Running Through the Wall: Personal Encounters with the Ultramarathon [Paperback]

Neal Jamison (Author), Don Allison (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2003

Running to the limits of human -endurance.

For those who are not content to run merely 26.2 miles, there is ultramarathoning. Some of the biggest ultras are 50 or 100 miles long, races in which people run all day, through the night and on into the next day. What makes them tick? What thoughts go through their minds at mile 93? How is the pain different from that of a marathon? How can you train for such a colossal undertaking? All these questions are answered in 35 interviews with ultramarathoners. Ultramarathoning is the logical next step for those who burn with a desire to achieve and explore their limits. Every kind of ultra runner is included here, and this book will be an indispensable volume for anyone dreaming of running long.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A compelling read even for those who have no intention of trying to run 31 miles or more at once. -- Mark Taylor, Outdoors Editor, The Roanoke Times

From the Publisher

What it's really like to run an ultramarathon.

This book is a warm, fascinating, human introduction to the sport of ultramarathoning. You'll find out what it's like for the stars, like Ann Trason and Tim Twietmeyer and Ian Torrence -- and also what it's like for average runners who decide to run through The Wall. In ultramarathoning, ordinary people can discover the extraordinary within themselves.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Breakaway Books (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891369377
• ISBN-13: 978-1891369377
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #205,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Exercise & Fitness > Marathons
  • #85 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Other Team Sports > Track & Field

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "... running 100 miles distills my soul...", April 1, 2005

By 

Mark E. Zimmermann "zhurnal" (Silver Spring, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Running Through the Wall: Personal Encounters with the Ultramarathon (Paperback)

Neal Jamison's collection of essays by ultrarunners is delightful in its diversity. There are racers who tell of their speed, and adventurers who describe their wilderness survival experiences. There are winners. There are amazing triumphs over incredible adversities.

But most fascinating are the honest remarks by people who fell short, who "failed", and who in the process succeeded in learning something important about themselves. My favorite of all, by Keith Knipling:

"In the process of completely exhausting myself, I connect with an inner part of me ordinarily veiled by the everyday distractions of life. During that short time spent on a trail in the mountains, my life is reduced to its simplest terms. Most ultrarunners are people who find goodness and joy in difficult times, who see beyond the misery to the beauty of nature, and who truly realize the elemental and important aspects of life. Going for a run always clears my head, but running 100 miles distills my soul."

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book but a bit repetitive, June 7, 2005

By 

Mark Bauman (Bloomsburg, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Running Through the Wall: Personal Encounters with the Ultramarathon (Paperback)

As a whole, I enjoyed this book. There are stories from well known ultrarunners; but the ones I most enjoyed were from the ordinary runners - the folks I could really identify with. And there were plenty to make this effort a worthwhile read. There's not much detail regarding any one run, course, etc. Rather, it's more focused on people's personal experiences with the Ultra. As someone who is considering a first Ultra experience, I gained some good insight by reading others' experiences; I also picked up some training tips and race management type stuff that, although not the focus, was sprinkled throughout.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So why do they do that?!?!, January 8, 2004

By 

S. Brockmeier (Chapel Hill, NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Running Through the Wall: Personal Encounters with the Ultramarathon (Paperback)

So.......do you have friends or family that just shake their heads or roll their eyes when you mention your upcoming 100 miler? Would you really like to be able to answer the question "Why do you DO that?" Well there's no more eloquent answer to that question than is found in this collection of personal ultrarunning stories. The question isn't so much directly addressed but the joy of doing ultras comes through in the stories. How does the saying go? Don't *tell* the reader what you want them to know, *show* them. Jamison's book shows the uninitiated what we get out of what can be a rather punishing hobby.

If you've heard of ultrarunning and are curious or if you're looking for a new challenge and want to see what doing ultras is all about then this is a great book for you. It's not a how-to book but then the best way to learn how to do something is to do it - not to read a book about how to do it. These are stories written by ultrarunners of all levels and they really do a great job of getting across what it is like for ordinary people to perform extraordinary feats.