I think without going into too much detail, it would be best to divide the book into two sections: Pt 1 - the Author's Background and First Exposure to the sport of Ultramarathons; & Pt 2 - Subsequent life for the Author since then.
Part I is what basically hooked me. Often (as a runner) it is quite hard to explain to others why I do what I do sometimes (running in the rain, ultra races, trudging through snow to complete my 5miles for the day, etc). And I believe in this book the author does a great job at capturing his personal reasons for picking up the sport. As he states off hand several times, everyone has their own reasons for running and perhaps that is what captivated me: reading one person's story and experiences; all the ups and downs. What I best loved about this section was the attention to details (somewhat) in what it is like to run extreme distances. The pain, the discomfort, the bodily functions, the joy, the walls, and the myriad of emotions in between. As much as I would like to say it is as easy as putting one foot in front of the other, the author here does a great job at showing it is that but also soo much more. The time required, the early and late night runs to maintain levels, the diets, the cramps, and the strong desire at time to just say 'screw this' and walk away. His description up through his first 100mile race is worth checking this book out.
Pt II however...this is where I agree with other reviews, it becomes apparent he is trying to market himself and promote this, how I would describe it, sense of superficial humility. He is not the first to do all of what he has done, nor is he the last. The dialogues he has with friends and family often come across as completely fabricated (in his defense it keeps the 'story' flowing) and I would have done without them. It is here that I had to force myself to finish the book. He blazes through the rest of his races without much detail other than self promotion for his belief of following his 'heart'. What he does not describe is the reality of the situations as he captured so well in the first half. The author must be financially secure and then some for very few of the ultra runners I know can even afford to do what he does. Trips across the country in a RV, entry fees, transpo, all the while keeping his family in tow are costly and he makes it sound as though us 'mere' normal runners do not do the runs he does because we are lazy. WHen in fact the simple truth is, one can not afford it. Everything has its price and he glosses over this fact while rubbing in the readers faces that not only does he have a Mercedes, a lucrative job with liberal leave, but also an RV to bring his team along. I am not trying to discredit the man (he IS very good at what he does and he IS inspirational) I was just disappointed because I thought the first half did an OUTSTANDING job at encouraging people and non active folks to get up and at least try.
All in all, I gave this a 4 star review. It is a pretty quick read and if you're not tempted to run at the end, you read it too fast. I would recommend this book for the first half alone, and say if you want to read the rest great, but the first half is what I believe will capture and inspire the mundane person into challenging themselves for something great; a pursuit of pleasure through a course of pain.
Shoot, inspired me to do my 50mile race in June 2010.Get more detail about Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner.
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