The Ghost Runner – The Epic Journey of the Man They Couldn`t Stop

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Think about the consequences Ghost faces as a result of his decision to steal a pair of running shoes. Do you think that the way that Coach punishes him is fair? What would the consequences have been if Ghost had been stopped by the police instead? What would the consequences have been if his mother had discovered the theft? What would have happened if Ghost had never been caught? Why might it have been better for him to get caught? David Hopkins's play is based on the true story of John Tarrant, one of the great distance runners of the 1950s and 60s. For 20 years he battled against the absurd regulations of the Amateur Athletics Association…. Most got round the issue by simply not disclosing any earnings, but Tarrant felt it only right to formally declare his boxing exploits when applying to join the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA).

In addition to training the Defenders to be competitive runners, Coach also teaches them to work together as a team, helping them learn to be responsible and empathetic. What tactics does he use to teach these life lessons? He believed in fairness. Fairness for himself, fairness for everybody, equality for all," says Upfold. "Nearly 50 years after his death, people still remember the name John Tarrant." To the officials he was a gatecrasher, a scoundrel who must be prevented from racing. To almost everybody else, he was a downtrodden champion battling injustice.

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I was a friend of John's. I ran against him in the Portsmouth 50 in 1971, and on October 30th of that year he presented me with the 2nd place trophy in the Nos Galan 40 at Maindy Stadium, Cardiff. I was only 20 years old at the time. Work with your physical education department to organize a Ghost-inspired class, trying out some of the training exercises and races. How did this experience enrich your understanding of Reynolds’s novel?

South Africa's Comrades Marathon, linking Durban and Pietermaritzburg, describes itself as the oldest ultra-marathon in the world, stretching for about 55 miles through KwaZulu-Natal province. Throughout the novel, Ghost has a number of adults who act as advocates for him: Mr. Charles, Coach, his mom, and even Principal Marshall. Consider the importance of each of these figures in Ghost’s life. Then write an essay or prepare a speech about a trusted adult in your own life. Why do you trust this person? Two years later Tarrant was finally diagnosed with stomach cancer. He died on 18 January 1975, aged just 42. Born in London in 1932 to parents John and Edna, Tarrant lived his early years in poverty but they were loving nonetheless. His brother Vic arrived in 1935 and, for a time, life progressed as childhood should.By the mid-1960s, a sense of dissatisfaction was setting in. The desire for a new challenge, and to compete around the world, now consumed Tarrant. It is the 1950s. John Tarrant runs. He runs all over the British countryside for miles around his home and dreams of Olympic Gold. But 17 pounds he accepted for boxing as a teenager makes him a professional - and ineligible for running in any races. So Tarrant invents the "Ghost Runner" - jumping into races without a number - to compete. He pleads his case to the Amateur association. While he has some success, his tale is also filled with heartache. A stark setting at the best of times, life at Lamorbey was intensified by the terror of the Blitz. It got worse for the Tarrant boys. Two years later, their mother Edna died from tuberculosis.