Fantastic Article on Masters Star Brian Pope

It's not every day that a literary magazine will publish an article about running, but this recent piece in Oxford American magazine about masters running star Brian Pope is one of the best I've read on my sport in some time. The 45-year-old Mississippi native is the holder of several national records in the 40-44 year-old age group and has one numerous national titles. Pope is also an extreme example of someone living the running monk lifestyle. He is single, lives alone and survives on a beyond modest income, which comes entirely from prize-money earnings and the occasional work of art that he sells (he is a painter). This reminds me a lot of the so-called surf and ski bums whose entire lives revolve around catching the next wave or mountain.