Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnases

From The Week of January 10, 2010

With the cheer and good humor one might expect of the absolutely insane, Dean Karnazes introduces us to the world of ultramarathons and their runners. Defined as a race longer than the standard marathon (40 kilometers or 26 miles), ultramarathons attract a special kind of person who, by dint of innate ability or through extensive training, is able to suppress the body's customary responses to immense pain and crushing fatigue in order to complete what are, by any normal measure, superhuman feats of endurance. Though this company of formidable wills must surely experience its fair share of arrogance and self-importance, we find, in Ultramarathon Man, a kind of serenity of spirit that appears to be a hallmark among those able to push their bodies beyond ordinary, physical barriers.

Mr. Karnazes, in particular, seems unaffected by feats. Rather, he is attracted to the opportunity to be alone, to think, to dream, and to reflect upon ones life while running through the night. The challenge is important -- no one would suffer so if it wasn't --, but perhaps finding oneself is the original lure, not the pursuit itself. And so this is a story about a mental journey as much as a physical one, an odyssey of self-discovery, of fitting together the pieces of a life which, thanks to the noise of the everyday, remain scattered and unsorted.

What kind of clarity would we find at the end of a 100 mile run, when our bodies have been pushed beyond our limits, when we've reached inside ourselves for the last ounce of will to go just that little bit farther? When you burn away the detritus of your mundane life, what do you find underneath? Can we endure the pain to find out? Mr. Karnazes is certainly one example of a man who met his measure and pushed through, to find himself capable of undreamed feats. What could we accomplish if, one night, at a loss, we laced up our runners and left the warm comforts of our familiar homes for the unfamiliar road?

A successful book in every respect, as insightful on matters of the human spirit as it is inspirational with regard to what we can achieve if we put ourselves to it. (5/5 Stars)