Reyes del asfalto

The economic crisis of the 1970s led to a golden era of running in the United States. This book tells the story of three running greats who captivated the American public from 1972 to 1981. Frank Shorter took home the gold medal in 1972’s Olympic marathon, making Americans—longtime admirers of baseball and football—take notice of distance running. In the summer of 1978, a junior from the University of Oregon named Alberto Salazar faced Olympic champion Frank Shorter and Boston Marathon champion Bill Rodgers at the Falmouth Road Race. Salazar lost in the last mile to Rodgers’s record-setting time, nearly dying from exhaustion. Shorter, Salazar, and Rodgers developed a great rivalry, each pushing the others to succeed, and their success fueled a lazy nation to become more active. While the sport’s popularity has never been matched since, although the United States is currently experiencing a running boom, this stirring narrative of three men hurtling themselves toward greatness is sure to inspire today’s runners.

“Essential reading for runners both competitive and casual.”  —Kirkus Reviews, on the English-language edition

“Combining a novelist's eye for character and detail with an historian's insight into patterns and connections, Cameron Stracher's Kings of the Road delivers a rollicking, informed account of the rise of the American running movement. Bringing the 1970s alive in all their brokenness, weirdness, and hope, Stracher shows how distance running helped define a generation. Kings of the Road rekindles Baby Boomer memories while introducing younger readers to an overlooked piece of sporting and social history.”  —John Brant, author, Duel in the Sun, on the English-language edition

“Cameron Stracher recaptures the wonder, energy, and excitement of American road racing from 1972 to 1982. With amazing detail and action, he follows Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, and Alberto Salazar to their greatest victories in an era when they became national sports icons.”  —Amby Burfoot, winner, 1968 Boston Marathon, and editor at large, Runner's World magazine, on the English-language edition

Cameron Stracher is a lawyer, a writer, and an avid runner. He is the owner of a media law practice and has written for the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal among other publications. He is the author of Dinner with Dad, Double Billing, The Laws of Return, and The Water Wars. He lives in Westport, Connecticut.