A love story between a running coach and his star athlete, The Front Runner is noted for being the first contemporary gay novel to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success.

[note 1] A closeted ex-marine, Harlan has left a prestigious coaching position at Pennsylvania State University following false accusations of sexual misconduct from a male student.

As the novel opens in 1974, three star runners — Vince Matti, Jacques LaFont, and Billy Sive — have been expelled from the elite track program at the University of Oregon because they are gay, and wish to transfer to Prescott to train with Brown.

Though wary after his experience at Penn State, Harlan agrees to train the athletes, but quickly finds himself falling in love with Billy.

After the incident at Penn State, his marriage ends and he is unable to find employment as a coach, and ultimately begins work as a high-priced hustler in Greenwich Village.

The Front Runner was a critical and commercial success upon its release, becoming the first book of contemporary gay fiction to reach the New York Times Best Seller List.

The subsequent decades saw a series of producers and directors involved in adapting the film, most notably Paul Newman, as well as Frank Perry, Arthur Allan Seidelman, and Jeremy Larner.