Book Review: Every Runner, Every Day

Reviewed by Elizabeth Reiser

A touching and inspirational memoir of everyday perseverance

It’s easy to think that runners are born, not made—that it’s an inherent genetic ability that propels runners forward. But Jamik Ligon says differently in Every Runner, Every Day, a moving memoirabout what running has meant to him—someone not born to run—during the highest and lowest points of his life.

“Running is the soundtrack behind every essential scene in my life over the past twenty-five years.”

While Ligon’s relationship with running is the crux of this memoir, he complements it well with the stories of his influences and experiences outside of the running life. Born in Brownsville, Brooklyn to a teen mother and an incarcerated father, Ligon was raised largely by his grandmother, a woman he discusses reverentially and at length throughout the memoir. It was with her constant encouragement that he was able to propel himself forward—whether that meant his time in the Marines, earning his Bachelor’s at Columbia, or leading his life as a husband and father. 

What he experiences off the path deeply impacts the act of running and his relationship to the activity, whether he is running in Manhattan and its surrounding areas or struggling up the hills of San Francisco. There is an ebb and flow to his success as a runner, and the correlation between that and what occurs in his life at the time tie together nicely. 

Ligon’s writing style has a stream-of-consciousness quality, which can make it challenging to follow the timeline. He often shifts back and forth depending on his thoughts rather than following a linear sequence, but once readers become accustomed to this style, it is easier and more rewarding to stay engaged with the narrative.

“I treat my current run, my last run, and my next run, like it’s my first and last step at the same time.” 

Throughout the book, Ligon offers a self-deprecating perspective of himself as a runner. Despite having completed 36 marathons and over 150 road races, he never portrays himself as superior or suggests that achieving such accomplishments requires superhuman abilities. He candidly shares the highs and lows of his life, ultimately conveying a simple truth: the only requirement to be a runner is to run. 

Ligon connects with his audience not by telling them how to run marathons but by sharing his experiences and inspiring others to find their own path. His passion for running is infectious, but it’s Ligon’s charming zest for life that makes this memoir so enjoyable.

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