Book · 2025 · Biography & Autobiography
The Running Ground
A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports
Why people recommend it
Nicholas Thompson's The Running Ground is a deeply personal memoir and exploration of endurance, decision-making, and family dynamics centered around marathon running. Maria Konnikova enthusiastically recommended the book to listeners of Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova, calling it the most personal work Thompson has written and urging her audience to buy a copy. Throughout the interview episode, Konnikova and Thompson discussed several core themes of the book, including his relationship with his father, the emotional threads tying running to family history, and the origin story behind his decision to write about such vulnerable subject matter. Konnikova also contrasted the data-driven decision-making typically associated with Thompson's background against the more subjective, emotional choices highlighted in the book, such as his experiences with the running coaches who shaped his time running at Stanford. Through these discussions, the podcast highlighted how the physical strain of marathon training serves as a metaphor for processing grief, navigating complex paternal relationships, and uncovering personal resilience. The book emerges as an introspective journey that blends athletic discipline with profound emotional narrative, offering readers a unique window into the author's internal life.
Who recommended it
- Maria Konnikova Recommended
Maria Konnikova — 7 mentions
“Um, and now we have him on because he has a new book coming out. I think the most personal book he's ever written, The Running Ground. And the book is out now. You should all absolutely read it.”
“So, I actually want to start not with running um, but with your dad. your relationship with your dad is a major part of the book and I'd love to hear you talk about that a bit.”
“But um the this is the other kind of thread of your book and I'd love I'd love to hear you kind of talk about that intersection and that overlap and your dad.”
“I want to hear the origin story as you know I always do um about this book um and about how did you come to wanting to write about something so personal which is not the type of writing you normally do”
“So I have um you know we love data here on risky business and data when you're using uh when you're making decisions and that's kind of what what you've been talking about but something that I found really interesting in your book is that some of the decisions you make seem to be very subjective in a certain way”
“So this is actually a really interesting point in your book. So you have there are two coaches that kind of you write about. I mean you write about more coaches but so you went to Stanford to run originally.”
“Nick, thank you so much for joining us once again. The book is the running ground. It is wonderful. You guys should all buy a copy.”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I care about it a ton. I wrote a whole book about it, right? I clearly care a lot about running, but I care about my job much more.”