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Dr. Mark Cucuzzella is a Professor at West Virginia University School of Medicine. He is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force designing programs to promote health and better fitness in the military. 

Dr. Cucuzzella has been a competitive runner for over 30 years with more than 100 marathon and ultramarathon finishes. He continues to compete as a national-level Masters runner. He has won the Air Force Marathon twice and run a marathon under 3:00 for 29 straight years. 

Dr. Cucuzzella is the race director of Freedom’s Run race series in West Virginia and director of the Natural Running Center, an education portal designed to teach healthier running . Mark is also the owner of Two Rivers Treads — A Center for Natural Running and Walking in his hometown of Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

A straightforward, easy-to-follow look at the anatomy, biomechanics, and nutrition of running.

Dr. Cucuzzella "aims to improve the fitness and well-being of all, from the uninitiated to beginners to veterans who still have new tricks to learn" (Amby Burfoot, Boston Marathon winner, writer at large for Runner’s World magazine, and author of The Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of Life).

Despite our natural ability and our human need to run, each year more than half of all runners suffer injuries. Pain and discouragement inevitably follow. Cucuzzella's book outlines the proven, practical techniques to avoid injury and reach the goal of personal fitness and overall health. 

With clear drawings and black-and-white photographs, the book provides illustrated exercises designed to teach healthy running, along with simple progressions and a running schedule that shows the reader how to tailor their training regimen to their individual needs and abilities.