Why people recommend it
Jim Fixx's second book of running by James F. Fixx is a fitness guide that built upon the massive cultural phenomenon initiated by his earlier bestseller, helping to cement the jogging boom of the late 1970s and 1980s. On The Ezra Klein Show in May 2024, Darrin Burnett mentioned the author's pioneering work on running published in 1977, noting that before Fixx popularized the habit, ordinary people did not typically engage in regular recreational jogging as a lifestyle. Separately, on an episode of StarTalk Radio in November 2023, Neil deGrasse Tyson discussed Jim Fixx as a prominent running enthusiast who authored a bestselling book on the subject before tragically dying of a heart attack while running. Tyson used this biographical detail to explore the complex paradoxes surrounding health, fitness epidemics, and longevity, noting that even passionate advocates for physical exercise are not entirely immune to sudden medical emergencies. Together, these podcast references frame Fixx's literary contributions not just as instructional manuals for physical conditioning, but as cultural turning points that transformed public health habits, created a massive commercial fitness industry, and permanently altered how modern society approaches cardiovascular health, physical endurance, and the pursuit of longevity through everyday athletic exertion.
Who recommended it
- Darrin Burnett Discussed
Darrin Burnett — 1 mention
“he wrote the book Running in what was it 77 before that regular people didn't go jogging”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 1
“There was a guy named Jim Fixx, who was a big running enthusiast; he was interviewed everywhere and wrote a bestseller, then dropped dead of a heart attack!”