Hal Higdon

The razor-sharp account of a notorious murder The 1924 murder of fourteen-year-old Bobby Franks by Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb shocked the nation. One hundred years later, the killing and its aftermath still reverberate through popular culture and the history of American crime. Hal Higdon’s true crime classic offers an unprecedented examination of the case. Higdon details Leopold and Loeb’s journey from privilege and promise to the planning and execution of their monstrous vision of the perfect crime. Drawing on secret testimony, Higdon follows the police investigation through the pair’s confessions of guilt and recreates the sensational hearing where Clarence Darrow, the nation’s most famous attorney, saved the pair from the death penalty. In-depth and definitive, Leopold and Loeb tells the dramatic story of a notorious crime and its long afterlife in the American imagination.

Thirty days From the moment the drivers entered in the 1970 Indianapolis 500 rolled their cars onto the track for practice until the command "Gentlemen, start your engines," they faced thirty days of intense action. The drivers needed to go fast enough to earn one of thirty-three starting positions. Only then would they have a chance to win what sportswriters and fans called "the greatest spectacle in racing." And award-winning sportswriter Hal Higdon was there to report on the action: hovering in the pits next to the racers in their cars, wandering into Gasoline Alley to tell their stories, absorbing all the excitement the month of May brings to Indianapolis. Here is the tale, day by day, of those thirty crucial days--the drivers with fast cars and slow cars, the drivers with rich sponsors and those with little money, the drivers with talent and those who need good luck to place high or even qualify. The list of competitors in 1970 was formidable, and included Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney, Mark Donahue, A.J. Foyt, and the Unser brothers. Add the owners: Roger Penske and Andy Granatelli. Once the gentlemen start their engines, the race begins. The danger builds. A tiny twitch heading into a turn can result in bent metal and lost lives. Even the fans live in danger. This is the story of the 1970 Indy 500, but the scenes are repeated on the stained turns of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway year after year.

Johnny Rutherford is one of the most exciting drivers in big-time auto racing. In these action-filled pages, author Hal Higdon tells how Rutherford grew into a racing great. Starting out driving sprint and midget cars in the Midwest, Johnny moved on to stock-car racing--that hair-raising sport in which you shove the throttle pedal to the floor and hold it there all the way around the track. Higdon follows Johnny's career on to Daytona and finally the famous Indy. This is the fascinating true story of how a young man made it to the top in the most dangerous sport of all.

Finding the Groove features enlightening interviews with 27 leading drivers of the 1970s. From NASCAR and Indy all the way to drag and street racing, author Hal Higdon explores American racing in all its forms. In each chapter, Higdon asks the drivers: How do you go fast around a racetrack? Find out how "The King" Richard Petty has collected a record number of poles and top ten finishes and how Mario Andretti's mastery over the "groove" made him one of the sport's most legendary drivers. Learn from Mark Donohue, Al and Bobby Unser, Bobby Allison, Don "the Snake" Prudhomme, and others on where to pinpoint that sweet spot on the track in this throwback edition of Finding the Groove.

Now completely updated and revised--a new edition of the long-running marathon training guide that has helped more than half a million people reach their goals. Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide is among the bestselling running books of all time for many reasons, but above all others is this one: It works. Marathon running has changed in the seven years since the fourth edition--there are more runners than ever before, the popularity of half-marathons has grown immensely, and guidelines for best recovery and diet practices have changed. This revised fifth edition includes a new chapter on ultramarathons, along with material on recovery techniques, several new training programs, and advice on how to win a Boston qualifying race and improve your personal record. At its core remains Hal Higdon's clear and essential information on injury prevention, training, and nutrition. Marathon demystifies the marathon experience and allows each runner to achieve peak performance without anguish or pain, taking the guesswork out of marathon training, whether it's for your first or fiftieth. With Higdon's comprehensive approach and tried-and-tested methods, any runner will learn how to optimize their training and achieve their marathon goals.

Building off of the success of the two previous editions of Run Fast, this revised third edition features new information and expertise from one of the most well-known authorities in running. Hal Higdon teaches runners how to improve their speed, regardless of their age or ability or the distance. Run Fast is the ultimate guide for runners to maximise their potential without merely running faster. Training programs and tables are expanded and revised to include up to date information with emphasis on motivational and practical support for novice runners. New material includes developments on running form, strategies for running longer distances faster, a new chapter on the importance of rest, how to knowledge for beginners entering their first race, and advice from the leading scientists and experts in the field. The book also includes Higdon's new 30/30 plan for beginners, which involves walking and/or running for 30 minutes for 30 days. Higdon believes that once the 30/30 plan is completed, readers are ready to tackle a 5K. The book also includes a modified and easier version called the 30/60 plan.

Hal Higdon's name is synonymous with running. As contributing editor of Runner's World and best-selling author, he has helped countless runners achieve their distance goals. Now, he's created the definitive guide on today's most popular distance, the 13.1-mile half marathon. Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training is everything you wanted to know about running the half marathon, including where to begin, what to focus on, how to pace yourself, how to avoid injury, how to track your progress, how to stay the course, and how to improve. Whether this is your first or fiftieth half marathon, there is a plan for you. Inside you'll find more than 15 customizable programs, ranging from novice to advanced (you'll even find a walking-only plan), as well as proven strategies, race-day tips, and motivation from half-marathoners around the globe. From day 1 to mile 13.1, Hal will guide, encourage, and pace you to your goal. Other guides might help you complete the half, but only one will introduce you to the joys of running. Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training is a book you'll return to for guidance and inspiration for a lifetime of running.

In the first book on this tragic event, 4:09:43, Hal Higdon, a contributing editor at Runner's World, tells the tale of the Boston Marathon bombings. The book's title refers to the numbers on the finish-line clock when the first bomb exploded. In 4:09:43, Higdon views Boston 2013 through the eyes of those running the race. You will meet George, a runner from Athens, birthplace of the modern marathon, who at sunrise joins the eerie march of silent runners, all aimed at their appointments in Hopkinton, where the marathon starts. You will meet Michele, who at age 2 helped her mother hand water to runners, who first ran the marathon while a student at Wellesley College, and who decided to run Boston again mainly because her daughter Shannon was now a student at Boston University. You will meet Tracy, caught on Boylston Street between the two explosions, running for her life. You will meet Heather, a Canadian, who limped into the Medical Tent with bloody socks from blisters, soon to realize that worse things exist than losing a toenail. In what may be a first, Hal Higdon used social media in writing 4:09:43. Sunday, not yet expecting what might happen the next day, Higdon posted a good-luck message on his popular Facebook page. "Perfect weather," the author predicted. "A 'no-excuses' day." Within minutes, runners in Boston responded. Neil suggested that he was "chilling before the carb-a-thon continues." Christy boasted from her hotel room: "Bring it!" Then, the explosions on Monday! Like all runners, Higdon wondered whether marathoners would ever feel safe again. Beginning Tuesday, runners told him. They began blogging on the Internet, posting to his Facebook page, offering links to their stories, so very similar, but also so very different. Over the next several hours, days, and weeks, Higdon collected the tales of nearly 75 runners who were there, whose lives forever would be shadowed by the bombs on Boylston Street. In 4:09:43, Higdon presents these stories, condensing and integrating them into a smooth-flowing narrative that begins with runners boarding the buses at Boston Common, continues with the wait at the Athletes' Village in Hopkinton, and flows through eight separate towns. The story does not end until the 23,000 participants encounter the terror on Boylston Street. "These are not 75 separate stories," says Higdon. "This is one story told as it might have been by a single runner with 75 pairs of eyes." One warning about reading 4:09:43: You will cry. But you will laugh, too, because for most of those who covered the 26 miles 385 yards from Hopkinton to Boylston Street, this was a joyous journey, albeit one that ended in tragedy. This is a book as much about the race and the runners in the race as it is about a terrorist attack. In future years as people look back on the Boston Marathon bombings, 4:09:43 will be the book that everyone will need to have read.

As running's popularity soars, millions are taking the marathon challenge. Let Hal Higdon, veteran of more than 100 marathons, guide you through the training and preparations to ensure that you cross the finish line in triumph.