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Jocelyn McAuley, January 2, 2009 (view all comments by Jocelyn McAuley)
Previous reviewer has it backwards. This isn't about fun- its about sanity and defining 'the Edge'.
If:
+ running a marathon before breakfast,
+ developing the pizza burrito method for eating three slices at a time,
+ running to the development of night blindness
+ training to the point of a 30bpm resting pulse
... sounds completely insane,
then read this book.
Second hand running is healthy for you- didn't you know?
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worldtravel04, July 2, 2007 (view all comments by worldtravel04)
Does running a 300 mile relay race by yourself sound like fun? Or, how about having a large pizza, cherry cheesecake and thermos of coffee delivered to you at midnight while running down the shoulder of a highway? If so, then this is the book for you.
One part inspiring, one part incredible Karnazes has taken ultra distance running to a level unreachable by any but the hardiest (or craziest?) and tells his story in a most entertaining way.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No (14 of 30 readers found this comment helpful)
Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner
Used Trade Paper
Dean Karnazes
0 stars -
0 reviews
$5.50
In Stock
Product details
304 pages
Jeremy P. Tarcher -
English9781585424801
Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"Many would see running a marathon as the pinnacle of their athletic career; thrill-seeker Karnazes didn't just run a marathon, he ran the first marathon held at the South Pole. The conditions were extreme — 'breathing the superchilled air directly [without a mask] could freeze your trachea' — yet he craved more. Also on his résumé: completing the Western States 100-mile endurance run and the Badwater 135-mile ultramarathon through Death Valley (which he won), as well as a 199-mile relay race...with only himself on his team. This running memoir (written without a coauthor) paints the picture of an insanely dedicated — some may say just plain insane — athlete. In high school, Karnazes ran cross-country track, but when his favorite coach retired, he quit the sport. Fifteen years later, on his 30th birthday (in 1992), on the verge of an early midlife crisis, he threw on his old shoes and ran 30 miles on a whim. The invigorating feeling compelled him to pursue the world of ultramarathons (any run longer than 26.2 miles). 'Never,' Karnazes writes, 'are my senses more engaged than when the pain sets in.' Yet his masochism is a reader's pleasure, and Karnazes's book is intriguing. Casual runners will find inspiration in Karnazes's determination; nonathletes will have the evidence once and for all that runners are indeed a strange breed. Agent, Carole Bidnick. (Mar.)Forecast:A 60 Minutes segment on Karnazes airing in March will generate interest, as will a nine-city author tour, which he will complete by running." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Review"
by Kirkus Reviews,
"Charming and surprisingly quirky, providing the perfect escapist fantasy for couch potatoes and weekend warriors alike."
"Review"
by Boston Globe,
"Karnazes is a truly gifted athlete, and his memoir is a good read for runners looking for something to push them back on the road and anyone who likes to read about ordinary people doing extraordinary things."
"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
Ultramarathon Man is Dean Karnazes' story: the mind-boggling adventures of his nonstop treks through the hell of Death Valley, the incomprehensible frigidity of the South Pole, and the breathtaking beauty of the mountains and canyons of the Sierra Nevada. Karnazes captures the euphoria and out-of-body highs of these adventures.
"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
Ultrarunning legend Dean Karnazes has run 262 miles — the equivalent of ten marathons — without rest. He has run over mountains, across Death Valley, and to the South Pole — and is probably the first person to eat an entire pizza while running. With an insight, candor, and humor rarely seen in sports memoirs (and written without the aid of a ghostwriter or cowriter), Ultramarathon Man has inspired tens of thousands of people — nonrunners and runners alike — to push themselves beyond their comfort zones and be reminded of what it feels like to be truly alive.
Ultramarathon Man answers the questions Karnazes is continually asked:
Why do you do it?
How do you do it?
Are you insane?
And in the new paperback edition, Karnazes answers the two questions he was most asked on his book tour:
What, exactly, do you eat?
How do you train to stay in such good shape?
"Synopsis"
by Penguin,
As an athlete, ultrarunning legend (Men's Journal) Dean Karnazes has run 350 miles without rest and is probably the first person to eat an entire pizza while running. As an author, he has inspired countless couch potatoes to get off the couch, cancel the cable, and start running. In September, Karnazes embarks on his most monumental feat ever, The North Face Endurance 50. Beginning September 17 (at the Lewis & Clark Marathon in St. Charles, Missouri), Dean will run fifty marathons (each marathon is 26.2 miles) in fifty states on fifty consecutive days. The North Face Endurance 50 will culminate with Dean's run in the New York City Marathon on November 5.
Visit www.thenorthface.com/theendurance50 for a list of event dates and cities, and to keep tabs on Dean as he gets ready for September. Promotional blow-in cards for this unprecedented run, sure to receive extraordinary media coverage, are inserted in this paperback edition of Ultramarathon Man, which also includes a new epilogue with Dean's diet and training tips.
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