The following includes two short analyses of running memoirs as well as a collection of short running stories from my own life. The purpose of this project is to analyze and compare multiple running experiences and draw personal conclusions about what motivates people to run and how their experiences differ based on those motives. In this thesis, I explore how running makes people feel. How it can build us up, ruin us, destroy us or save us. I look at what motivates people to run and why they are drawn to the sport. I then compare the running experiences of those who use running as an escape, outlet or coping mechanism to those who run purely and simply for fun or pleasure.
