The author transforms ultramarathons into a metaphor for modern capitalism, using the story of a fugitive runner to question what gives life value in a world dominated by money, surveillance and relentless growth. Alongside the running-as-capitalism metaphor, Thomas focuses on the relationship between money and value. Aside from money, then, The Runner’s cast of fringe-dwellers are looking for what gives life value, with religion often surfacing as a viable option. Although its dense philosophical digressions occasionally threaten to weigh down the narrative, The Runner successfully transforms an exhilarating chase into an examination of meaning under the ‘freewheeling chaos of late capitalism’. Instead, she leaves the reader with the unsettling possibility that the pursuit of value is itself what gives life value, which may be the novel’s most compelling insight.