A Runner’s Journey

"Anyone interested in the history of Canadian sports, international track and field and the Olympic movement will find great value in this entertaining and informative memoir."

Canadian Running Magazine

"In A Runner’s Journey, Kidd takes the reader inside the life of one of Canada’s greatest and most complex athletes. Whether it is his discussion of his unconventional athletic background (his late start in track and field, and his affinity for social activism from a young age), or analyzing his sudden skyrocketing to fame, he offers a compelling memoir from the opening page."

Rachael Bishop, Medium

“Every Canadian parent in the 1960s expected their children to live up to the image of Bruce Kidd.” Lorne Michaels, creator of Saturday Night Live

“A must-read for anyone considering being an athlete or a community leader.” John Stanton, CEO and founder, Running Room

"With this piece of work Bruce Kidd has found a way to bring out the Olympian and ally that lies within all of us." Donnovan Bennett, feature host, producer, and radio host at Sportsnet

“I am so glad I read this book! Not only did I enjoy the journey Bruce took me on – his racing, his activism, and his advocacy – but I also learned a lot from this memoir.” Marnie McBean, OC OLY, 3x Olympic rowing champion

“A Runner’s Journey highlights that the value of sport is not in the pursuit of excellence, but in the depth of experience it provides and the valuable lessons it teaches us. Through his story, Bruce shares the impact that one can have when they lead with courage, compassion, and integrity.” Rosie MacLennan, Canadian trampoline gymnast, 2x Olympic gold medalist

“Bruce’s life story will, no doubt, provide inspiration for any aspiring athlete. In addition, his perseverance to bring justice in all its manifestations in sport is exceptional. Bruce tells it all with remarkable passion.” Sam Ramsamy, former anti-apartheid campaigner and IOC Honorary Member

"Bruce Kidd's journey goes well beyond an athlete’s striving to reach the finish line first. His memoir is really about the lifelong education of an advocate and the crucially important discovery that sport is essential to the human narrative." Scott Russell, host of the Olympic Games, CBC Television, and co-host of CBC Sports' Road to the Olympic Games

“Bruce Kidd was never one to ‘just stick to sports.’ It didn’t take him long to recognize the sports world didn’t treat everyone equally: women, people of colour, and those who were refused an education because they were seen as commodities. Kidd was never afraid to fight for the voice of the athlete to be heard, and he continues to ensure sport is a gift that can be given to everyone.” Andi Petrillo, sports broadcaster and co-host of CBC Sports' Road to the Olympic Games

“This book takes you on a journey through many of the most significant social and political movements of the last 70 years, all through the lens of sport. In doing so, Bruce illustrates how sport has shaped and been shaped by these movements, giving us a rich understanding of the recent origins of sport as we experience it today. Bruce’s journey from celebrated athlete to activist and ally for ethical, inclusive, and accessible sport offers valuable lessons about the process of creating change and the ongoing need for visionary, committed leadership within sport and beyond.” Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, CEO, Canadian Women & Sport

“Bruce’s book is yet another accomplishment that is consistent with the bravery, boldness, and humanity he has displayed through his journey in sport. He has succinctly and honestly captured his over 70 years of participation as an athlete, activist, critic, observer, and torch-bearer. This book, like Bruce’s story, will remain a symbol of his legacy, both known and unknown, for many generations of leaders in sport and beyond.”  Dasha Peregoudova, lawyer and past president, AthletesCAN, the Association of Canada’s National Team Athletes

“A Runner’s Journey is a reminder that sport not only provides some of the greatest joys of contemporary life but is also a vehicle for dialogue and cooperation within and between nations. It is a reminder of the opportunities and obligations that international athletes and those working with sport in our universities have to help others less fortunate. This is lived social intervention, one of the most authoritative voices on sport in the world; a joy to read, and I encourage you to do the same.” Grant Jarvie, former chair with sportscotland, founding director of the Academy of Sport, and chair of sport, University of Edinburgh

“The best memoirs do more than tell the story of an influential and celebrated life. They also say something about the complex interplay of biography and history, of self and world. Bruce Kidd’s splendid book is as much about Canadian history, culture, and politics as it is about one runner’s journey.” Richard Gruneau, professor emeritus, School of Communication, Simon Fraser University

“Bruce Kidd’s journey of discovery through sport took him to the Olympic track in Tokyo and back, but it also frames a lifetime of passionate endeavour and activism in support of Canadian sport along the way. Kidd shows us how his journey as athlete and activist can be measured in deeds, struggles, triumphs, protests, and sometimes failures, but he convinces us that access to opportunity and joy in sport is a destination he always found worth striving for locally, nationally, and internationally. This book is a must-read for all those who love Canadian sport and want to better understand the political, economic, and cultural forces and circumstances that have shaped and sustained it.” Patricia Vertinsky, professor, School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia

"What a life Bruce Kidd has lived – and so much of it in the public eye! Written with grace and generosity, remarkable self-awareness, and characteristic understatement, Kidd’s memoir is a front-row, first-person account of the contemporary history of Canada, Olympic sport, progressive activism, and academic engagement from a Renaissance man who himself played key roles in shaping much of it. This book, like Bruce himself, is a Canadian original and an international inspiration." Doug Hartmann, professor and chair, Department of Sociology, University of Minnesota

“Bruce Kidd exemplifies C. Wright Mills’s sociological imagination as he fleshes out, through this memoir, the ways that his life and efforts as an athlete, activist, and academic have been intertwined. We learn how this approach helped him shape a preferred vision for sport locally, nationally, and internationally, while concomitantly being shaped himself by existing socio-historical realities. His story complements and expands current accounts of sport development in Canada spanning the past 70 years, while reminding us that counting on passion to fuel our actions can, at times, fundamentally alter sport and broader societal conditions.” Victoria Paraschak, professor, Department of Kinesiology, University of Windsor

“One word to characterize Bruce Kidd's memoir is panoramic. A Runner's Journey captures the incredible breadth of Bruce Kidd's life experiences and accomplishments. This is more than a personal memoir with an emphasis on sport. It is a history of Canadian sport from an insider's point of view. That insider just happens to be a champion and advocate for sport as well as a critic, agitator, and activist for a more socially just sporting landscape. A Runner's Journey could aptly be subtitled ‘The Personal Is Political.’” Douglas A. Brown, professor and dean, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, University of Manitoba