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John “The Penguin” Bingham Pens Memoir for Everyday Athletes
Boulder, CO - Known by fans as “The Penguin” for his back-of-the-pack speed, John Bingham is the unlikely hero of the modern running boom. In his new book An Accidental Athlete: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Middle Age, the best-selling author and magazine columnist recalls his childhood dreams of athletic glory, sedentary years of unhealthy excess, and a life-changing transformation from couch potato to “adult-onset athlete.” An Accidental Athlete is now available in bookstores, running shops, and online. Download the book’s introduction.
Overweight, uninspired, and saddled with a pack-and-a-half-a-day smoking habit, Bingham found himself firmly wedged into a middle-age slump. Then two frightening trips to the emergency room and a conversation with a happy piano tuner led him to discover running-and changed his life for the better.
In turns inspiring, poignant, hilarious, and heartbreaking, An Accidental Athlete is a warm and engaging book for the everyday athlete. Bingham tells stories of the joys of running-the pride of the finisher’s medal, a bureau-busting t-shirt collection, intense back-of-the-pack strategizing. An Accidental Athlete is about one man’s discovery that middle age was not the finish line after all, but only the beginning.
“The Penguin does it again! An Accidental Athlete is a charming, witty and relatable tale of John finding himself through running. In this great book he shares his journey with us one stride and two laughs at a time.” - Deena Kastor, American marathon record holder, Olympic medalist, and 12-time national champion
“John ‘The Penguin’ Bingham has touched a nerve with runners worldwide like no one in the last decade. He’s funny but serious, informal but inspirational, and his spoken and written words have become the rallying cry for tens of thousands of runners who have found a patron saint where they least expected one-in the back of the pack. With The Penguin as their leader, they have found not just the courage to start, but also the determination to finish.” - Amby Burfoot, Runner’s World magazine
“Most of us can truly identify with John Bingham’s story: There are no gold medals, no laurel wreaths, no world records. But John shows us that we have something more important: a chance, if we have the will and believe in ourselves.” - Dave McGillivray, Boston Marathon race director
An Accidental Athlete: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Middle Age John “The Penguin” Bingham Paperback, 5” x 8”, 212 pp., $16.95, 978-1-934030-73-8 Available now in bookstores, running shops, and online
John “The Penguin” Bingham is author of several books about running and featured columnist for Competitor magazine, spokesman of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program, and race announcer of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series. His popular column The Penguin Chronicles ran for
14 years in Runner’s World magazine. Learn more about The Penguin at www.johnbingham.com.
VeloPress is an endurance sports and fitness publisher with books on cycling, triathlon, running, swimming, nutrition and diet, yoga, and the histories and personalities of our sports. VeloPress is the book-publishing division of Competitor Group, which publishes Velo, Triathlete, Inside Triathlon, and Competitor magazines and produces the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, TriRock triathlon series, and the Muddy Buddy adventure race series.
