A joyous, eloquent and lyrical account of one man's lifelong love affair with running... Running Free is simply the prod you need to make you step off the pavement and into the wild

Exhilarating

A much needed breath of fresh air

An escape from the stopwatch tyranny of PBs and split times, this is a reminder of how to run for sheer joy

Intelligent, evocative, passionate and above all enjoyable

[An] idiosyncratic, enjoyable tale... Never less than compelling

Delightful and endearing…a contemplation of the beauty and joy of experiencing the world out there, beyond the tarmac

Very readable and inspiring

The most beautifully written book I have read in ages... Askwith explains why his mind is forever wandering towards thoughts of running freely, up hills, across fields, and through forests whose damp leaves look “like smashed Marmite jars”. You can’t read such metaphors without being moved by them — literally

I finished Askwith's book feeling an urgent need to run up the nearest fell, with no watch and no plan. Just me and my whistle, running free

[Askwith's] prose is as easeful and exhilarating as his energy and attitude

A captivating book, well-written

An inspiring account of running in natural surroundings

Richard Askwith’s memoir/guide Running Free inspired me to lace up my trainers and go yomping through the nearest woods

The paperback is worth picking up for any keen runners… [Askwith’s] flowing prose will inspire you to slip on your trainers and head outside

As a manual for sheer enthusiasm it can’t be bettered

His wonderfully evocative history of that north country oddity, fell running, captured my imagination on my first reading, and it has recaptured it on each subsequent one

This is probably my favourite running book and I have returned to read it several times

A depressing but essential read

an intelligent and unsettling exploration of how sport’s macho culture and exclusion of women enable abuse