'Runner' Introduces Mother to Son's World

'Runner' Introduces Mother to Son's World

For as well as I know my only son, I never really understood him until I read John L. Parker Jr.’s “Once a Runner.”

Often called the “definitive running story,” “Once a Runner,” published in 1978, remains a cult classic for those whose identities are defined by the sport of running. Through the tale of the fictional Quentin Cassidy, elite runners attach words and images to the inexplicable self-discipline and effort it takes to embark on the “Trial of Miles and Miles of Trials.”

Mr. Parker’s novel wasn’t meant for your garden-variety joggers, or even the folks whose bumper stickers proclaim...