Can running make me a more moral person? Can striving to be a better person make me a better runner? In The Examined Run, philosopher and ultramarathon runner Sabrina B. Little asks whether running can be a laboratory for developing our character. She looks at the key ideas in virtue ethics--virtue, vice, exemplarism, moral emotions, and competition--and brings them into conversation with her experience in training and racing. Little pushes against the frequent conversations about ethics and sport that focus on the negative--doping and other forms of cheating or on simplistic expressions like "no pain, no gain." She argues that these ideas don't address the rich picture of how athletics inform a good life, and sport's relationship to acts of justice or courage. A good athlete is not just one who avoids cheating--rather, they perform feats of perseverance and courage, and succeed by working to develop their natural capacities. Little employs her own experiences in training, coaching, and racing in world class ultramarathons to reveal how athletics and virtue are deeply interconnected.

About the Author
Sabrina B. Little is an Assistant Professor at Christopher Newport University. Sabrina's research is in virtue ethics, classical philosophy, and moral psychology. She is also a 5-time US Champion and World Championship silver medallist in trail and ultramarathon running.

Reviews
Sabrina Little is a rare combination - one of the world's leading runners, who is also one of the world's leading scholars of character. Combine these together, and what we get is her fascinating book, The Examined Run: Why Good People Make Better Runners. Professor Little truly breaks new and exciting ground in her discussions of virtue, emotion, vice, moral exemplars, and many other topics, all in the context of being a runner. Highly recommended! * Christian B. Miller, Author of The Character Gap *
As a respected philosopher and national champion ultramarathoner, Sabrina Little knows how to go far-and fast. The Examined Run is a philosophically rich and practically relevant meditation on how running can form our character, illuminating how various "performance-enhancing" virtues can improve our running and our lives. Whether or not we think that an unexamined run is worth running, The Examined Run is definitely worth reading. * Michael Lamb, Executive Director of the Program for Leadership and Character, Wake Forest University *
Sabrina Little's The Examined Run is a fascinating, highly readable study of the ways in which virtue formation and excellence in sport are and can be intertwined. Little's insights are valuable not only for elite athletes and philosophers like herself, but also for amateurs in both endeavors-people who are simply trying to get or stay in shape, either physically or in their own understanding and pursuit of character formation. It is an illuminating and enjoyable read! * Michael Rea, Rev. John A. O'Brien Professor of Philosophy, University of Notre Dame *
Being a good athlete and living the good life have nothing to do with measurable achievement being the main arbiters of success-they're about perseverance, and courage, and character, and acting in such a way that allows us to explore the depth of ourselves and our experiences. Sabrina Little, as only she can, examines the parallels between the two and helps us understand how the challenges we face and lessons we learn through running can better equip us as we navigate the pursuit of living a good life. * Mario Fraioli, coach and writer of The Morning Shakeout *
Little lays out a winning blueprint for character-building, happiness, and integrity achieved through running. * The Booklist *
Little lays out a winning blueprint for character building, happiness, and integrity achieved through running. * Booklist *



Book Information
ISBN 9780197678695
Author Sabrina B. Little
Format Paperback
Page Count 192
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc