Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Ultra Marathon Man Review























It has taken me WAY too long to review this book.  Especially since I have been thinking of it every day since I finished it; and that was a couple weeks ago.

I knew that this was the story of Dean Karnazes and his crazy running.  But I had expected it to be a little more of a prideful telling...kinda like "look what I've done."  But I was really surprised in the way Karnazes tells the story.  He is very self-effacing.  He realizes that what he does is completely insane; but he makes you think that you are capable of exactly the same thing.  And somehow, that is a good thing!

He is just a regular guy, with a day job, who decided to go out and run 30 miles one night.  And then he wanted to see how far he could push his body.  And I loved that he was very humble about what he does and somehow he doesn't seem masochistic at all. 

So many people would think that he would have to be an amazing athlete with trainers and physicians and an entire crew at his beck and call.  Instead, he talks about how his accomplishments are the result of shear determination and will power; stubbornness really.

But I think the thing that really endeared him to me was his willingness to market himself to raise money for some great causes.  He has run 199 miles consecutively on several different occasions to raise money for children needing organ transplants.  And then he gets up the next morning and goes to work.  Just like a regular guy.

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