I am privileged to be doing a book review for Tyndale House today! I received the book “Run to Overcome” by Meb Keflezighi in the mail and in less than 24 hours I had it finished. Loved it!
You may recognize the name Meb Keflezighi as an elite runner who has won numerous titles in the running world and has also represented the United States, winning silver in the Athens Olympics. Most notably, he won the NYC Marathon in November 2009 with an astounding time of 2:09:15.
Meb starts his book with a look at his life in his home country of Eritrea, Africa, one of the poorest countries in the world. He writes with great affection about his childhood years growing up in a large family (he is one of 10 siblings!) in a country that did not offer educational opportunities or even the basic comforts of running water and firewood. I was particularly struck by the sacrifices his parents made in order to provide for their children. Meb writes with poignancy about his family’s immigration to the U.S. and the culture shock that awaited them.
The majority of the book is dedicated to Meb’s running career, beginning as a freshman at San Diego High School, then onto UCLA, and finally into the world of professional running. Although it got a bit technical, I really enjoyed learning more about running as a sport and not just a hobby. I found myself both intrigued and inspired by Meb and his many accomplishments as a runner. In addition to running, Meb writes freely of his relationship with God and the role that his faith has played both in his personal and professional life.
Overall this was a great book and a worthwhile read. And I’ve got some happy news for you: The Run to Overcome website is doing a giveaway! They are giving away one signed book per day starting today and going through March 31, 2011. There will also be monthly grand prize winners that will receive a signed copy of the book, other free Tyndale titles, as well as Sony and PowerBar products. So hop on over to Run to Overcome and get your name in!
