Harold Watkins gets a wake-up call after his annual physical. He is out of shape, inactive and almost needs to go shopping for a coffin. The grim reaper is out looking for him. He could try and hide.
Instead, he decides that drastic changes are needed in his life and so he enlists the help of two friends and sets out on a long journey to fitness through the unlikely (for him) sport of running. He soon discovers that there is a lot more to life than sitting in front of a television set and chomping down on burgers and fries.
Throughout the journey Harold experiences every emotion possible from the pain and low esteem of the early beginnings, to the sheer joy and satisfaction of achieving long term goals he had not thought previously possible.
Harold's helpers turn out to be his best friends as well as two very good coaches and have many hilarious runs and training incidents on the way. Harold pushes the word friendship to the limit. At the end of the journey he emerges a completely transformed and totally different person with a whole new outlook on life.
Anyone who runs, or is thinking of taking up running, needs to read this book and use Harold's motivation and perseverance to help with their own personal journeys. If Harold can do it, so can you.