The Old Man and the Marathon

by Joe Ellis

Overview

The Old Man and the Marathon is a story about taking on a challenge despite the odds. Sixty-four year old Angelo Santiago has been a distance runner most of his life. However, he has never run a marathon because of a history of sciatica problems. This missing piece in his competitive career has always gnawed at him, reminding him of his inferiority among his running peers. After three months of pain-free running, he decides to train for his first marathon. With encouragement from his young friend, Emmanuel, he begins the arduous workouts that will prepare him for one of the most difficult ordeals of his life. Along the way he meets Rita Marling, a beautiful woman who stirs romantic embers dormant since the death of his wife ten years ago. He also encounters Jack Silvers, a local high school coach and marathoner who becomes his rival in racing and romance. On the day of the race, like everyone who takes on the challenge of a marathon, Angelo must reach deep inside to find the strength and courage to finish the race.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940148767169
Publisher:	Upper Ohio Valley Books
Publication date:	08/26/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	474 KB

About the Author

Joe C. Ellis grew up in the Ohio Valley. A native of Martins Ferry, Ohio, he attended West Liberty State College in West Virginia and went on to earn his Master’s Degree in education from Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio. He has been employed by Martins Ferry City Schools for the last thirty-four years where he currently teaches art and computer graphics at Martins Ferry High School. He also has been lay preaching for the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. for the last twenty-two years. He pastors two churches in the Martins Ferry area, the Scotch Ridge Presbyterian Church and the Colerain Presbyterian Church.
His writing career began in 2001 with the publication of his first novel, The Healing Place. In 2007 he began the Outer Banks Murder Series with the publication of Murder at Whalehead and in 2010 Murder at Hatteras. The popularity of this series continues to grow with his 2012 installment, Murder on the Outer Banks. The next novel in this series, Murder at Ocracoke, is scheduled for August of 2014
Joe credits family vacations on the Outer Banks with the inspiration for these stories. Joe and his wife, Judy, have three children and three grandsons. Although the kids have flown the nest, they get together often and always make it a priority to vacation on the Outer Banks whenever possible. He comments, “It’s a place on the edge of the world, a place of great beauty and sometimes danger—the ideal setting for murder mysteries.”
One of Joe’s passions is distance running. Murder on the Outer Banks opens with a 5K footrace in which an older man runs to victory against much younger competition. In the last several years Joe has posted 5k times and half marathon times at the national class level for his age group. Because running definitely keeps him younger physically and mentally, he enjoyed writing a novel with these themes as important threads in the plot. Joe hopes to continue to write stories set on the Outer Banks and run along its beaches for many years to come.