Urban Marathons

Jonas Larsen is an internationally recognised professor of mobility and urban studies at Roskilde University, Denmark. He has published extensively about tourist photography, tourism, cycling, running and mobility more broadly.

• 1. Introduction 2. Theorizing running: Corporeal mobile practices and mobile places 3. Running methods: Lively ethnographies and energising the rhythm analyst 4. Innovating new aspirations: The birth of ordinary marathon practices and extraordinary marathons 5. Materialities of marathon running: Designing practices and places 6. Preparatory rhythms: Everyday running and training grounds 7. Dramatic race rhythms 8. Atmospheric sensations and places 9. Conclusion

"With ‘urban marathons’ mobility scholar Jonas Larsen takes us into the inner world of runners laying bare the complex phenomenology as well as more-than-human elements of one of the most demanding forms of human mobility. The materialities and atmospheres of marathon mobilities are uncovered in this fine-grained analysis leading to a deeper understanding of human-powered mobilities as both about moving bodies, but also ‘atmospheric sociality’. ‘Urban marathons’ is an important contribution to mobilities research in general, as well as a must-read for the keen runner with a taste for knowing more."Ole B. Jensen, Aalborg University, Denmark."Unlike many other studies in the sociology and geography of sports, "Urban Marathons" is written from the inside. It is from within that Jonas Larsen actually takes the reader along for the ride on the very grounds touched by his and other runners' tired feet. There, we become deeply attuned to the mobilities of running and the fascinating atmospheres of global cities becoming alive through the unique rhythms of global marathons. Leading the pace - sensitive to bodily feelings, carnally attuned to the practice, and honestly invested in the sport - is a deeply insightful reflexive ethnographer who is as perceptive a runner as he is a writer."Phillip Vannini, Royal Roads University and Nanaimo Track & Field Club, Canada."We are lucky indeed that this compelling book has been created by an academic who is as dedicated to running as to writing. In this highly personable account, Jonas Larsen lucidly writes about the conviviality, rhythmic training regimes and sheer sensory pleasures of participating in marathons. In so doing, he has contributed new insights into the distinctive qualities of sporting events and the unique attributes of the places in which they are staged."Tim Edensor, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.