Angeles Crest: A Memoir (Hardcover)

~ Michael Modzelewski (Author) "There is no sleeping the night before you run 100 miles..." (more)
Key Phrases: Western States, San Francisco, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

". . .A beautiful book on many levels." -- Libby Riddles, author of Race Across Alaska: First Woman to Win The Iditarod Tells Her Story

"...Each story is a gem, but strung together they approach Robert Prisig's classic ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE." -- TRAIL RUNNER MAGAZINE

"A winner! A very personal account of how, for a true runner, running and living are inseperable. . . -- ULTRARUNNING MAGAZINE

"An amazing account of maximizing human potential and exploring depths of spiritual understanding by running 100 miles through wild country. . ." -- CONTINENTAL MAGAZINE

"As Modzelewski reveals, running can transform one's life physically, emotionally and spiritually. . ." -- BOOKVIEWS.COM

"Modzelewski's link with spiritual reality, which is missing from modern civilization develops as he takes part in a mystical journey. . . " -- Lynn Butler, photographer of Imperiled Landscapes, Endangered Legends

Product Description

At the starting line of The Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run, a reporter asked entrant Michael Modzelewski: "How long have you been training for this race?" "All my life," the runner replied without hesitation.

And it's an inspiring and entertaining life that Modzelewski describes in this memoir. Along with a 'timeline' description of what it's like to run 100 continuous miles through wild country, the author weaves in growing up in the value-laden Midwest; youthful rambles through Europe and the American West; and working as an adventure travel writer, seeking out the offbeat and unusual in exotic places around the world.

Angeles Crest is about Family: reuniting with an estranged brother as they run the ultramarathon together, supported by the love of a famous father.

Infused with a protective passion for Nature, the author describes the effects of varied landscapes upon the human psyche. There are many close encounters with wildlife, including alligators in the Everglades, elephants in Africa, pumas in Patagonia, and a transformative Dream-Bear that helps explain to Modzelewski his astonishing experiences with an Angel and Extraterrestrials.

Angeles Crest is a tour de force, showing a man not only tapping the depths of human potential by running 100 miles, but also in exploring the mysteries of the universe, the author finishes with answers for us all.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 261 pages
• Publisher: Adventures Unlimited (FL); 1st edition (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966062590
• ISBN-13: 978-0966062595
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,215,055 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What do Women Really Want? A Man Like This!, May 3, 2000

By	Monique (France) - See all my reviews

I am stunned! And exhausted and inspired and in love.... I just finished ANGELES CREST and it is the best book I've ever read, because: (1) Michael Modzelewski has the courage of a lion. (2) The sensitivity of a poet. (3) The energy of 10 men. (4) A deep understanding of the feminine gender. The book works so wonderfully on so many levels at once: physically, intellectually, spiritually. It's an old-fashioned Quest with the final Prize the hardest things in this Life to find: Self-Knowledge and Universal Harmony. Not only does Michael take us over a 100 mile wilderness distance, but even farther within. Should be required reading for every human being, for the author is truly a 'Man' among Men who has answered many of the Mysteries this life places in our Path.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Complete Masterpiece, April 20, 2001

By	darren brown (New York City) - See all my reviews

Michael Modzelewski makes it clear from the start of this wonderful book that it is not limited to running (e.g.) a literary invocation quote from W.H. Auden: "The camera's eye does not lie, but it cannot show the life within the life of a runner." And what a life he's led and what a writer this man is! I've worked in publishing for 15 years and he's as great a descriptive writer as I've ever read. And his life and running are interwoven perfectly here, not only in the book's form of switching back-and-forth from running action to memory passages, but also metaphorically: by improving his life and overcoming tough challenges (willingly giving up a 'free-ride,' a college football scholarship to surviving killer malaria in Africa) the author steadily makes himself into a better runner. What I liked best is the overall tone of humility, self-depricating humor and the excellent relationship between Michael and his Dad. Unlike most kids with a famous father, instead of trying to overthrow, compete against, or punish "King Oedipus" with bad behavior, Michael's progressive successes in life only serve to increase the greatness of Ed Modzelewski as a father and his friend. In this day and age when the subjects of books and movies seem mostly to be about family dysfunction and misery, it's very heartening to read of such a positive, uplifting father-son relationship, as well as Michael's great effect on his brother and running partner, Scott. If you're looking for a step-by-step guidebook on how to run marathons, look elsewhere. But if you want an inspiring story of not only what it takes to master an immense physical challenge, but how to develop you mind and soul as well, Angeles Crest is a complete masterpiece.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Man for the Future NOW, June 20, 2005

By	Kimber Collins (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

Angeles Crest is pure bliss! Michael Modzelewski opened the Door with his first book, Inside Passage and here he runs through that door into a world we all should be living in, if we only we had the courage to open our minds to explore and accept "paranormal" worlds existing in parallel universes around us. WOW, Michael! You've taken your potential as a writer and a man and with this book blown it up sky-high and soul-deep. Michael Modzelewski is the prototype of the man for the future NOW. He operates on "all cylinders" -- and then some!!