Runners' Blood

By James J. Fischer

Yale professor James J. Fischer, M.D., Ph.D., cancer specialist, marathon runner and now novelist, has written an intriguing tale of mystery and deception based on a discovery from his own laboratory. Runners' Blood is a story about cheating in sports, and while it is fiction, the science that forms its basis is factual and makes blood doping and EPO suddenly seem primitive by comparison.The author is a distinguished scientist, who has served for many years as the chairman of Yale's radiation oncology department. An avid runner, he has completed a triathlon and eleven marathons, and he writes with an insight that comes only from experience. The characters are real, the university is real, and the laboratories and the science are real. The running is real, miles and miles of it, sprints, lactate training, endurance runs, altitude training, discipline, effort, boredom and pain. And the racing venues are real, from the narrow wooden track of Madison Square Garden to Dublin's Phoenix Park. And finally we are standing at the starting line in Sydney wondering with Sean whether Joan's remedy will really work.Could this actually happen? Is it already happening? The perfect mystery for an Olympic year.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1891231219
• ISBN13: 9781891231216
• Release Date: May 2000
• Publisher: Word Assn Pub
• Length: 444 Pages
• Weight: 1.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.3" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

A terrific medical mystery set among international sports

Sean Rourke is an Irish distance runner and a favorite for winning the Sydney competition. When he is beaten in a road race by a middle-aged man a series of events occur which culminate in the theft of a scientific discovery, murder, and the descent into a tainted world of international intrigue and athletic competition. There is a new performance enhancing drug apparently responsible for Chinese runners with East German coaches. Who is behind it -- and is Sean's lovely teammate Susie involved? Runner's Blood is a terrific medical mystery set within the world of international sports.

Exciting, suspenseful, a definite MUST READ!

Excellent book! Gave it as a gift to a friend and both of us were glued to the book, reading it in every spare moment we had. James Fischer brings together an intriguing mix of medical science and elite running, that leaves you pondering the possibilities during and after reading the book. In Sean O'Rourke, Fischer captures the heart and soul of the competitive runner. The scientific premises are fascinating and written to give the average reader a clear understanding of their basis. Runners' Blood is a real treat, and not only for runners, doctors or scientists. It's for anyone who enjoys a good suspenseful plot, with plenty of details for you to immerse yourself in while unraveling the mystery along the way!

Read it!

Knowing the author was my incentive to read this book, but the story is exciting and I enjoyed the book for both reasons.