Running Toward Redemption On ‘Ransom Road’

Meet a man with a powerful addiction — to running. Caleb Daniloff says he believes the sport saved him from addictions that were far worse, and he’s written a new book, called Running Ransom Road: Confronting the Past, One Marathon at a Time, about his experiences.

Daniloff has run some familiar marathons — New York and Boston — but he’s also been to a place not famous for outdoor running: Moscow.

“The water was rationed, when we were running,” Daniloff tells NPR’s David Greene. “What happened is that there was also a 10K race, and so, they didn’t want the 10K runners drinking up the marathon runners’ water, so no one got water until after the 10K … until after six miles.” Farther along, Daniloff passed a water station along the race course offering not water or energy supplements, but black bread, salt, and hot tea — not exactly what marathoners need as they pass the 22nd mile.