The Running Man is a dystopian novel by Stephen King (1982), written under the pen name of Richard Bachman. It tells the story of Ben Richards, a man in a nightmarish future who goes to extreme lengths to provide for his wife and sick infant. The Running Man is one of King’s more prescient works. Its framework of a lethal game show has much that will be familiar to modern-day viewers of reality TV, although without such grave consequences. It allows King ample room to examine themes such as Media Manipulation and Social Control, An Appetite for Violence, and The Class Divide.

Content Warning: This guide describes violence that takes place in the novel, including child death.

Plot Summary

When the story begins, Ben Richards, a resident of Co-Op City, has reached his limit. His wife, Sheila, has to resort to sex work to pay for black-market medicine for their 18-month-old daughter, Catherine, who is terribly sick. Ben no longer has a job because his work with a chemical company threatened to leave him sterile. After years of hustling and day jobs, he is desperate enough to apply to be a member of the Games, where contestants risk their lives on reality TV.

At the Games building, he undergoes a battery of psychological, physical, and diagnostic exams that determine his eligibility as a candidate and his suitability for specific shows. The reality shows of the future are all morbid. For instance, on Treadmill to Bucks, contestants with heart problems earn money for each minute they spend running on an accelerating treadmill.

Ben is selected as a contestant for The Running Man, the Network’s most popular, highest paying, and deadliest show. The rules are simple—if Ben stays alive for 30 days, he receives a billion New Dollars. He also receives $100 for each hour that he survives. Twice a day, he has to record a 10-minute clip and mail it to the Games Building. The Hunters—led by a man named Evan McCone—can use the clips to try to determine his whereabouts.

First, Ben meets with the executive producer, Dan Killian. Killian extends a personal loan to him that he can send to his family. Prior to the start of the show, Ben is introduced to a live studio audience. They boo him and hate him. Killian advises him to stick close to his own people, meaning people of the lower classes.

After a 12-hour head start, Ben is hunted by McCone and his Hunters. The populace is also incentivized to participate. Witnesses who provide verifiable sightings receive payments.

After several days in a Boston hotel, the Hunters and cops converge on Ben’s position. Ben manages to detonate the oil tank in the basement, escaping and killing five of the cops. After Ben emerges above ground, he meets Stacy, the younger brother of a teenager named Bradley Throckmorton. Bradley is a literate, rebellious young man who knows that the Network is lying to them. He tells Ben that the air is bad. Free-Vee, the name for the free television provided to the population, advertises expensive nose filters. Stacy has found out how to make effective filters for less than $10. He reads at the library with a stolen library card, educating himself about air pollution.

Each night, TV segments focus on Ben’s savagery and bloodlust. Ben tries to use his recordings to explain how the media is manipulating his persona, but the Network plays the recorded noise of the abusive crowd over his remarks. Bradley arranges for a car and manages to deliver Ben—who hides in the trunk—to Manchester, New Hampshire. They arrange for Bradley to begin mailing Ben’s videotapes, which will help him evade detection.

After several days in hiding, Ben travels to a safehouse in Portland, Maine, where he meets Elton, one of Bradley’s friends. Elton is supportive, but his mother recognizes Ben and calls the police. Ben and Elton flee, and Ben has to shoot at the cop cars to make them stop. Elton is shot and severely wounded during the chase.

After losing the car, Ben takes a woman named Amelia hostage. He makes her drive him through several roadblocks in her car before encountering McCone at the Derry airport. He convinces Amelia to lie for him. She tells McCone that he has a lot of plastic explosives, with the imploder ring of the detonator pulled halfway out. Ben bluffs his way into getting an airplane for himself. Then he makes McCone and Amelia board. At this point, Ben holds the record for the longest survival time on The Running Man. The lower class begins to rally around him and hope for his success.

Onboard, he gets a call from Killian. Killian calls his bluff. He knows that Ben doesn’t have any explosives because the airplane’s security system would have alerted them. Killian offers him a job as McCone’s replacement. Ben considers the offer, but he worries that it would place his family in danger. Killian tells Ben that his family has been dead for three days. Prowlers allegedly killed them before the first episode aired.

Ben is exhausted. When he falls asleep, he dreams about the gruesome murder of his family. When he wakes up, he accepts Killian’s offer and then breaks communication and kills the crew and McCone. However, McCone shoots him, and Ben knows the wound is mortal. Ben helps Amelia jump from the plane with a parachute. After overriding the autopilot, Ben flies the plane into the Network Games building. He is the last thing Killian sees from his office window before the explosion engulfs the surrounding 20 blocks of the city.

The Running Man was adapted into a major motion picture starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film adaptation played as straight action, bearing little resemblance to the novel and its themes, other than its title. The Running Man was also adapted into a 1989 video game. There have been rumors of a sequel in development for years, but as of the time of this writing in 2023, it is unclear whether it will happen.