I read a ton of books. Since my Lifestyle Shift in the fall of 2020, I’ve read a ton of books on health and fitness. Lately, that reading has been more specifically about running distances beyond the norm. The latest page turner (or page swiper since I read mostly everything in the Kindle version) was The Rise Of The Ultra Runners: A Journey To The Edge Of Human Endurance by Adharanand Finn.
Written just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the book documents Finn’s journey to qualify for the UTMB in Chamonix, France. He starts off with a stage race through the north of Africa before embarking on a series of ultras of varying lengths in order to earn his UTMB qualifying points.
The Rise Of The Ultra Runners: A Journey To The Edge Of Human Endurance
Like Christopher McDougall and his iconic running book “Born To Run“, Finn is not an elite runner. Although, his marathon times are quite respectable. This provides a refreshing look at ultra running for the mere mortals out there that are thinking about pushing their distance beyond the traditional marathon.
This is an important viewpoint. Because of the relatively low popularity of the sport, big name stars make themselves quite visible live in person, on social media and on countless YouTube videos. Although they come across as regular Joe’s, the Courtney Dauwalters, Scott Jureks, Kilian Jornets and Zach Millers are in a league far beyond normal.
With Finn (and McDougall), you get the viewpoint of someone who enters these events with the goal of simply finishing and not necessarily anywhere close to the podium. This is important in an emerging sport where, in some races, finishers are still crossing the line over a full day after the elites.
But, unlike us regular Joe’s, as a journalist, Finn has access to the big names. This provides a greatly informative and inspirational angle with advice and anecdotes coming from those that finish a 100 miles race at a better pace than some of us do a 10k.
In fact, I put down Hal Koerner’s Field Guide To Ultra Running midway through to get at The Rise Of The Ultra Runners. Hal’s book is greatly informative and I have started reading it again after the conclusion of The Rise Of The Ultra Runners. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with Hal, it’s just that he’s been an elite ultra runner from the get-go. He may claim to know the struggle but I don’t think he really does. It’s like Wayne Gretzky. The Great One is arguably the best player to play hockey but as a coach he sucked. Gretz just couldn’t convey his natural skill to the younger players.
In saying that, I do think that books written by the great Scott Jurek are a must and they do speak to the masses. However, Jurek’s writing is much more based on the mental aspect of running and life and less of a how-to guide.
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If you’ve come to this site, you have a desire to go beyond the everyday and make something spectacular of your life. Running seems to go hand-in-hand with this desire. Perhaps, it’s because running is a vehicle that every single one of us can use to push our limits. For some, running 100 miles and beyond is a legendary goal to strive for. For others, simply sustaining a run for 10 minutes can be a monumental challenge. No matter, running improves us physically, emotionally and mentally.
This book, The Rise Of The Ultra Runners: A Journey To The Edge Of Human Endurance, is of great value. It’s actually longer that many running related books that I’ve read but the pages go fast with Finn’s writing style.
If I could take away just one thing from the book, it’s how he learns to evaluate during a race with a simple checklist. Are you injured? No? Are you ill? No? Then it’s just pain. Carry on. If you’re not injured or ill, if you decide to drop out of a race, you will inevitably (and almost instantly) regret it.