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Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner
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Binding: Paperback
Format: Bargain Price
Label: Penguin
Manufacturer: Penguin
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 304
Publication Date: March 02, 2006
Publisher: Penguin
Studio: Penguin
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Editorial Review:
Ultra-marathoner Dean Karnazes claims "There is magic in misery." While it would be easy to write off his habit of running for 100 miles at a time—or longer—as mere masochism, it's impossible to not admire his tenacity in pushing his body to reach one extreme goal after another. Sure, it's gory to read about how he lost one of his big toenails from shoe friction during the Western States Endurance Run. But what registers more is that here's a guy competing in an event that includes 38,000 feet of elevation change--the equivalent of scaling the Empire State Building 30 times.
Despite his considerable athleticism, "Karno" argues that the first half of any race is run with one's body, and the second half with the mind. Without delving into excessively touchy-feely territory, he explores "the possibilities of self" as he completes an ultra-marathon in 120-degree heat in Death Valley, and later the first-ever marathon at the South Pole. It's an odd combination: a California surfer dude contemplating how, as Socrates said, "Suffering leads to wisdom." But Karnazes's self-motivation is utterly intriguing, and it's impossible to read this memoir without wanting to go out and run a marathon yourself.--Erica Jorgensen
There are those of us whose idea of the ultimate physical challenge is the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon. And then there is Dean Karnazes. Karnazes has run 226.2 miles nonstop; he has completed the 135-mile Badwater Ultramara-thon across Death Valley National Park-considered the world's toughest footrace-in 130-degree weather; and he is the only person to complete a marathon to the South Pole in running shoes (and probably the only person to eat an entire pizza and a whole cheesecake while running). Karnazes is an ultramarathoner: a member of a small, elite, hard-core group of extreme athletes who race 50 miles, 100 miles, and longer. They can run forty-eight hours and more without sleep, barely pausing for food or water or even to use the bathroom. They can scale mountains, in brutally hot or cold weather, pushing their bodies, minds, and spirits well past what seems humanly possible. Ultramarathon Man is Dean Karnazes's story: the mind-boggling adventures of his nonstop treks through the hell of Death Valley, the incomprehensible frigidity of the South Pole, and the breathtaking beauty of the mountains and canyons of the Sierra Nevada. Karnazes captures the euphoria and out-of-body highs of these adventures. With an insight and candor rarely seen in sports memoirs, he also reveals how he merges the solitary, manic, self-absorbed life of hard-core ultrarunning with a full-time job, a wife, and two children, and how running has made him who he is today: a man with an überjock's body, a teenager's energy, and a champion's wisdom.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - He just gave me the inspiration I was looking for....
Coming from a person who dabbled in ultra marathons a decade ago, Dean has motivated me to make the jump from the mundane marathon to the longer races again. This book would not let me put it down, and I ended up reading it in one long session (and I'm not a fast reader). I have a fear of jumping from the 100K to the 100 mile race due to running at night and Dean told the story of how difficult it is to achieve the 100 mile limit and beyond. I'm amazed that you can make money doing what you love ... Read More
Rating: - Life Changing
This book is life changing and is a must read for everyone. The Ultramarathon Man took me from 195lbs and having high Cholesterol to 165lbs and low Cholersterol. I went from couch potatoe to running Marathons and Ultra marathons all in a 2 year period. This book was the most inspiring and life changing thing that has ever happened to me. Please read it so you can see what I'm talking about.
Rating: - Impressed and Inspired
Very familiar with Karnazes' resume from Outside mag and others, but never picked up this book because it seemed to be fluffy redux of other material. I was incredibly wrong. Written in plain style, the content is inspiring and downright belivable. No superhuman motivational stuff, just lots of get-down-to-business material about taking on challenges and having a fighting spirit. I was very surprised how much I liked this book and look forward to more like this.
Rating:  - Inspiring
I found this book to be inspiring.
The writing is not necessarily professional caliber, but I did not find it bad.... better than many other athlete written books.
And to address a criticism from other reviews-- the book is autobiographical. Of course it is about Dean, and what Dean has done. The book would be a failure if it were about ultramarathons as a separate entity... if you wanted that, why turn to an autobiographical book by a specific ultramarathon runner?
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Rating: - Completely Riveting
I couldn't put this book down! I found myself staying up way too late because I didn't want to stop reading this book. It's an easy read, and for anyone that runs or has ever thought about running Dean's stories are inspirational.
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