Dehradun, Nov 09: 'The Longest Race', a book written by renowned film actor and sports enthusiast Tom Alter, was released by famous Indian marathon runner and Arjuna Awardee Asha Agarwal at Rajpur.
By writing a book on a sportsman, Tom has understood the pain of a runner, Asha Agarwal, speaking on the occasion, yesterday said.
Calling the marathon a unique race, she said the last 7 km of the race was the most crucial and difficult part. Recounting her failures and successes in her career, she said the failures are the best teacher for a sportsman and mental attitude is more important than a diet in long races.
The book published by Roli Books tells the story of a boy 'Bahadur', the son of a humble watchman from Rajpur on the foothills of the Himalayas, who is picked up by Greg Abberley, the legendary Scottish coach who has trained some of England's greatest distance runners.
Abberly carves Bahadur into a fine marathon runner but when the young man reaches the peak of his success, he is plunged into the strange world of sports, bureaucracy and politics, which leave him scarred and disillusioned.
He abandons running until, years later, a moment of crisis forces him to return to it, showing him how the human spirit can triumph even when the odds are stacked against it.
A three km race for children below 14 years was also organised to mark the launching of the book and the death anniversary of Tom's father, the late Rev James Alter.
Bureau Report
