Once a Runner prequel to be released this summer

The cult classic of middle distance running books is getting a new prequel to complete the trilogy in the summer of 2015.

John L. Parker, Jr. has written a new book, Racing the Rain, about his Once a Runner protagonist, Quenton Cassidy, and the character’s high school years.

“Cassidy discovers an ability to run long distances, but his real dream is to be a basketball star,” writes the publisher, Simon and Schuster Canada, about the new novel. “Racing the Rain is an epic coming-of-age classic about the environments and friendships that shape us all.”

Once a Runner focused on the competitive middle distance runner who, when kicked out of school, decides to train on his own and still compete. The book, originally published in 1978, received moderate praise but wasn’t particularly successful, though it grew into a cult classic after it was taken out of print. The sequel, Again to Carthage was release in 2008 and Once a Runner was re-released shortly after in 2009.

The new book will be released July 14, 2015.