The Extra Mile: One Woman's Personal Journey to Ultra-Running Greatness [Hardcover]

Pam Reed (Author), Mitch Sisskind (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 11, 2006

The story of the woman who shocked the running world in 2002 when she won the sport's most grueling race--135 miles from Death Valley to Mount Whitney--beating her closest competitor by 5 hours!

One year after her astonishing victory at the Badwater Ultramarathon, Pam Reed again made distance running history when she braved the hottest weather in years--135 degrees--to successfully defend her title. How does this 100-pound mother and stepmother of five muster the endurance and courage for the 28-hour climb from the hottest desert floor on Earth to the shadow of the continental United States' tallest point?

In The Extra Mile we watch this ultramarathon champion seek balance in her life as a wife, mother, athlete, and entrepreneur. With astonishing candor she tells of her 15-year-long battle with anorexia. And she helps us to understand her passion for ultrarunning--to discover how far the human body can be pushed. The success of Dean Karnazes's book, Ultramarathon Man, and Reed's TV appearances have demonstrated the public's fascination with this growing sport. Reed's book will be an inspiration to women everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the greatest athletic achievements I have witnessed in 20 years of extreme sports."--Chris Kostman, race director, Badwater Ultramarathon

About the Author

PAM REED has twice won the Badwater Ultramarathon, the world's toughest running event. She is the American women's record-holder in the 24-hour run (138.94 miles) and 48-hour run (220 miles). Reed has been featured on 60 Minutes, CNN, and The Late Show with David Letterman, as well as in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and Runner's World. She lives in Tucson, Arizona, and Jackson, Wyoming.

MITCH SISSKIND has worked as a writer on more than 20 books from major publishers. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books; 1St Edition edition (July 11, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594864152
• ISBN-13: 978-1594864155
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #982,478 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An honest look at an ordinary woman who does extraordinary things, August 1, 2006

By 

KCL - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Extra Mile: One Woman's Personal Journey to Ultra-Running Greatness (Hardcover)

Despite not being a runner or an athlete of any sort, I found myself fascinated by Pam Reed's warts-and-all look into her life and her career as an endurance runner. Running 135 miles through the desert in July is something I would never in a million years dream of doing myself, but Reed's book gave me a better understanding of why people are driven to go to such extremes. I came to respect Pam throughout the course of the book, and in some ways I really related to her. Her occasional bouts of self-doubt, regardless of her professional and personal achievements, resonated with me--as they will, I suspect, for most people. I thought she had wise, pragmatic things to say about marriage and motherhood, especially about the trade-offs that women, moreso than men, make in trying to juggle work and family. Pam does not come off as a "warm and fuzzy" person--she admits in her chapter on parenthood, "I am not much of a hugger"--but it is obvious that she cares deeply and passionately about everyone and everything in her life and is ferociously committed to them. And because of that, her book made me care about her. I truly enjoyed the time I "spent" with her while reading this book.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Open Mind, August 1, 2006

By 

KCRunner - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Extra Mile: One Woman's Personal Journey to Ultra-Running Greatness (Hardcover)

Pam Reed's book has a message. If the book is read with a closed mind, the reader will never understand the message.

All people who do ultra events such as ultra running and ultra cycling, approach the world and their lives somewhat differently than those who do not participate. The fact that Pam has a message that is different from the message of other ultra athletes does not render the book valueless. To the contrary, the methods, observations and beliefs of all add to the body of knowledge that is useful to all ultra athletes.

Pam Reed is an accomplished ultra runner. Her results deliver that message emphatically. The obstacles she has overcome and the way she has overcome them is both meaningful and valuable to anyone who aspires to be an ultra athlete or simply to achieve accomplishments in their own endeavors.

The book does not portray arrogance; it does portray accomplishment.

It would be arrogant for Pam Reed to presume to speak for the ultra running community, or for another ultra runner such as Scott Jurek. Pam speaks only for herself in her efforts to explain why and how she has done what she has done.

The fact that she has had successes and failures in her life establishes that she is human. The fact that she has done what no other woman has ever done, and done it twice, establishes her accomplishments as extraordinary.

If the book is read with an open mind, the message can be discovered.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring!, July 24, 2006

By 

Donna G. (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Extra Mile: One Woman's Personal Journey to Ultra-Running Greatness (Hardcover)

I found Pam Reed's story super inspiring. As Reed points out, running is something that women can excel at and something that older people can excel at. As someone who came to running later in life, I really enjoyed this book. I read Dean Karanazes' Ultra Marathone Man, too, and I liked it, but it just covered a few of his races in a lot of detail, whereas in Pam Reed's book, I felt like I was getting to know her as a person. I also liked that she talked about all the people who supported her in various ways, from her husband to her crew and all her neighbors. Karnazes seemed a lot more isolated - not that that's a fault. I really liked the chapter with thumbnail sketches of some of the best (or at least Reed's favorite) marathons - it gave me the idea that I'd like to try some of them one of these days. Re: her struggle with anorexia, it made sense to me what she said about having to eat to do the long races she wanted to do. Ahw might not have been eating pizza and cheesecake, but still LOADS of calories.
DG