Book about famous runner wins national award

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A book about famous Native long-distance runner Tom Longboat has won a national contest.

The book, titled The Man Who Ran Faster Than Everyone: The Story Of Tom Longboat, was written by Jack Batten of Toronto.

Last month, Batten's latest work was announced as the winner of the Norma Fleck Award, presented annually to the best Canadian non-fiction children's book.

Besides the honor of winning the award, Batten was thrilled with the cheque that went with it.

"Ten thousand dollars is nothing to sneeze at," said the 70-year-old, who had 28 other books published before his book about Longboat was released this past March.

For Batten, this marked the first time one of his books has received an award. He previously had been short-listed for an award for a crime novel.

Batten wasn't expecting to be named the recipient of the Norma Fleck Award.

"I went to the ceremony convinced I wasn't going to win it," he said.

Dr. Jim Fleck, the son of the late Norma Fleck, announced the winner at a ceremony in Toronto.

The Norma Fleck Award is unique since it allocates $5,000 to promote all five finalists.

"When he said my name, it took a few seconds for it to sink in," Batten said. "I was flabbergasted but grateful."

The other four finalists were Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine; Nerves Out Loud: Critical Moments in the Lives of Seven Teen Girls, edited by Susan Musgrave; The Sex Book: an alphabet of smarter love by Jane Pavanel; and Righting Wrongs: The Story of Norman Bethune by John Wilson.

Prior to the ceremony, Batten had only read one of the other books-Hana's Suitcase. He was certain it would win.

Batten, who is not Native, had never written a book about a Native person or about any Native issues. He explained he got the idea to write the book about Longboat after he read an issue of Maclean's magazine in 1998.

The issued honored the 100 most important Canadians in history. In a 10-person category dubbed Stars, Longboat was at the top of that list, ahead of individuals such as Wayne Gretzky (third), Marshall McLuhan (fifth) and Celine Dion (ninth).

"I thought, wow, nobody knows much about Tom Longboat," Batten said. "And I didn't know much about him either."

Batten offered his thoughts on why the majority of Canadians probably know few details of Longboat's accomplishments. During the prime of his racing career, Longboat was often the featured attraction at races throughout North America, including events at New York's Madison Square Garden, where 18,000-plus screaming fans would assemble to see Longboat and rivals on an indoor track.

"During his life he was often dumped on by sportswriters because he was Native," Batten said. "Maybe there is a carryover from that."

After reading the Maclean's issue, Batten spent a good chunk of his time during the next few months at a Toronto library, looking at microfilm, searching for stories on Longboat.

He originally pitched the book idea to McClelland & Stewart. After rejecting it, McClelland & Stewart officials passed the proposal on to their children's book division, Tundra Books. About 20 minutes later Batten received a phone call from a Tundra Books official informing him they were interested.

The finished product is a 104-page paperback, suitable for ages 10 and up.

The story discusses how Longboat, who was born in Six Nations, near Brantford, became one of the country's most celebrated athletes early in the 20th century. He won the Boston Marathon in 1907 and he also competed in the 1908 London Olympics.

The book also addresses the rumors that Longboat had dabbled in performance-enhancing drugs, also that various individuals who acted as his agents had tried to swindle Longboat out of his race earnings.

Batten said he thoroughly enjoyed the work he did while researching and writing this book. "The most satisfying part was finding out details that unfolded his career and his life," he said. "I really came to admire him a lot."