The hilarious and bestselling author of A Course Called Ireland puts down the golf clubs , laces up his running shoes, and trains for his first marathon. An estimated half a million people run in marathons each year, and untold millions more sacrifice their knees, dollars, and free time aspiring to join this elite club. Tom Coyne has a simple question for them: Why? With the same do-or-die attitude that he brought to Paper Tiger, Coyne conquered a lifelong disdain for exercise to train for and run in the 2010 Marathon de Paris. And he didn't do it alone. He bribed a group of fitness misfits with an all-expenses-paid trip to the race. His team's qualifications? No distance runners and no one currently training or even in very good shape. Coyne chronicles the evolution of a beer-sculpted limey, a breast cancer survivor, a two-pack-a-day waitress, and himself--a gangly golfer with a love for tailgating--into endurance runners. En route, he examines how high-tech energy supplements, running shoes, and GPS devices have turned the sport into a complex and profitable industry. Written in Coyne's breezy trademark style, and full of insights on the science of training and runner psychology, Bury Me at the Finish Line is an entertaining, enlightening, and inspirational addition to a booming category.