Push, Pace, Position, Pray

Miika Nousiainen's hilariously witty new novel about a man’s entry into sprint running via midlife crisis.

When a man turns 50, he must either get a motorcycle or start training for the 400-meter run.

For Miika Nousiainen, who doesn't have a driver’s license and isn’t interested in being a rebel, the choice is a lap on the track, with the goal set for the World Championships in Gothenburg.

The novel’s title, Push, Pace, Position, Pray references sprinter Michael Johnson’s approach to the 400-meter race, divided into four key phases:

• Push: A strong start off the blocks, reaching near top speed in the initial 100 meters.
• Pace: A steady speed maintained along the backstretch.
• Position: Strategically positioning around the third curve.
• Pray: A hopeful, tenacious push through the final homestretch to the finish line.

Can the author transform himself into a real lightweight, high-frequency runner? Perhaps even the record-holder for his age group in Finland?

The author delves ever deeper into a world built on concepts like dorsiflexion, wall drives, MCT oil, and recovery. And his biggest external threat? The Swedish athlete Mattias Sunneborn.

PRAISE:

“Push, Pace, Position, Pray is a very funny book about an amateur runner who, by the end of the book, is possibly almost a professional athlete. [---] Nousiainen's narration is knowledgeable, humorous and often makes you laugh.”

– Maija Kääntä, Kulttuuritoimitus