“The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine,” out now! Plus, some September Events!

Kerry Tymchuck and I at my biggest, most well-attended event.
The Emeralds had me on the field on July 29 for the .05K race. I also threw out one of the ceremonial first pitches. I did not make this sign, but proudly held it up.

Updated Sept. 22, 2025

Next Stops:

  • Saturday, September 27, Florence Festival of Books, all day, with author discussion at 4:30 p.m.
  • Thursday and Friday Oct. 3 and 4 at the Legends Never Die Ultramarathon, Ketchum, ID
  • Monday, Oct. 6, Fleet Feet Meridian, Boise, ID, 6 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Oct. 7, Oldspeak, Boise, ID, 7 p.m., RSVP

By Brendan O’Meara

“Elegant biography… O’Meara’s loving portrait also celebrates Prefontaine’s legacy off the field, most notably his campaign against the Amateur Athletic Union’s rules disqualifying athletes who attempted to monetize their success. Nimble and comprehensive, this is a stirring tribute to a generational runner gone too soon.” — Publisher’s Weekly [FULL REVIEW]

“Surging prose,” from LitHub.

We got a nice review in the Wall Street Journal, you can check that out here.

Hey, CNFers, The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine, is officially out. I’m experiencing all the feels, and I can’t wait for you to read it.

This is the link: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-front-runner-brendan-omeara?variant=43044900962338

You can use it to order from your favorite online bookseller be it Bookshop.org or … A—-n1. Leave nice ratings and reviews. I’m tired of getting raked over the coals! The coals suck!

So many people make a book happen. Editors, designers, sales team, media teams. I hope you’ll consider buying it as it supports the entire enterprise, not just the little keyboard troll.

Thank you so much.

Back to work…

All (or most) Interviews for The Front Runner

My Afternoon Live appearance on KATU TV in Portland.

KLCC: Chasing a Legend

Runner’s World Interview: Fifty Years After His Death, Why Are We Still Talking About Steve Prefontaine?

Dyestat Discussions with Doug Binder

“Before Air Jordan, Nike Was All About Pre” on Jefferson Public Radio

Roundtable with Joe Donahue

  1. Here’s the thing: We can all agree that Amazon sucks ass for authors, but most people buy their books from Amazon. I still buy books (Kindle primarily … I hate clutter) from Amazon. I’m never going to hate on anyone who buys one of my books from Amazon. No sense in shaming any book sale. ↩︎