The Badwater Ultramarathon is commonly referred to as 'the toughest footrace on the planet.' In 2003 defending champion Pam Reed, Dean Karnazes and 71 other runners took the ultimate challenge of running 135 miles in California from Badwater to the portals of Mount Whitney. 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. Twenty-five runners tell of their adventures in arguably the absolute toughest of 'the toughest footrace on the planet'--the good, the bad and yes, the ugly--in this incredible and fascinating compilation. 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. The runners--who experienced heat exhaustion, dehydration, nausea, blisters, hallucinations and fatigue during the race--competed in temperatures literally 'a few degrees from hell.'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Rather than a single runner's detailed review of the Badwater Ultra this is an awesome compilation of the thoughts and experiences of many of the event's participants (w/ added input from some crew members). I began the book vaguely aware of the Badwater Ultra. Halfway through I was ready to join a crew. By the time I finished this book I was thinking... "I wonder if..."
Then I went outside and ran (no, suffered) 10 miles in 85 degree heat and thought "FIFTY more degrees?! That is INSANE!!!"
If you are a runner you WILL love this book. If you are not a runner this book will take you inside the minds of some of the sport's most accomplished members. Whatever the case you will finish this book w/ a smile on your face and a brighter outlook on life because you'll know that human beings (including yourself) are capable of much more than we give ourselves credit for...
Then I went outside and ran (no, suffered) 10 miles in 85 degree heat and thought "FIFTY more degrees?! That is INSANE!!!"
If you are a runner you WILL love this book. If you are not a runner this book will take you inside the minds of some of the sport's most accomplished members. Whatever the case you will finish this book w/ a smile on your face and a brighter outlook on life because you'll know that human beings (including yourself) are capable of much more than we give ourselves credit for...
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book was AMAZING!!!! I couldn't believe the will of these people. I would certainly consider everyone of these runners elite runners but strangely, their stories really helped me to respect the art of walking. They all walked and in fact trained to walk large chunks of the course. If they can walk when they need to, I should feel no shame when I need to. I highly recommend it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book documents both first hand & Ludwig's accounts of racers & their crew that competed in the 2003 badwater ultra. Not everyone finds a place in the book, but there are 26 chapters, organized from the toppers to the did not finishers, that tell inspiring stories of human endurance. Needless to say that everyone who competed had some sort of a background in distance running but the other striking commonality among all of them was, in a way, philosophical, even spiritual. Runner after runner talks about finishing the badwater merely to see if it could be done, if they could push their bodies, minds, & strip-bare emotions to the brink & survive, if not conquer, the picturesque & but terribly cruel stretch of land.
The runners form a colorful bunch of personalities & they stamp their stories with their persona. Some are meticulous in detailing their overall experience, some write in a documentary fashion - writing the facts in a dry, matter-of-fact way -, some are outright funny in their writing, & some are, well, just excellent runners.
I had not read a book about ultra running before this, so it was a learning experience for me reading about all the preparation that goes into running an ultra. Though the 'practice' is fundamentally a physical exercise, I'm pretty sure that all these fine human beings have very well developed mental faculties which we see in action but do not learn about the developmental process.
Overall, the quality of inspiration that one could derive from reading this book is stupendous - the quality of writing does not quite match up as often.
The runners form a colorful bunch of personalities & they stamp their stories with their persona. Some are meticulous in detailing their overall experience, some write in a documentary fashion - writing the facts in a dry, matter-of-fact way -, some are outright funny in their writing, & some are, well, just excellent runners.
I had not read a book about ultra running before this, so it was a learning experience for me reading about all the preparation that goes into running an ultra. Though the 'practice' is fundamentally a physical exercise, I'm pretty sure that all these fine human beings have very well developed mental faculties which we see in action but do not learn about the developmental process.
Overall, the quality of inspiration that one could derive from reading this book is stupendous - the quality of writing does not quite match up as often.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Badwater of reading
Well, I love to run and I love to read about running. This book totally simulates the Badwater race (length, boredom). Some serious patience and endurance is required to finish it. Read more
Published 8 days ago by Stephane Rodriguez
JUST NOW FINISHED "THE GOOD BOOK"!
"The book, 'A FEW DEGREES FROM HELL,' is the Best Running Tome Ever! It's about The Badwater 134.4-Mile Race of 2003, and reading it is ALMOST as good as having been there! Read more
Published 17 months ago by Craig Snapp
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