by Amy McCulloch
Release Date: July 1st, 2025
2025 Doubleday
Softcover ARC; 336 Pages
ISBN: 978-0593687031
ASIN:
B0DJCPKZDY
Audiobook: B0DNM2RH23
Genre: Fiction / Mystery
Source: Review copy from publisher
3.75 / 5 Stars
Summary
It’s the ultimate test of two-hundred-and-fifty
miles in the brutal heat of the Sahara, with only the supplies you can
carry on your back.
Adri is ready. Returning to ultra-running in the wake of a scandal, she needs to prove to herself – and her young son – that she’s a winner.
When a fellow runner is badly injured, Adri knows something isn’t right. Yet in a race this extreme, even a dead body can be explained away.
But there’s a killer stalking the hot sand. And the problem with running faster than everyone else, is that you’re miles ahead of anyone who can save you...
Adri is ready. Returning to ultra-running in the wake of a scandal, she needs to prove to herself – and her young son – that she’s a winner.
When a fellow runner is badly injured, Adri knows something isn’t right. Yet in a race this extreme, even a dead body can be explained away.
But there’s a killer stalking the hot sand. And the problem with running faster than everyone else, is that you’re miles ahead of anyone who can save you...
My Thoughts
Runner 13 intrigued me because as a long-time runner I was always fascinated by the ultra-marathon distances and even thought about training and trying one, although I would have started with a 50-mile, and not even thought about a 250-mile one. The author definitely understood runners and their determination to finish at all costs, the mental toughness running requires, as well as the pain and fatigue one experiences during a race. And to throw a murder into this mix was fascinating.
The author's knowledge about running and ultra-running is definitely one of the strengths of this book. She definitely managed to captured the mental tenacity of the athlete who runs these races, the raw pain as well as the obsession that goes along with running. Although I no long run, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about and wish I could just throw on my shoes and go out. And there were days when I hated running, something the author managed to capture as well. How you can love and hate something so much, yet it grips you until it's all you can think about, everywhere you go all you think about is running in the hills, the trails, the mountains, etc... Honestly, the author captures the spirit of the endurance athlete quite uncannily well. I felt like I was with Adrienne while she was running, feeling her pain, knowing what it feels like to hit that 'pain cave' and just push through it. However, even if you never ran a day in your life, the descriptions are so visceral that even non-runners would be able to capture the feelings in this book.
The runners are isolated in a very hostile environment, the Sahara desert, with a twist the elites expected but hoped wouldn't come. And while I enjoyed the chase through the desert, I did feel like this was the weakest part of the book even if I enjoyed how it was done, if that makes sense. The author was able to make you feel the physical pain and fear of the race as well the fear of having someone chase you while you are racing with the intent to do you harm, and this definitely upped the tension of the book. And while I suspected who the actual culprit was very early on in the book, I did enjoy the twists and turns that led to the discovery of who it was. So, were there sections where I rolled my eyes and just had to accept those coincidences? Yes, definitely, which is why I gave it the rating I did. There were many themes running through this book that are worthy of further discussion: murder, suicide, obsession, injuries, drug use, ultra-running, mental health, sexual assault, and increasing support for women runners.
Verdict
Runner 13 was fast, fun, and for a long-time runner, quite interesting. There were times when I was shaking my head, wondering what would entice even ultra-runners to want to run in that heat, but knowing how we are always looking for challenges, I can see how enticing it would be. I actually became quite invested in the race itself and the descriptions of the fortitude the athletes needed to get through such a grueling event. But while I loved the descriptions of the race and the grueling physical and mental aspects of it, I did find that the story was sometimes repetitive, perhaps due to the multiple POV, and it was easy to figure out the big 'twist'. Other than that, this was a fascinating look at ultra-running.
