ty, and in this case he is a product who recognizes the innate hypocrisy even in those who are trying to help him. The story is told from Colin's point of view, and much of the story involves his training and his dedication to becoming strong enough and fast enough to win the race. This success would be the major act of his young life, a life spent committing crimes and being punished. At first, he is a runner because that is what they have made him in Borstal, or prison:
As soon as I got to Borstal they made me a long-distance cross-country runner. I suppose they thought I was just built for it because I was long and skinny for my age (and still am) and in any case I didn't mind it much, to tell you the truth, because running had always been made much of in our family, especially running away from the police (Sillitoe 7).
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