"Runner in Red" Resiliency Story Competition

Click to the right on "Reserve a Spot" to Register. Receive a FREE Ebook and be eligible to win a $500 cash prize!

Open to men and women. Join our "Runner in Red" Resiliency Story Competition!

Be one of the first 50 to register and receive a FREE Ebook. Write your resiliency story, win a $500 cash prize!

Registration starts January 1, 2026 and goes to April 15. Essay winner announced on April 20, Boston Marathon day. (NOTE: any problem registering, downloading your FREE Ebook, or submitting your essay, contact us at RunnerinRed.com.)

“Runner in Red,” is a Boston Marathon mystery novel, love story and Irish family drama that blends real-life runners with fictional characters. The novel, based on a real-life Boston Marathon legend, follows a female TV reporter and former Red Sox ballplayer on a search for the first woman to run a marathon in America.

A sponsor is providing a limited number of FREE copies of the “Runner in Red” Ebook so you can read the story. If you're one of the first 50 to register we'll send you a WELCOME letter with a link to download a FREE Ebook. In addition, we'll invite you to write a short essay (300 words) after you read the story to answer this question and have a chance to win a $500 cash prize. Here's the question to answer:

Identify resiliency lessons from the story of the pioneers of women’s running featured in the novel “Runner in Red” and tell how you can apply the example of courage, determination and grit of the characters (real-life and fictional) to your running and your life.

•$500 cash prize

Competition is open to men and women.

Submit your essay online at RunnerinRed.com by April 15.

Winner of the $500 will be posted on the RunnerinRed.com website on April 20, 2026 (Boston Marathon day) Again, once you register, we'll send you a "Welcome letter" with full details.

The book raises funds to cure lung cancer in memory of Barb Murphy, a marathon runner and wife of "Runner in Red" author, Tom Murphy. The photo at the top shows Barb crossing the finish line at Boston in 2000. Barb passed away from lung cancer in 2013 and the Murphy family created the Runner in Red Foundation to support a cure in her memory.

If you’d like to purchase the book to support the cause, the paperback and audiobook are available on Amazon. We're grateful to Hilton Capital Management and Katten for their sponsorship that allows us to offer FREE copies of the Ebook to those who register early.

Explore the resiliency strengths of the early pioneers of women’s running, help us create awareness for the need to cure lung cancer - which takes the lives of more women than any other cancer - and share your story of resiliency.

Feel free to tell your friends and invite them to join!

Visit RunnerinRed.com for full details on the book and the charity and its goals.

PS. Once you register, ignore where the system talks in terms of "tickets." We'll send you a Welcome letter with a link to the Ebook - and give you all you'll need to know to enter the Story Competition. Also ignore any misleading dates shown on Eventbrite - the contest starts Jan 1, 2026 and we invite you to submit an essay by April 15 on the RunnerinRed.com website to be eligible for the prize.

Again, be sure to click "Reserve a Spot" at the top right to start the process and we'll be in touch.