The Long Walk

I LOVE this story. It is the second story that I ever read by Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman) and it has just always stuck with me. The story is about a group of 100 boys that begin a long walk. They must maintain a pace of 4mph, without stopping. If they lose the pace, or stop, they get a warning. Rack up 3 warnings and you are out - as in shot dead. The last one walking wins a prize - whatever they want for the rest of their life.

I think about this story whenever I walk anywhere.

The other thing that I remember intensely about this book is that the main character has to take a crap as he is walking. I have always been obsessed about how people use the bathroom in certain situations and it bugs me that in many cases you never see it. Like what innovations are made in the bathroom on Star Trek? Or, in 24, did Jack Bower ever take a break to go to the bathroom? Seriously, I never watched that show, but in a span of 24 hours, you need to go to the bathroom, so did they show it? I just have a lot of respect for that disscussion and I was glad to see it in this story.
Stephen King's Inspiration:

In the early '60s radio and TV stations throughout the country organized 50-mile hikes. Stephen says: "I had that in mind. I didn't have a car when I wrote that book. I was hitchhiking everywhere. I didn't finish my 50-mile hike, though. I fell out after 20 miles."