Founded in 1970, New York City’s marathon is the most popular race in the world, with almost 40,000 competitors, two million fervent fans lining the course, and a worldwide television audience of more than 300 million. In a mile-by-mile account, New York Times sportswriter Liz Robbins captures the enormity of the event by interweaving the stories of a handful of participants both professional and amateur: Great Britain’s world-record holder and new mother Paula Radcliffe; Latvian-born two-time winner Jelena Prokopcuka; former champion Hendrick Ramaala from South Africa; a recovering alcoholic and mother of three who was in jail the last Marathon Sunday; a young cancer survivor running his first race; and others.

A quirky supporting cast surrounds the central runners, including a man who has run every New York City Marathon since 1976 and the musicians and volunteers who contribute to the day’s festivities. In exploring why people push themselves through pain and how the city unites to celebrate their achievement, A Race Like No Other dashes through five boroughs and brings the reader to one breathless finish.