And Then the Vulture Eats You

by John L. Parker Jr. (Editor)

The best writers in the sport of running take up a fascinating subject, the last frontier of long-distance races longer than a marathon . Who runs these 50-milers, 100-milers, multi-day events, multi-event events? And why do they do it? And (okay, admit you're a little curious) what's it like to do one? James Shapiro, a long time ultra-runner, whose Meditations from the Breakdown Lane is a classic piece of running literature, begins by relating with heart-rending detail his experiences in a 6-Day Race in Swifts on the Wing. In To the Limit and Beyond, Kenny Moore takes you through a gut-wrenching experience in his first-person account of the Great Hawaiian Footrace, a horrendous 6-day ordeal that seemingly changes his life . Don Kardong, one of the wittiest and most personable writers in the sport, in Le Grizz goes the 50-mile distance at the infamous race that gives this piece its name. Along the way this former Olympic marathoner, like so many participants in these events, makes startling discoveries about himself. Ed Ayres, editor of Running Times, takes on the Western States 100 in Wings of Icarus, and the event turns out to be a kind of catharsis in his life. In Road Warriors, Hal Higdon's report on his group's informal attempt to run across the state of Indiana is another kind of ultra a light-hearted, self-imposed challenge that turns, like most ultra events, into a revealing spiritual odyssey. Tom Hart's self-imposed challenge, to run a solo 37-miler on his 37th birthday, is the basis for his ultra story. He finds out, as do the others, that an effort on the magnitude of an ultra is more than a feat of endurance, it is a journey into self . John Parker ends with And Then the Vulture Eats You, an uproarious analysis of today's ultra runners (Mystic Ultras). Your sides will ache from reading his account of the war between the Track Men and the Mystic Ultras in the Jackson, Michigan Ultimate Runner contest, in which the entrants race a 10K, a 440, a mile, a 100-yd dash, a mile, and a marathon, all in the same day . If you are an ultra runner, have ever been even mildly curious about such events, or if you are just a lover of great writing, you will greatly enjoy this book.

Genres: Sports, Short Stories, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1990

About the author

John L. Parker Jr. has written for Outside, Runner’s World, and numerous other publications. He was the Southeastern Conference mile champion three times, and the United States Track and Field Federation national champion in the steeplechase, and was the teammate of Olympians Frank Shorter, Jack Bacheler, and Jeff Galloway on several championship cross-country teams. A graduate of the University of Florida’s College of Journalism as well as its College of Law, Parker has been a practicing attorney, a newspaper reporter and columnist, a speechwriter for then Governor Bob Graham, and editorial director of Running Times magazine. He lives in Gainesville, Florida, and Bar Harbor, Maine.

---From http://authors.simonandschuster.com/J...

Reviews

[Nick Klagge · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad sent me this book since I am planning on running my first ultramarathon in September (the Berkeley Trail Adventure 50k). My dad is also a distance runner, but has only attempted one ultra, which he dropped because of weather conditions.

Like my dad, I enjoy reading running-related books during my training, to keep my enthusiasm up. As it turned out, this book was especially important for me because I had it with me on a business trip to Boston where, on my very first day running, something weird happened that strained something in my back. The result was that I didn't run for the rest of the trip, or the day I got back. This is a surprisingly bad feeling (the not running, aside from the back pain), and it was great for me to have the book to still have a link to running (other than looking wistfully at all the unused gear I had packed) while I was recovering.

I wasn't sure what to make of this one when I looked it over. It is from a different era. Originally published in 1990 or so, it consists of several independent essays, most of which were previously published in magazines, that together give a sort of picture of ultrarunning in the late 1970s and 1980s. It's a totally different world from today's ultra world, where the top athletes are all sponsored by equipment companies, and races like the Western States 100 (which just happened yesterday) draw a relatively large amount of attention. Most of all, I think the difference is that today, if you are interested in ultrarunning it is easy to find a ton of information on the internet. Back then, that wasn't the case, and people who were interested had to search for like-minded individuals, and scour the backs of magazines for advertisements for the odd ultra event.

The essays in this book were all pretty enjoyable. They are about a wide variety of events, from the WS100, to a 6-day race, a couple of single- or multi-day race series, a run organized by the author with a few of his friends, and a run undertaken by the author just on his own. Some of these events had almost no appeal to me, while others were very compelling. But I thought all of the authors had interesting things to say about the mental, emotional, and social challenges of distance running, as well as of course the physical challenges. The most appealing essay to me was about a (non-race) run across Indiana organized by the author with some of his friends. I really like the idea of organizing a grassroots running event based on some oddball idea.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

A variety of short stories. Some are excellent but others so so otherwise. The good ones were great. It must be very hard to try and have the reader experience the same feelings as the author experienced. Great idea though with this book

[Kecia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice collection of essays on ultra running (that's running past the marathon point). I like the Don Kardong essays best. He cracks me up!

[Darryl Scroggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed each of the short stories, but I enjoy running marathons.
This is a must read for all long distance runners.

[Duffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into it thinking it would be stories from regular people doing interesting things written in an entertaining way, but it is mostly about interesting people doing interesting things written in the most boring way possible. I fell asleep reading it three times.

[Michael DeCaprio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little book of ultra runner stories

[Christopher Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This rating is definitely influenced by the fact that I recently signed up for a race where I will run the same 5k loop over and over for 24 hours (or as long as I can...) and this book is about other similar stupid things.

It helps that the essays are all funny, well-written and most (not all) could be appreciated by runners and non-runners alike.

As a runner, I definitely appreciate the fact that the runner-writers in this collection all have serious qualifications: Olympians, record holders, all-Americans. Plus, I didn't realize the other obvious thing about the collection which is that it is a who's who of running Journalism and writing. All but two of the writers are among the most established names in running-journalism.

Taken as a whole, this collection definitely should be entered into the debate about the "running canon." It might just belong there.

[Tim Mullican · Rating 3 out of 5]

This appears to be a compilation of older stories published previously in running magazines. As one other reviewer has said, these are mostly "old school" stories of ultrarunning. It still motivates one by showing what is possible in the realm of ultramarathoning. Don't have any ultramarathon in your area? Then make up your own challenge of running across your state or circumnavigating your favorite park. All in all a pretty quick read.

[Patrick Cauldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, although not quite what I expected. These stories are all written by what I would consider to be the old guard of ultra running, from the 80's and early 90's. The sport has changed a bit since then (which is interesting to know) so this is more about ultra running as it was rather than as it is.

Still, a very enjoyable read about some amazing accomplishments.

[Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun collection of Ultra marathon stories and multi day races. I think my favorite is the ultimate runner race. This is really 5 races with accumulated points in one day. A 10k, a 400 meter race, a 100 meter race, a mile race, and a marathon in this order.

Thin book - stories are short and fun. Good enough to read again.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stories whether you run ultras or not. Some of the stories had me giggling as I was reading. each story is different and entertaining. Feels like you're sitting around a campfire telling stories with these guys. Too bad it's such a quick read.

[Charlotte Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for anyone interested in ultra or adventure running!

[Thebestdogmom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old stories. Not bad.

[Christopher Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting collection of ultramarathoning stories. Worth it for the insight but the stories by themselves aren't outrageously interesting.

[Dan Stoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great great running stories. A fast and enjoyable read.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collection of 8 stories of an ultra run. Interesting. Definitely gives perspective on the ultra.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5.0 This book could use another round of editing. Like all anthologies, I found some pieces more interesting and well written than others.

[Toph White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read. I couple good stories of different races, runs and challenges.