Ultra Marathon Man: Memoir Of An Extreme Endurance Athlete

“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.” William Feather

If we just kept this quote in our minds daily, we would be more successful. I have heard that the only way to fail is to quit. Dean’s book starts when his career is cruising down the road of couch ridden weeknights and alcohol. He started his running career back as a young impressionable boy with an inspiring coach. “If it felt good, then you didn’t go hard enough.” Coach McTavish left a huge mark on Dean Karnazes. He still lives by that quote. He continues to run through his high school years and basically runs for his life. If he wants to visit his grandparents, he runs there! Sometimes 20-30 miles at a time. He finds himself in running. The book describes his first ultra marathon event as an absolute miserable experience, however, upon finishing, he’s immediately elated and is ready to sign up for his next one! At the completion of the book, he is running for the lives of other children by raising awareness for children who need organ donations.

Karnazes is an inspiration to me. It’s his adventure into his head, basically, and the challenges he fights in his head to keep going. I think most endurance sports are more about the emotional and mental challenges than the physical ones. If you have the attitude that you will finish, you will. If you think you can’t, you can’t.

Lessons that can be learned from the book are many. Most importantly, I think it’s about the journey. Who you become as a person at the end of the trip, race, or challenge. Find your passion and go after it with all your soul and you will improve and find success.