Plenty of stories for triathletes too, covering swimming and cycling. The ultimate endurance athlete, Marshall Ulrich has run more than foot races averaging over miles each, completed 12 expedition-length adventure races, and ascended the Seven Summits - including Mount Everest - all on his first attempt. Yet his run from California to New York- the equivalent of running two marathons and a 10K every day for nearly two months straight - proved to be his most challenging effort yet.
Featured in the recent documentary film, Running America, Ulrich clocked the 3rd fastest transcontinental crossing to date and set new records in multiple divisions.
In Running on Empty, he shares the gritty backstory, including brushes with death, run-ins with the police, and the excruciating punishments he endured at the mercy of his maxed-out body. Ulrich also reached back nearly 30 years to when the death of the woman he loved drove him to begin running - and his dawning realization that he felt truly alive only when pushed to the limits.
Filled with mind-blowing stories from the road and his sensational career, Ulrich's memoir imbues an incredible read with a universal message for athletes and nonathletes alike: face the toughest challenges, overcome debilitating setbacks, and find deep fulfillment in something greater than achievement Watch a Video. Their journey would take them through the hostile environment of Death Valley and subject them to temperatures ranking among the highest ever recorded on earth.
You are certain to gain a respect for the runners you will meet and perhaps an even greater respect for the area known as Death Valley. Runners run to be the best they can be, to challenge who they are, to inspire others and to champion their cause.
Karnazes looks back on his adventures and reflects on his life as a runner. He describes his experience participating in the Bishop High Sierra K and then the big one itself — the Western States, going into great detail about the highs, lows, and ultimately the magic of running, especially at his age compared to his younger days.
It all began when Rob's fiancee, exasperated as he sat slumped in front of the television watching the London marathon, bet him 20p that he'd never complete even one such race. But I think it would have It's unfortunate that what could have been a really inspirational story about pushing oneself to the ultimate limit of physical endurance is overshadowed by the douchiness of the author.
But I think it would have been a better book if he had included at least one honest account of one of the races where he made a conscious decision to stop and not finish. He's a great runner and I am in awe of his skill and dedication. The fact that he raises money for sick children also raises his stock in my book. But sending a tampon to a friend after finishing a marathon especially considering that ultra-marathoning is one of the arenas where women consistently out-perform men is just a dick move.
I feel better now. Feb 28, Nick rated it it was amazing. I read this book years ago when I first got into running. It is crazy to hear how someone can log all these miles. Just so you know an ultramarathon is anything over the standard The author would run 20 miles during his extended Lunch at work or run at night for hours.
One thing that stuck with me was the amount of calories he would consume to be able to use as energy. He mentioned he ran once, I forgot the distan I read this book years ago when I first got into running. He mentioned he ran once, I forgot the distance, stopped at a pizza parlor and ordered a pie. He folded the pie ways and ate it as one big piece of pizza calzone and then continued to then run back home.
Very entertaining and motiviational. The author's accomplishments never cease to amaze me. He writes about his first western states also completed more than a handful of them since , running for 48 hours straight, completing a marathon in south pole, completing the Badwater ultra, running miles straight and so and and so forth. He was still maintaining a 9 to 5 job but would only sleep 4 hours a day to have time to train and be with his family.
Crazy determination and will power displayed in this book May 24, Sushmitha Kanukurthi rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites. I just finished reading this book about 15 mins ago and I am not sure of where to begin!
Ever since I took up running about two years ago , I have come across many a book that have left me inspired and driven about pursuing this passion. But this book has done far more. While Dean Karnazes's super human feats are unique; what makes this book so amazing is his ability to infuse that passion in the readers. He makes the book easy to read, profound, awe inspiring and a testament to what the human I just finished reading this book about 15 mins ago and I am not sure of where to begin!
He makes the book easy to read, profound, awe inspiring and a testament to what the human body is capable of achieving, if only you are willing to push yourself. For a while now, I had given up running because of the repeated migraine attacks that come with it.
Maybe it is time for me to stop waiting to things to change and invest in bringing about the change. As Dean says in the book "Pain and suffering are often the catalysts for life's most profound lessons.
Definitely a must read for all those who want to push themselves but don't know where to start!! View 2 comments.
Nov 16, Jeffrey rated it really liked it. I first became aware of Dean Karnazes a few years ago shortly after moving back to New York. That was when he came into the spotlight for a lot of people, shortly after he won the Badwater Ultramarathon.
In my small running circle, I spread word of his infamy, of the man who ordered pizza for delivery on his all night runs. How he would run a hundred miles just to get to the start of a marathon. How he ran a mile relay race--by himself. Most of what I knew of him came from short articles in I first became aware of Dean Karnazes a few years ago shortly after moving back to New York.
Most of what I knew of him came from short articles in running magazines or interviews on NPR. In gearing up for this year's marathon season, I borrowed this book from a friend to find out more about the Ultramarathon Man--who in ran 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days; who was the first person to run a marathon to the South Pole--in running shoes; who ran miles without stopping.
I wanted some inspiration to get me through the dark moments of my running, when the pain sets in and I feel like I just can't move any further. It helps me in those times to think of someone who went further, who did more, who ran faster or harder and dug deeper to keep going even under the most dire conditions.
Karnazes talks about his early life as a runner, his introduction to the sport by his first track coach, Coach McTavish. Coach's advice was simple: "Go out hard and finish harder. He seems to be a man full of energy and determination. An article in the New York Times before the New York Marathon talked about the determination of professional runners. Karnazes must have more mental tenacity than anyone on earth.
He pushes himself to extremes just to see if he can. When he feels himself unable to go on, he digs deeper inside himself and finds strength where mere mortals would falter. As a runner, he has pushed the limits of what a human can do. He's pushed the limit so far it seems unlikely that anyone will challenge his feats anytime soon.
What makes this book stand out, though, is the humility with which Karnazes tells his story. He writes with an unexaggerated, self-depracating style that belies the feats he has accomplished. He's the first to admit that he is only human, that he too falls sometimes. One of his most spectacular falls occurs when he runs his first 50 mile race to qualify for the grueling Western States Karnazes describes the events immediately following that race with objective clarity, as though he were telling the story of what happened to a guy he knew.
The pain he puts himself through would make most of us cringe in terror, but to him it is just another day. He's a normal man with a normal family and kids who want him to play with them. Immediately after running miles, his kids drag him to an amusement park and he spends the next several hours riding roller coasters. I can't imagine that. After running that distance, I can imagine that all I'd want to do is collapse in a bed.
For all the humility with which he recounts his story, he is seemingly not a very humble man. In recent years he has made very public his aspirations, from running 50 states in 50 days to his very public declaration of wanting to be the first person to run miles non-stop. That feat was thwarted by Pam Reed, who for two years won the Badwater Ultramarathon and quietly and without much fanfare ran a 25 mile loop 12 times shortly after Dean attempted his record breaking run.
The ultrarunning community is small and rather protective of itself. Dean is an everyman who seems to believe that anyone can run these distances. He has opened ultrarunning to the wider world. None of that changes the power of this book, though. While it may be ostensibly about running, it is more deeply about following your dreams. Karnazes wants each of us to realize the power of our dreams, to not just have them but to strive to attain them--no matter what they be.
For Karnazes, the dream and the passion meet at running. He wants to push his body and his mind to the limit and he works hard every day to do that. It's not easy. I think he makes clear how hard it is to run the distances he runs.
But that is the point, he says. Sep 17, Chad Sayban rated it really liked it. More reviews at The Story Within The Story It started with a single fateful decision one night to just go out and run…and run…and run.
This is the story of Dean Karnazes and his life as it unfolded after that night. A non-stop adventure in the heat of Death Valley, the bone-chilling cold of the South Pole, over mountains, through forests — all while running. Through hard work and breathtaking perseverance he achieved amazing athletic acts while balancing a family and career.
They're conceived in a moment of passion, with the prospect of endless possibility, but often languish and are not pursued with the same heartfelt intensity as when first born. Slowly, subtly, a dream becomes elusive and ephemeral. People who've lost their own dreams become pessimists and cynics.
They feel like the time and devotion spent on chasing their dreams were wasted. The emotional scars last forever. Not content with running a meager distance of a marathon — A fringe subset of endurance athletes, ultrarunners take joy in pushing the limits of human endurance to the absolute breaking point…and beyond. In the world of these extreme athletes, Dean Karnazes is a rock star. He has won the mile Badwater Ultramarathon, which is run through Death Valley…in July…in degree heat.
He has run a mile relay event solo. He has run a marathon at the South Pole. Dean is hardcore. He acknowledges the ridiculous nature of what he does and points out the foibles with candor.
The result is Karnazes produces an athletic memoir which is grounded in humanity while describing inhuman accomplishments. Is what he is doing a form of addiction? Certainly, and he freely admits that. But Karnazes has turned these somewhat self-absorbed escapades not into bravado, but into something more universal and inspirational.
His hope is that by doing these larger-than-life challenges, he can inspire others to take set out on their own adventures to capture the hopes and dreams that many of us have set aside as impossible. Ultramarathon Man is really about finding the wherewithal to put one foot in front of the other and never quit until we cross the finish line — no matter what that finish line might look like.
This is the best kind of memoir — a memoir of unabashed hope and optimism. I challenge anyone to read this book and not finish with a smile, a chuckle and a newfound glimpse at what just might be possible. It seems that the gripe that most people have with this book is that Dean comes across as very egotistic and arrogant. Well my opinion is, give credit where credit is due. Most of the book is about being with him in each of his races.
And its awesome. The Western States mile was It seems that the gripe that most people have with this book is that Dean comes across as very egotistic and arrogant.
The Western States mile was described in detail. And listening to the audiobook, whilst on a longer run myself, this was motivation to the core. Some of the subsequent races didn't go into so much detail, and some of the things he did was probably just plain stupid running in the South Pole.
This book probably wont inspire you to do anything more, if you aren't already on a path to always do and accomplish more. If you are a person that pushes boundaries, you will respect what Dean has done and why he does it.
As far as autobiographies go, I really enjoyed the format of this book in terms of mostly focusing on the races, and taking you through the journey in the heat of the race. Nonetheless you can feel the pain he went through, and found myself cringing occasionally when he described what went wrong next.
The book is really short. So easy to get through without too much fluff outside of the races. Not recommended for just anyone. But if you are into endurance yourself, and would like to get a feeling of what it is like in some of the world's toughest races, you might enjoy some of this book. Sep 07, Kim rated it really liked it.
I really enjoyed this book. I don't think I will ever become and ultramarathon runner, or even a marathon runner for that matter, but in a word with endless possibilities I am inspired to never be content with mediocrity. Running can be 'enjoyable. Some of my finest moments came while running down the open road, little more than a pair of shoes and shorts to my name. A runner doesn't need much.
Thoreau one said that a man's riches are based on what he can do without. Perhaps in needing less, you're actually getting more. Most people never get there. They're afraid or unwilling to demand enough of themselves and take the easy road, the path of least resistance. But struggling and suffering, as I now saw it, were the essence of a life worth living. If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you are not constantly demanding more from yourself--expanding and learning as you go--you're choosing a numb existence.
You're denying yourself an extraordinary trip. Feb 24, Caitlin Constantine rated it really liked it. This was just a crazy fun book to read.
Karnazes is seriously demented but I think he knows it, which is why it was so much fun. Also, as a distance runner - but not an insane one like Karnazes - I found it totally inspiring. It's too bad I'm currently nursing a running injury because it made me want to go and pound out a miler the second I put it down.
I think what I liked best about the book was how self-deprecating Karnazes is about himself. He knows he's pretty much insane, he doesn't go f This was just a crazy fun book to read. He knows he's pretty much insane, he doesn't go for a lot of self-aggrandizement, and he doesn't shy away from the disgusting aspects that go along with running ultramarathons.
Oh, and the picture of him naked with the strategically placed South Pole is worth the price of the book alone. This might be the highest praise I can give a book - by the end of it, I was thinking, gee, I might like to try to run an ultramarathon some day. Now THAT is crazy. Apr 29, Lou rated it it was amazing. If you see a Google Drive link instead of source url, means that the file witch you will get after approval is just a summary of original book or the file has been already removed.
Loved each and every part of this book. I will definitely recommend this book to non fiction, sports and games lovers. Your Rating:. Your Comment:. Read Online Download.
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