Ultrarunning: My Story

by Mike Bouscaren

Mike Bouscaren began running long distance events following decades of team and individual sports competition. He found ultrarunning's elemental spirituality so refreshingly free of hype and fanfare that he was compelled to chronicle his adventures. For athletes and truth seekers alike his story recalls the essential message that while in competition there is only one first place, others who contend are not precluded from winning in a more personal sense.

Paperback

First published August 6, 2007

Reviews

[Liralen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was...okay. Not brilliant. Pretty obviously self-published.

I'm on the lookout for any books about ultrarunning that I can find, so I was pretty pleased to pick this up at the local thrift store. For a slim volume, though, it took me a while to get through it - I guess I just wasn't invested.

The writing is fine, but I got the impression that the author was still working things out as he wrote. He goes back and forth between hating himself for DNF (Did Not Finish) results and being proud that he knew when to stop; he's trying to pull a lot of zen out of the experience, but I'm not sure that it's actually there.

(Also, as much as I appreciate photos in memoirs, the ones in here really shouldn't have been - the printing was too low-quality and the pictures looked dreadful.)

It's not a bad book, and I'm certainly impressed by the author's accomplishments. It just isn't terribly enticing, either.

[Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not bad. It was multiple stories of different races that the author completed. It's a short read and could be used for inspiration.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

B+ While not the best written book, really interesting and inspirational for ultrarunners.

[Thebestdogmom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok.