GHOST RUNNER

'The Epic Journey of The Man They Couldn't Stop' is the sub-title of this brilliantly told tragic story of a man condemned not only by authority but also by his own stubbornness. John Tarrant was an extraordinary man whom nobody could stop. As a hapless teenage boxer in the 1950s, he had been paid £15 in expenses. When he wanted to run, he was banned for life. His amateur status had been compromised forever, but now he was fighting back, gate-crashing races all over Britain. No number on his shirt, no friends in high places, soon he would be a record breaker, one of the greatest long-distance runners the world had ever seen. This is his incredible story, a cross between 'Once A Runner' and 'Chariots of Fire'. The author is an award-winning documentary maker who was researching a film about the centenary of the Manchester running club the Salford Harriers when he first came across the story of John Tarrant, a former Harriers member. 352pp, 16 pages of archive photos.