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The Running-Shaped Hole

A Memoir

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The Running-Shaped Hole

By: Robert Earl Stewart
Narrated by: Robert Fass
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About this listen

A searching, self-deprecating memoir of a man on his way to eating himself to death before discovering the anxiety and fulfillment of distance running.

When Robert Earl Stewart sees his pants lying across the end of his bed, they remind him of a flag draped over a coffin - his coffin. At 38 years old, he weighs 368 pounds and is slowly eating himself to death. The only thing that helps him deal with the fear and shame is eating. But one day, following a terrifying doctor’s appointment, he goes for a walk - an act that sets The Running-Shaped Hole in motion. Within a year, he is running long distances, fulfilling his mother’s dying wishes, reversing the disastrous course of his eating, losing 140 pounds, and, after several mishaps and jail time, eventually running the Detroit Free Press Half-Marathon.

At turns philosophical and slapstick, this memoir examines the life-altering effects running has on a man who, left to his own devices, struggles to be a husband, a father, a son, and a writer.

©2022 Robert Earl Stewart (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing Running & Jogging Memoir
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Though my own running story is much more bland than this, in that I simply wanted to get active during the Covid-19 pandemic, coming to running as a even more mature newbie than what Bob was, I really enjoyed how relatable this was. Though it isn’t a story of couch to elite athlete, it inspires mid-pack runners (which let’s face it 99% of us are) to see what can be achieved when you never thought it possible.

Pleasant relatable running memoir

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The author's dedication to recording every detail and nuance of his journey from obese alcoholic to sober runner can only be admired. In addition he is a writer by profession and this is evident in the quality of the prose. It is unfortunate then that he vaccilates between self depreciation, that at times becomes strongly self critical, and boastful pride. Despite his critical analysis of his self-obsession, self-indulgence and

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