In this episode, Travis and Steven explore Helena Merriman's book "Tunnel 29: The True Story of an Extraordinary Escape Beneath the Berlin Wall." Their discussion digs up family histories, current events, and hypothetical situations. We hope you enjoy this episode of Run, Read, Repeat.

On this episode of RRR, Travis and Steven reminisce on their small-town upbringings, connecting with the familiar themes, personalities, and hard truths that rise out of Barbara Kingsolver's powerful novel Demon Copperhead. Winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, it is a modernized adaptation of Charles Dickens' partially autobiographical novel David Copperfield. Set in Appalachia, Kingsolver tackles topics of poverty, social injustice, addiction, and the opioid crisis. Travis and Steven have a lot to talk about... so let's get running!

In Episode 3 of Run, Read, Repeat, we find ourselves in the freezing cold and wild of far east Russia. It's a murder mystery involving man and beast that shakes a community and makes them question their livelihoods and their long-held beliefs about tigers that roam and rule the land they live on. Travis and Steven discuss their own experiences with mountain lions in the Pacific Northwest. Would you have the courage to face an apex predator as it hunts you down?

In episode 2 of Run, Read, Repeat, we tackle Touching the Void, an extraordinary retelling of an epic, yet disastrous mountaineering trip set in the Peruvian Andes in 1985. Written by mountaineer Joe Simpson, with additional input from his climbing partner Simon Yates, it's sure to both inspire and strike caution in you. Travis and Steven talk about their own experiences pushing physical limits and facing extreme conditions, and they attempt to answer the big question: would you have cut the rope?

In our first official RRR episode, we take a dive into the popular 2021 "hard science fiction" novel Project Hail Mary, written by Andy Weir. How was the writing and the story? What did we like and dislike? What are the practical ramifications? Are aliens real?

We're just two friends who are both dads, runners, and readers. We like to run, and we like to read, and we like to compare notes about what we read, from fiction to nonfiction, there's almost nothing we won't try.

So join us!

We'll be choosing one book to read each month to be consumed any which way (paperback, hardcover, and audiobook are all fair game). Then we'll talk about it. We also invite you to join in the conversation by chiming in on the comment boards!

Our first book, in light of the soon-to-be-released film, is 2021's Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Get it from your local library, bookstore, or audiobook provider. Look for our thoughts on it coming March 15, 2026.