I am a voracious reader. I recently rewatched the movie “The Imitation Game” and thought “I should find a book about that.” This is a phrase that runs through my mind pretty often. I even had a biography about Alan Turning on my wish-list when I went to a charity used booksale. I found multiple copies of the book Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges (2014, Princeton University Press), and felt like I had won the lottery.
I was surprised to learn that Alan Turing was not only one of the minds behind the modern computer, but also an avid long distance runner. Apparently he enjoyed that running is a “self-sufficient exercise, without equipment or social connotations.” I feel ya, Alan. He competed in various distances and ran a 2:46:03 marathon! He was considering qualifying for the Olympic team before being sidelined with a hip injury. In the 1940s they did not have wicking fabric or Gu. I’ve seen the shoes they ran in during the 40s and they look like punishment. I’ve been thinking about that a lot on my recent runs coming back from an injury. At least I don’t have to defeat the Nazis or run in cotton.
I really enjoyed the book, but it is the kind of biography that starts out a few generations before the subject is born. I liked the detail about his interests in logic and math, his interests in computers, and how his team really solved Enigma. It is a long and fairly dense book, so if you need a pandemic project this could be a good choice. One of my hobbies is hunting for used books, so if you’d me to find a bargain copy of this book (or anything else) just send a note to books@hackyourrun.com. It is also available on Amazon.