Running Through the Wall: Personal Encounters with the Ultramarathon

By: Jamison, Neal

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1891369377
• ISBN13: 9781891369377
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Breakaway Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Considering an ultra? Want to understand someone who is?

This is a wonderful collection of personal essays on what it means to make the personal sacrifices to run beyond marathon distances. Every essay is written from an intensely personal point-of-view and shares a variety of tips and tricks for getting through the physical challenges of running an ultramarathon (any distance over a marathon). What makes this an impressive collection, though, are each individual's sharing of the emotional aspects of preparing for, running and finishing an ultramarathon. The collection ends with a touching, honest account of an ultramarathoner who perseveres in his final race only to die any untimely death a day later. The accounts of race winners, finishers, and those who try are a testament that all who stand at the start of an ultra come away winners in one respect or another.

"... running 100 miles distills my soul..."

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."

So why do they do that?!?!

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.

Makes me want to run...

The stories in this book help me see why some people like to run these races. I could never imagine running even 3 miles, much less 30 or 50 or even 100! But reading these makes me feel like trying.

Great inspiration!!

In this collection of stories from over 40 ultrarunners, there is definite inspiration for every runner. For me, having never done an ultra, I was curious about the sport, but am now inspired to attempt my first. There are many great stories here from first-timers like Sophie Spiedel and Keith Knipling to veterans like Ann Trason and Ian Torrence, and ANY runner can learn something from all their experiences.