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Have Fun Out There Or Not: The Semi-Rad Running Essays Paperback – March 3, 2022

by Brendan Leonard (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 104 ratings
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When Brendan Leonard decided to get serious about running in 2015, it only lasted a few weeks-the "getting serious" part, not the running part. Since running his first-ever ultramarathon race that year, he's logged thousands of miles on roads and on trails, completed dozens of marathons and ultramarathons, and spent a lot of time thinking about why we do what we do when we put on running shoes-whether we're qualifying for the Boston Marathon or finishing an ultra-distance trail race a minute before the final cutoff. And it's not always that serious.


The 25 essays, race reports, illustrated stories, and goofy lists in this book pull from a wide range of experiences: The high-decibel chaos of running the New York City Marathon with 53,000 other people, shuffling through the night on lonely trails in the mountains of Colorado and North Carolina, digging for the mental fortitude to finish a 100-mile race, and the admission that we all have procrastinated a 5-mile easy run on a weekday for longer than it takes to do the actual running-often while wearing our running clothes. Have Fun Out There Or Not will, according to a good friend who's probably biased to say nice things about Brendan's work anyway, leave you laughing and shaking your head saying, "Me too," or "Been there, done that," or "OK, that's kind of gross." Also, possibly, "Why would you think that was a good idea?" or "What did you expect, after you ate all that pizza?" or "The person who wrote this should really find another hobby, like, I don't know, golf or something."


There are no real training tips in this book, except maybe the one on page 69 about how to go No. 2 in the woods and keep your hands 100 percent clean while doing it.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    252 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Semi-Rad Media
  4. Publication date
    March 3, 2022
  5. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.57 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0578376717
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0578376714
  8. See all details
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Have Fun Out There Or Not: The Semi-Rad Running Essays
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brendan Leonard is a columnist at Outside, and his writing has appeared in Runner's World, National Geographic Adventure, Climbing, Alpinist, and on CNN.com and in dozens of other publications. He directed the 2017 short film How to Run 100 Miles, which screened at film festivals in more than 20 countries and on six continents and was viewed more than 5 million times online. He is the author of I Hate Running and You Can Too, Surviving the Great Outdoors, and Sixty Meters to Anywhere. Find more of his work at Semi-Rad.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Semi-Rad Media (March 3, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 252 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0578376717
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0578376714
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.57 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 104 ratings

About the author

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Brendan Leonard

Brendan Leonard

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Brendan Leonard is the creator of Semi-Rad.com and a columnist at Outside, and his writing has appeared in Runner’s World, National Geographic Adventure, Climbing, Alpinist, on CNN.com and in dozens of other publications. He lives in Montana.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
104 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Patrick Thacher
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome and relatable
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2023
Verified Purchase
An awesome book for runners of any level. Very relatable and down to earth. Will make you laugh, smile, chuckle to yourself. And make sense of such a funny passion. I recommend any of Brendan Leonard’s works from semirad to his books.
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Emma Forsythe
5.0 out of 5 stars Makes You Want to Run…& Laugh
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2023
Verified Purchase
Once again, Leonard hits it out of the park with his spot on running humor. He covers so many topics, locations, and writing styles in these essays that there is something in it for everyone. His relatable tone and humorous visuals breaks up the book well. This is one to buy for your runner friends, friends who like the outdoors, or anyone who likes to laugh. Which, hopefully, is everyone…
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TravellingCari
4.0 out of 5 stars 100 miles, more than once
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2022
Verified Purchase
A nice collection of Leonard's essays on running. I've read his [book:I Hate Running and You Can Too: How to Get Started, Keep Going, and Make Sense of an Irrational Passion|54110572], but enjoyed these longer form pieces. They're assembled from other writings so there is some redundancy, but overall a good collection. Especially loved that he ran NYC the same year I did. HIs 100 milers are (wonderfully) insane though.
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Meredith
5.0 out of 5 stars A Runner’s Real Perspective (Great Gift!)
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2022
Verified Purchase
Let’s face it: there are plenty of expert runners out there doling out training advice and race plans to get faster. Brendan Leonard is not that guy. He’s your expert writer who’s great at explaining our love for a sport that he’s “pretty okay at”. Runners of all types—fast, slow, road, trail, ultra—will see themselves in this book. It feels good to be seen!

This book makes a great gift; I’ve shared with several friends.

I love reading the honest and humorous ways Brendan Leonard shares our passion for the sport, even in the pointlessness of it all. This book inspired me to create my own pointless fun creative goals (instead of a pizza marathon, this one involves long distances and ice cream).

Buy this book. You won’t get faster by following his advice, but you will enjoy running more… or not.
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GLP
5.0 out of 5 stars inspirational and heartwarming
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2022
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i really enjoy Brendan's writing. and his drawings. this is the 2nd running book I've read of his. a collection of his essays on running and they are awesome. inspirational and humorous. i always looked forward to picking it up after a long day to wind down with.
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Amy Nabors Biviano
5.0 out of 5 stars funny and inspirational
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2022
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Great read! I am a runner and these running stories are super relatable. I really enjoyed this book and recommend.
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Jane D
5.0 out of 5 stars Love love love!
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2022
Verified Purchase
Ok.... I'm inspired, motivated and starting to have fun with running!

Brendan is hilarious! Thanks for the good laugh, interesting stories and for sharing.

I'll have what Brendan is having 🤗
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Ronald James Colyer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun read - easy cheer from Brandon!
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2022
Verified Purchase
Quick read for newer runners wanting to find some humor in what they are doing. Ultra runners will just nod their head and say “Yep…”
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Top reviews from other countries

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M. Ward
5.0 out of 5 stars Semi-Rad is Very-Rad
Reviewed in Canada on April 18, 2022
Verified Purchase
Five out of five based solely on enjoyment. Is it because I read it in a tiny cabin in the woods? Is it because I laughed so hard I almost cried on page 180? Is it because I'm obsessed with ultra-marathons? Is it because I think Semi-Rad is actually Very-Rad? All I know is I liked this book.
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angelanik
5.0 out of 5 stars yes, it's worth reading!
Reviewed in Italy on July 23, 2022
Verified Purchase
Ironic, very pleasant. And if I didn't run I would hate running after reading this book. Brilliant
I highly recommend it
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Nico Lumma
5.0 out of 5 stars funny
Reviewed in Germany on June 4, 2022
Verified Purchase
Nettes Buch übers Laufen - viele Kolumnen, die mit Liebe zusammengestellt wurden. Wer gerne läuft, mag dieses Buch. Man sollte aber auch den Humor des Autors mögen. :)
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DC
5.0 out of 5 stars extremely enjoyable read written with a healthy dose of humility and comedy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
Very enjoyable collection of articles that will have you nodding, chuckling, and smiling. For any runner this is a great book to have to pick up now and again or share with friends.
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Jane D
5.0 out of 5 stars Oh so relatable
Reviewed in Australia on June 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
Very readable, relatable and entertaining book on the highs and lows of what it is to be an ultra runner. Like Brendan, I'm still no clearer as to why we do it, but it's good to know I'm not alone. Writing about his races and running experiences his essays are funny (properly laugh out loud), humble, curious and truthful. Perfect read for when you're procrastinating about going out for that run, thanks Brendan.
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