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And Then the Vulture Eats You: True Tales About Ultramarathons and Those Who Run Them
"It won't matter whether or not you've attempted an ultra, or whether or not you even dream of one. If you enjoy running and reading, you'll want this book."—David Meyers, Running Journal The best writers in the sport of running describe the last frontier of long-distance races longer than a marathon. James Shapiro begins by relating with heart-rending detail his experiences in a six-day race in "Swifts on the Wing." In "To the Limit and Beyond," Kenny Moore takes you through the Great Hawaiian Footrace, a horrendous six-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 fifty-mile distance at the infamous race. Ed Ayres, former 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 attempt to run across the state of Indiana is a lighthearted, self-imposed challenge that turns into a spiritual odyssey. Tom Hart attempts to run a solo thirty-seven-miler on his thirty-seventh birthday, which reveals that an ultra is more than a feat of endurance, it is a journey into self. John L. Parker, Jr. ends with "And Then the Vulture Eats You," an uproarious analysis of ultra runners. A book for all ultra runners, and for curious "normal" runners.
176 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1990
3 people are currently reading
154 people want to read
About the author
John L. Parker Jr.
8 books103 followersJohn 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...
---From http://authors.simonandschuster.com/J...
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 28, 2015
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.
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.
July 4, 2014
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
June 4, 2007
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!
December 3, 2013
I enjoyed each of the short stories, but I enjoy running marathons.
This is a must read for all long distance runners.
This is a must read for all long distance runners.
October 10, 2017
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.
July 12, 2017
Fun little book of ultra runner stories
November 20, 2015
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.
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.
December 25, 2013
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.
March 26, 2012
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.
Still, a very enjoyable read about some amazing accomplishments.
May 10, 2016
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.
Thin book - stories are short and fun. Good enough to read again.
August 17, 2012
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.
July 29, 2009
Must read for anyone interested in ultra or adventure running!
October 19, 2011
Old stories. Not bad.
September 9, 2012
Interesting collection of ultramarathoning stories. Worth it for the insight but the stories by themselves aren't outrageously interesting.
August 28, 2013
Great great running stories. A fast and enjoyable read.
May 14, 2014
Collection of 8 stories of an ultra run. Interesting. Definitely gives perspective on the ultra.
July 8, 2014
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.
June 13, 2016
Not a bad read. I couple good stories of different races, runs and challenges.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews