Running with the Champ
My Forty-Year Friendship with Muhammad Ali
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The “affectionate…charming” (Kirkus Reviews) story of Tim Shanahan’s remarkable and little-known forty-year friendship with boxing legend Muhammad Ali, filled with stories never told as well as never-before-published personal photos.
In 1975, Tim Shanahan was a medical instruments salesman living in Chicago and working with a charity that arranged for pro athletes to speak to underprivileged kids. Muhammad Ali had just reclaimed his title as heavyweight champion of the world by defeating George Foreman (the “Rumble in the Jungle”) and then successfully defended it in a rematch against Joe Frazier (the “Thrilla in Manila”). When Shanahan learned Ali was planning a move to Chicago, he contacted the Champ to ask whether he would participate in the charity program. Not only did Ali agree, he invited Shanahan to his new home, where the two spent a night talking, laughing, and bonding over bowls of ice cream—the beginning of an incredible friendship.
Ali soon enlisted Shanahan as his early morning running partner. Quickly, Shanahan became a trusted confidant and travel companion, and Ali often stunned strangers by introducing Shanahan as his cousin. The two grew even closer over family dinners with Shanahan’s wife, Helga, and Ali’s wife, Veronica. Shanahan was with Ali as the Champ trained for his legendary battles with Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, Leon Spinks, and Larry Holmes, and moved to Los Angeles with Ali when the Champ prepared for a life after boxing. Shanahan was a recipient of and witness to Ali’s tremendous generosity, and as Ali’s health began to deteriorate, Shanahan had a chance to return the favor, encouraging and comforting his ailing friend.
Running with the Champ is an insightful personal portrait of the Greatest of All Time. But, above all, it is a touching, candid narrative of an extraordinary friendship that continued until Ali's death.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
First-time author Shanahan shares an engrossing story of his longtime friendship with the former heavyweight boxing champion of the world. The former medical technology salesman recounts the day in 1975 when he met Ali through a sports organization in Chicago for troubled teens, and chronicles the evolution of an enviable friendship that, as the book's title suggests, often included early-morning runs. Shanahan and his wife became close to Ali and his family members and traveled with his entourage to fights. He includes accounts of Ali's encounters with numerous celebrities, including Elvis Presley, John Travolta, Warren Beatty, Andy Warhol, and Bill Cosby, and portrays Ali as a generous man who regularly gave $20 bills to strangers in need. Shanahan comes off as a likable guy, too, and it's easy to understand why the fighter allowed him into his inner circle. However, Shanahan shames many of the hangers-on who took advantage of Ali, yet readers could argue that Shanahan is doing the same thing.
