Running the World

A Runner's Odyssey of Struggle and Triumph in the World Marathon Majors

By: Robyn Godfrey

Narrated by: Robyn Godfrey

What does it take to run the world—literally and figuratively?

For Robyn Godfrey, it meant logging thousands of miles and navigating one of the most transformative decades of her life. Running the World is more than a runner’s travelogue, it’s a memoir of reinvention, resilience, and the conviction that it’s never too late to redefine yourself.

Robyn’s story begins not on a start line but in adolescence, as a clumsy, reluctant teen, and later as a mid-life party girl questioning her relationship with alcohol. She wasn’t chasing medals, she was searching for purpose in a life full of contradictions.

Everything changed the day she laced up a pair of running shoes. What began as a fitness experiment became a calling. With each step, Robyn discovered a stronger, braver self, one who embraced discomfort and learned to trust her instincts.

She then set an audacious goal: conquer all six World Marathon Majors. Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. That quest demanded more than 26.2 miles of training; it required navigating foreign cities, jet lag, cultural surprises, self-doubt, and the emotional weight of life at home.

Yet she persevered, running through rain, heat, and snow; training before dawn and after work; crossing finish lines with gratitude and grit. Each city left its mark: cheering crowds in London, carb-loading lessons in Tokyo, Heartbreak Hill’s triumph in Boston, Berlin’s fierce determination, Chicago’s home-field spirit, and New York’s electrifying finale...

©2025 Robyn Godfrey (P)2025 Robyn Godfrey

Critic reviews

"Running the World is a captivating tale of inspiration and adventure! It made me feel like if Robyn can do it—maybe I can too!" - Author of Foam, Laurel Senick

Moral booster

I needed every bit of this through my last hard runs during marathon training. I’m normally a music listener but this book played through my 18 and 20mile run training for my second marathon and it helped distract me so much! What an awesome story!