Running is an inexpensive, practical, and convenient sport, but some take it to the limit. From cold-weather running in Alaska to the intense heat of the Sahara Marathon, athletes attempt to overcome the elements. Extremes of environment, route, and geography are another challenge: trails through dense jungle and over soaring mountain ranges. The rewards are experiences of a lifetime, the sense of having been to largely unexplored places, and realizing unique ambitions. Never before has there been a manual to pull together all the elements of this new but fast-growing sport, touching on every aspect from lone desert running to ultramarathons. The follow-up to "Extreme Golf "and "Extreme Sailing," this third volume is a must-have for all runners.

Extreme Ultra Running presents the thrills and spills of this intriguing extreme sport. The carefully written, considerate text will hold the readers' interest and allow for successful mastery and comprehension. Written with a high interest level to appeal to a more mature audience, these books maintain a lower level of complexity with clear visuals to help struggling readers along. A table of contents, glossary with simplified pronunciations, and index all enhance achievement and comprehension.

"After a decade-long addiction to crack cocaine and alcohol, Charlie Engle hit rock bottom after a near-fatal six-day binge ended in a hail of bullets. Then he found running, and it has helped keep him sober, focused and alive. He began to take on the most extreme endurance races, such as the 155-mile Gobi March, and developed a reputation as an inspirational speaker. However, after he made the documentary Running the Sahara, narrated by Matt Damon, which followed him on a 4500-mile crossing of the desert and helped raise $6 million, he was sent to prison after failing to complete his mortgage application properly. It was while he was in jail that he became known as 'The Running Man' as he pounded the prison yard, and soon his fellow inmates were joining him, finding new hope through running. Now, in his brilliantly written and powerful account, Engle tells the story of his life and how running has brought him so much pleasure and peace. Like such classics as Born to Runor Running with the Kenyans, this is a book that anyone who has ever found solace in the freedom of running will enjoy"--Google Books.

In one of his most ambitious physical efforts to date, Dean Karnazes attempted to run 50 marathons, in 50 states, in 50 days to raise awareness of youth obesity and urge Americans of all fitness levels to "take that next step." "UltraMarathon Man: 50 Marathons - 50 States - 50 Days", a Journeyfilm documentary, follows Dean’s incredible step-by-step journey across the country. Ultrarunning legend Dean Karnazes has run 262 miles-the equivalent of ten marathons-without rest. He has run over mountains, across Death Valley, and to the South Pole-and is probably the first person to eat an entire pizza while running. With an insight, candor, and humor rarely seen in sports memoirs (and written without the aid of a ghostwriter or cowriter), Ultramarathon Man has inspired tens of thousands of people-nonrunners and runners alike-to push themselves beyond their comfort zones and be reminded of "what it feels like to be truly alive," says Sam Fussell, author of Muscle. Ultramarathon Man answers the questions Karnazes is continually asked: - Why do you do it? - How do you do it? - Are you insane? And in the new paperback edition, Karnazes answers the two questions he was most asked on his book tour: - What, exactly, do you eat? - How do you train to stay in such good shape?

The ultra-marathon runner takes on some of the world's most extreme races in an inspiring look at the reality of a long-distance runner.

An electrifying look inside the wild world of extreme distance running. Once the reserve of only the most hardcore enthusiasts, ultra running is now a thriving global industry, with hundreds of thousands of competitors each year. But is the rise of this most brutal and challenging sport—with races that extend into hundreds of miles, often in extreme environments—an antidote to modern life, or a symptom of a modern illness? In The Rise of the Ultra Runners, award-winning author Adharanand Finn travels to the heart of the sport to investigate the reasons behind its rise and discover what it takes to join the ranks of these ultra athletes. Through encounters with the extreme and colorful characters of the ultramarathon world, and his own experiences of running ultras everywhere from the deserts of Oman to the Rocky Mountains, Finn offers a fascinating account of people testing the boundaries of human endeavor.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO RUN FOR 30, 50, OR 100 MILES? This book is a great inspiration not only to current ultrarunners, and to marathoners looking for the next challenge—but also to runners of all abilities, who will see that there is nothing you can’t do if you have the desire. What makes ultrarunners tick? What goes through their minds at mile 93? How can you train for such a colossal undertaking? These questions and many more are answered in this inspiring collection of 39 personal stories from ultramarathoners. Ultramarathoning is the logical next step for those who burn with a desire to explore their limits, and beyond. It is impossible to run ultra distances without coming away with at least one fascinating story. This book is full of them. There are stories of fatigue, blisters, nausea, and despair. But the ultrarunner prevails to find hope, love, healing, self-discovery, friendship, selflessness, and in the end, for most, triumph. Learn what it feels like to run an ultra from the champions, the newcomers, and the veterans of the sport. A few brief excerpts: “I left Edinburg witnessing my second sunrise on this run. Most ultrarunners dread dawn—the hours from 4:00 to 6:00 a.m.—primarily because this is when fatigue sets in.” —Keith Knipling “It would be hours before we’d see the first aid station, and probably close to two days before we’d have dry feet again!” —Deb Pero “I’m 95 miles into a 100-miler, it’s over 100 degrees out, my legs are shot, I’m a few scant minutes ahead of Ann and Gabriel, and my pacer is stopped dead in the trail for fear of a skunk?” —Tim Twietmeyer “Ultrarunning is without question the most feared aspect of adventure racing.” —Ian Adamson “The urge to quit right there was overwhelming, but I was still in the race. Perhaps a miracle would happen and I could get in under the four hours it would take to make the next cutoff. I thanked the aid station captain and plunged into the darkness.” —Will Brown “It was time to put all the viable excuses aside and look inside.” —Tracy Baldyga “I think I quit about 20 times during the race, mostly between the time the sun went down and the time that I finally walked away. Reality sets in when it gets dark. The trail gets lonely.” —Jason Hodde “During every race you are faced with a moment of truth, a point in the race when you either quit or persevere to the end. Every person who finishes an ultramarathon has accomplished a great feat, simply because they finished.” —Bethany Hunter

It’s no secret that if you plan to run in the toughest endurance races, you need to physically prepare for the extreme demands you will be subjecting your body to. But successful runners will be quick to note that physical preparation is only part of the equation. You need to be mentally strong to withstand, and overcome, the challenges of this grueling sport. That’s where Mental Training for Ultrarunning comes in. Sport psychology consultant Addie Bracy has coached and provided mental performance consulting to elite athletes in many sports, and she herself has been a competitive distance runner for more than two decades. In Mental Training for Ultrarunning, she combines her firsthand coaching and running experience, along with profiles of ultrarunners who’ve experienced the highs and lows of the sport, to explain what you need to know and practice in order to cross that finish line. In this book, you will learn tools and techniques to help you prepare for and overcome some of the biggest mental and emotional challenges you may encounter in ultrarunning. You’ll find more than 35 practical activities that will guide you in taking an introspective look at your own potential roadblocks so you can develop and strengthen the skills you need to run with confidence. Whether you’re training for your first ultra or looking to compete at a higher level, Mental Training for Ultrarunning will prepare you for the good, the bad, and the worst experiences you might encounter on the trail, road, or track. With expert guidance from athletes who have seen it all, you’ll learn how to train your mind and anticipate all the variables that could keep you from achieving your ultimate running goals.

A New York Times bestseller 'A sensation ... a rollicking tale well told' - The Times At the heart of Born to Run lies a mysterious tribe of Mexican Indians, the Tarahumara, who live quietly in canyons and are reputed to be the best distance runners in the world; in 1993, one of them, aged 57, came first in a prestigious 100-mile race wearing a toga and sandals. A small group of the world's top ultra-runners (and the awe-inspiring author) make the treacherous journey into the canyons to try to learn the tribe's secrets and then take them on over a course 50 miles long. With incredible energy and smart observation, McDougall tells this story while asking what the secrets are to being an incredible runner. Travelling to labs at Harvard, Nike, and elsewhere, he comes across an incredible cast of characters, including the woman who recently broke the world record for 100 miles and for her encore ran a 2:50 marathon in a bikini, pausing to down a beer at the 20 mile mark.

This book has a single purpose - to inspire you to run! Through sharing a detailed account of my first three years of pursuing running from the middle to back of the pack, it will hopefully show you you are capable of much more than you may think. After my father almost died of a heart attack, it was time for me to change everything. Little did I know how much I would learn after taking on some physical exercise. It's not clear to me why I chose running ultra marathons of all forms of exercise, since I was unable to run beyond one mile just a few years prior. But since that fateful day, I've never looked back.