What do you think?
Rate this book
A Cold Clear Day: The Athletic Biography of Buddy Edelen
Presents a biography of the great American marathon runner.
202 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
2 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Frank Murphy
64 books29 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
See also: Frank Murphy and Frank Murphy, among others.
See also: Frank Murphy and Frank Murphy, among others.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 24, 2016
In the late 1950's, American runners were not known for running long distances. In fact, they were laughed at by runners from other countries. Buddy Edelen set out to change that. Actually, trainer Fred Wilt set out to change that and Buddy Edelen was his man to make it happen. Buddy moved to Finland in the summer of 1959 to train there in hopes of earning a spot on the American Olympic team for the Rome Olympics in 1960. Unfortunately, the Olympic trials were held at a race in the United States and Buddy did not have enough money to make the trip back home to compete. Despite the fact that he had already run well enough in Europe, against world class competition, to prove he could have won that event, Buddy was left off of the team and had to start thinking of the Tokyo Olympics in 1964.
Buddy left Finland and moved to Westcliff-On-Sea Essex, England, at the beginning of 1960 and ended up staying there another four years. He paid his way by teaching at a local secendary school. And he trained. With the guidance of Fred Wilt, by mail from the United States, Buddy trained differently than marathon runners had in the past, incorporating speed work, days of repeated short sprints, into a schedule that also including many miles per week. He averaged over 100 miles per week of running, but it was the days of speed work that made him different. One could argue that Czechoslovakian runner Emil Zatopek was the first to incorporate speed work into marathon training, but the amount of speed work he did was a fraction of that done by Buddy in a week.
Buddy Edelen ran 13 marathons from 1962 to 1964, winning seven of them. His accomplishments were incredible and gave American marathon runners new respect in the world. This is his story.
This was a good book. At less than 200 pages, it is an easy read. Best suited for athletes or someone interested in reading about athletic triumph.
Buddy left Finland and moved to Westcliff-On-Sea Essex, England, at the beginning of 1960 and ended up staying there another four years. He paid his way by teaching at a local secendary school. And he trained. With the guidance of Fred Wilt, by mail from the United States, Buddy trained differently than marathon runners had in the past, incorporating speed work, days of repeated short sprints, into a schedule that also including many miles per week. He averaged over 100 miles per week of running, but it was the days of speed work that made him different. One could argue that Czechoslovakian runner Emil Zatopek was the first to incorporate speed work into marathon training, but the amount of speed work he did was a fraction of that done by Buddy in a week.
Buddy Edelen ran 13 marathons from 1962 to 1964, winning seven of them. His accomplishments were incredible and gave American marathon runners new respect in the world. This is his story.
This was a good book. At less than 200 pages, it is an easy read. Best suited for athletes or someone interested in reading about athletic triumph.
March 15, 2020
For every running nerd, especially marathoners, a must read.
October 19, 2015
A timeless account of athletic excellence written in a very readable and enjoyable fashion. The book contains the absolute best insight I have ever encountered of what goes on in the mind of a marathoner step-by-step in a top race with elite competitors. It is worth reading just for this segment though the entire book creates interest in this athletic legend.
January 20, 2020
If you are a competitive distance runner (vrs. the gym rats who like to "finish" 1/2 marathons so they can put 13.1 magnets on their BMW SUVs and have no historical knowledge of track, CC etc.) this has to be one of the best inspirational biographies ever.
January 4, 2014
Terrific running book - one of my favorites in that relatively narrow genre. Buddy's story is really inspiring.
February 22, 2015
awesome book about an awesome person. buddy's story is captivating
November 2, 2015
GOOD RUNNING BOOK
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews