Idle Feet Do the Devil's Work

“Idle Feet Do the Devil’s Work” tells the real truth about running in an entertaining mix of facts, fiction, and opinions, all written with Ray Charbonneau’s unique blend of curmudgeonly candor and humor.

Ray takes a wide-ranging look at why so many people risk sore knees and smelly shoes in order to cross one more finish line, maybe, if they’re lucky, just a little faster than they ever have before.

Inside these pages, Ray covers a dizzying array of topics, including his experience guiding a blind runner at the Boston Marathon in 2013, the triumphant return to Hopkinton in 2014 after the bombing, marathon pacing tips and the one marathon training secret you won’t get anywhere else, the story of a man who sells his ‘sole’ to the devil, what your race trophies are talking about when you’re not listening, and much more.

See why Runner’s World called Ray Charbonneau a “New England running fixture” and why Mrs. Marble (Ray’s kindergarten teacher) said Ray “enjoys explaining his ideas at great length.”