It is probably not surprising to learn that the modern craze for running is not new: our species has been running since we were able to stand upright. What may be surprising however are the many ways & reasons we have performed this painful exhausting & yet exhilarating activity down the ages. In this original humorous & almost improbable world history Thor Gotaas brings us many unusual & curious stories showing the remarkable diversity of running from earliest times to the immense popularity of running today at athletics meetings world championships & Olympic games. Amongst the myriad characters the author describes are King Shulgi of Mesopotamia who four millennia ago boasted about his ability to maintain high speeds while running long distances & once claimed to have run from Nippur to Ur a distance of not less than 160 kilometres & Norwegian Vikings who exercised by running races against animals. There are also the little-known naked runs backward runs monk runs snowshoe runs the Incas ingenious infrastructure of professional runners & the running culture of Native Americans. This unique book will be a revelation to everyone who reads it. It will appeal to all who wish to know more about why the ancients shared our love & hatred of this physically demanding yet spiritually rewarding pastime.