji Andrews 92

'[Running] clears my mind and enables me to think about all the tough stuff.' Emma Malcolm 99

'I ran two of the ugliest miles ever, and it was the first time I accepted that John was not coming home.' Lisa Hallett 103

'Through running there was light and hope at the end of the tunnel.' Serena Wooldridge 110

'I remember thinking we are not going to survive.' Bryn Phillips 116

'I have found a way to run for the absolute joy in the freedom it brings me.' Hanny Allston 122

'How could I let anyone steal running from me?' Kate Jayden 129

'I am exceedingly lucky to be here.' Don Wright 137

'Running long distances … creates a sense of oneness that I can't explain.' Daniele Seiss 142

'[He spent] his whole life wrapped in the loving arms of his mum and dad.' Carolyn Knights 148

'I see [running] as my best meeting of the day.' Alastair Campbell 154

'I have got children. I am not going to concede their future to a world of guns.' Liz Dunning 159

'It gave me an outlet to think, focus and unwind.' Danny Slay 165

'I am amazing, I am strong, I am beautiful, I am kind.' Ana Febres-Cordero 170

'Not only am I still here, I now have a lovely baby with my lovely husband.' Lisa Taylor 176

'I put the barrel of my pistol in my mouth with my finger firmly on the trigger.' Jason Nelson 180

'I wish I could scoop them all up and inspire them to run!' Amanda Trafford 188

'Purging me from my grief and my sadness, my anger and my pain.' Cherissa Jackson 193

'In my mind, you win when you reach the start line, not the finish line.' Lynn Julian Crisci 201

'My son would have become another fatherless child.' Paul Shepherd 211

'I was thinking if I allow myself to die, then evil will win.' Bryn Hughes 218

'Then we did as Sarah did - we ran with all our Hart!' Stephanie Foley 225

The Finish Line: 'A group of people I have come to admire hugely 233

Postscript: 'Better Things' 239

Appendix: The Science behind the Transformative Power of Running 241

Acknowledgements 256

References 259

About the Author 264

Editorial Reviews

... an inspiring collection of stories about runners who have run through unimaginable adversity to find perspective, resolution and ultimately peace, within themselves and with the universe.” —Dean Karnazes, ultramarathoner and New York Times bestselling author

“Uplifting and important... This is a book about courage, about kindness, about grief and fortitude, about healing after trauma, about running as a way of finding oneself, about witnessing the best in humankind having experienced the worst” —Kate Mosse, author of 'The Burning Chambers' and 'Labyrinth'

“[a] remarkable collection of intensely personal stories connects the reader to the restorative power of running. With the assured touch of an experienced journalist and editor… his absorbing accounts allow voices from around the world to remind us that despite the suffering humanity inflicts and endures, through the exhilarating discipline of running the indomitability of the human spirit can prevail.” —Hugh Bonneville

“Exhilarating, compelling and beautifully written; this extraordinary book, both humbling and uplifting, is a hymn to the triumph of the human spirit and the human heart.” —Peter James, international bestselling writer

“I defy anyone not to be inspired, moved and excited by the stories of these brave runners, beautifully narrated by Phil Hewitt, who understands their challenges because he is still outrunning his own demons. This book may be a life-changer - or a life-saver.” —Peter Lovesey, crime writer and historian

“A really good book ... with fascinating stories” —BBC Radio Four, Today Programme

“Extremely readable… a sane, unsentimental commentary on why they keep on running” —i

From the Publisher