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lewisrids's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.75
morgob's review against another edition
5.0
Maybe I should start by saying this book was not what I expected. I loved a lot of things about it, but there were other parts I didn't love. I almost gave it 4 stars, but I finally settled on 5 after talking to my mom about the book during a run.
I loved how crazy the book was; the author signed up for a variety of equally insane races in amazing places, which made it really fun to read. It sparked that adventurous side of me and made me want to go new places and run. It made me feel humble. I'm a college cross country and track runner, and sometimes I feel like I'm a beast and train really hard, when really the farthest I've run is a half-marathon. I loved how much raw emotion was in the book, and I'd expect nothing less from a book about people running ultras. The people mentioned in the book were incredible with unbelievable stories, and I love reading things like that. It's like Into the Wild meets Born to Run (which is funny because both of those books are mentioned several times), and since those are two of my favorite books, I enjoyed reading this quite a bit. My favorite parts included the 24 hour track race, the part where he runs a race with his friend Tom, and the part where he runs a fell race. Oh, and my absolute favorite part was the Comrades Marathon in South Africa! That part was amazing to read. It's fun to see the author succeed. You celebrate his triumphs right along with him. He's a really cool guy to read about who also got to meet and run with a lot of really cool people.
I suppose this brings me to what I didn't like. This is hard to write because it's a book about what he did and his accomplishments, so it's difficult to comment on plot. He can't change it because it actually happened. I suppose my biggest problem with the book was the ending. An odd thing to say about such a book, I know, but it left me wanting something. I don't know what it was, but the book felt unfinished to me. I won't go into specifics in fear of spoilers. It's just that the author went on this long journey, this insane, grueling experience that ordinary people just don't have, and I guess I was expecting something from him at the end, some kind of change or something he learned. It just seemed like he wanted to get back to road racing. Maybe it's that he didn't change that much and I'd expect something like this to be life-changing. I'm not sure. What I'm trying to say is that it seemed as though the author did all of these astonishing things and then went back to normal life, as though he did it all for no reason. That's what rubbed me the wrong way about the ending. I can tell he appreciated the experience, but did he enjoy it? Was it worth it to him?
But there were so many good things about the book, things that made me relate to him, feelings I'd experienced before, things I laughed at and things that I shouted out loud about (for instance, when he wears brand new shoes for the 24 hour track race). I really liked this book. It's different from every other book I've read about running. I suppose the ending is a lot like the ending of Born to Run. Lots of books about running end with a win, the main character doing something fantastic, breaking a record, winning a race, something. In books like this and Born to Run, the main character (or the author) doesn't win, per se, but they do get to experience something beyond the ordinary, and they accomplish a goal. It makes it a more meaningful book. I guess that's the point of a book like this: to show the readers that they accomplished a goal of their own. I appreciated this book a lot, and it made me think (and be kind of scared to do ultra marathons in the future). I've signed up for a 9 hour race next year, and I'm already worried about it, but this book sort of helped me to see that there are crazier things I could be doing, and it showed how someone a bit like me--who's done road and trail races, but who's never gone farther than a half-marathon--could possibly do an ultra someday. It was a really good running book. And I suppose I would say that someday I hope to have my own crazy stories to fill a book like this one. So thank you, Mum, my all-time favorite ultra runner, for recommending it to me and letting me borrow it.
I loved how crazy the book was; the author signed up for a variety of equally insane races in amazing places, which made it really fun to read. It sparked that adventurous side of me and made me want to go new places and run. It made me feel humble. I'm a college cross country and track runner, and sometimes I feel like I'm a beast and train really hard, when really the farthest I've run is a half-marathon. I loved how much raw emotion was in the book, and I'd expect nothing less from a book about people running ultras. The people mentioned in the book were incredible with unbelievable stories, and I love reading things like that. It's like Into the Wild meets Born to Run (which is funny because both of those books are mentioned several times), and since those are two of my favorite books, I enjoyed reading this quite a bit. My favorite parts included the 24 hour track race, the part where he runs a race with his friend Tom, and the part where he runs a fell race. Oh, and my absolute favorite part was the Comrades Marathon in South Africa! That part was amazing to read. It's fun to see the author succeed. You celebrate his triumphs right along with him. He's a really cool guy to read about who also got to meet and run with a lot of really cool people.
I suppose this brings me to what I didn't like. This is hard to write because it's a book about what he did and his accomplishments, so it's difficult to comment on plot. He can't change it because it actually happened. I suppose my biggest problem with the book was the ending. An odd thing to say about such a book, I know, but it left me wanting something. I don't know what it was, but the book felt unfinished to me. I won't go into specifics in fear of spoilers. It's just that the author went on this long journey, this insane, grueling experience that ordinary people just don't have, and I guess I was expecting something from him at the end, some kind of change or something he learned. It just seemed like he wanted to get back to road racing. Maybe it's that he didn't change that much and I'd expect something like this to be life-changing. I'm not sure. What I'm trying to say is that it seemed as though the author did all of these astonishing things and then went back to normal life, as though he did it all for no reason. That's what rubbed me the wrong way about the ending. I can tell he appreciated the experience, but did he enjoy it? Was it worth it to him?
But there were so many good things about the book, things that made me relate to him, feelings I'd experienced before, things I laughed at and things that I shouted out loud about (for instance, when he wears brand new shoes for the 24 hour track race). I really liked this book. It's different from every other book I've read about running. I suppose the ending is a lot like the ending of Born to Run. Lots of books about running end with a win, the main character doing something fantastic, breaking a record, winning a race, something. In books like this and Born to Run, the main character (or the author) doesn't win, per se, but they do get to experience something beyond the ordinary, and they accomplish a goal. It makes it a more meaningful book. I guess that's the point of a book like this: to show the readers that they accomplished a goal of their own. I appreciated this book a lot, and it made me think (and be kind of scared to do ultra marathons in the future). I've signed up for a 9 hour race next year, and I'm already worried about it, but this book sort of helped me to see that there are crazier things I could be doing, and it showed how someone a bit like me--who's done road and trail races, but who's never gone farther than a half-marathon--could possibly do an ultra someday. It was a really good running book. And I suppose I would say that someday I hope to have my own crazy stories to fill a book like this one. So thank you, Mum, my all-time favorite ultra runner, for recommending it to me and letting me borrow it.
edriessen's review against another edition
4.0
Read it because Goodreads recommended it based on ‘what I talk about when I talk about running’. I like that book more, even though the subject is very different. I think it’s because that book has some more personality and this book is more focused on the subject of ultra running. It’s an interesting introduction to the sport. Some crazy (in a good way) people those ultras are.
loar's review
3.0
audible audio: přijde mi, že samotného autora téma nudí a mohl by se živit jako uspávač běžců
ksmo's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I loved this book! I found it a very interesting exploration of multiple facets of running, racing, form, injury etc. and unfortunately finished the book wanting to run an ultra at some point!
I will say that I listened to the audiobook and had to play it at 1.4x speed because the author speaks incredibly slowly. But I really enjoyed the book nonetheless!
I will say that I listened to the audiobook and had to play it at 1.4x speed because the author speaks incredibly slowly. But I really enjoyed the book nonetheless!
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer
jasoncomely's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to the audiobook while running my first backyard ultra (a modest 50k). Adharanand's blend of history, interviews and personal experience kept my attention off my ever stiffening legs! A classic of the running/sport psychology genre.
dberrdy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Great!