Customer Reviews

Hills, Hawgs & Ho Chi Minh: More Tales of a Wayward Runner

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You have to be or have been a dedicated runner, or at least a serious athlete, to appreciate the motivation behind the things that Don Kardong undertakes in this book. It also helps to be or have been a triathlete and/or a multi-sport enthusiast since Kardong frequently finds himself involved in competitions which require skill in something other than running. Fortunately for everyone involved, Kardong has a great sense of humor and is truly in love with his sport. Both dedication and humor are found in abundance here. I especially enjoyed the piece about Steve Prefontaine and Kardong's attendance at a Triathlete workshop where he steadfastly refused to so much as look at the swimming pool. However, I did get a bit tired towards the end of all the over the top races - the grueling 50 miles, the Grand Canyon trek and the seemingingly endless marathons where he inevitably gets nauseated at mile 22. Kardong is a truly talented writer whom I suspect has a bit more to say than he's letting on. Wonder what he'll write next?

Wait a sec... found this book in the "Martial Arts" category?!? Anyway, by and large an enjoyable read, but not quite as funny as, say, "The Looniness of the Long distance runner". Kardong writes in the manner of a columnist, concisely and accessible. Basically, the book is a collection of essays, each of which has as its theme a particular race or event the author participated in.

Kardong's chief asset is his sense of humor. However, you shouldn't sit down and read straight through the book. It's a series of articles about his crazy, semi-running related competitions and after a few of these you just want him to stop being a nut and write about running for a while. I think the best pieces are "Le Grizz" about a 50-miler, and the cross country race where he talks about getting old. Come to think of it, he talks about getting old quite a lot. Of course, the only reason he can do all these offbeat competitions is he is retired from professional running so he doesn't need to be in top shape any more. Anyway it's worth a read.

If you are a runner who enjoys the unusual (or just dreams of it) this book will bring a smile to your face. Kardong taps into some of the things that make me (and I think other runners too) tick while adding his amusing outlook on many of his experiences.

I bought this book because AMAZON had Martial Arts listed among the subjects of the book. There are no martial arts in this books that I found skimming through it except a single sentence about Vietnamese runners warming up with Tai Chi. Maybe I missed something, but if there was any other martial arts in the book, it was nothing significant. The book is about running. So if you are looking for a book with martial arts, don't buy this one.

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