The Ghost Runner: The Tragedy of the Man They Couldn't Stop

The incredible, inspiring, and heartbreaking story of a phenomenal long-distance runner's race against insurmountable odds and his own demons.

The mystery man threw off his disguise and started to run. Furious stewards gave chase. The crowd roared. A legend was born. Soon the world would know him as "The Ghost Runner," John Tarrant, the extraordinary man whom nobody could stop. As a hapless teenage boxer in the 1950s, he'd been paid 17 pounds in expenses. When he turned to distance running, he found himself banned for life. His amateur status had been compromised. Forever.

Now he was fighting back, gate-crashing races all over Britain. No number on his shirt. No friends in high places. Soon he would be a record-breaker, one of the greatest long-distance runners the world had ever seen. This is his story.