DNF: Rising From the Ashes

by Amy Mower

DNF – “Did Not Finish”. Those three letters put dread into the heart of every athlete. They represent failure, and as such are viewed by many as a mark of shame. When telling friends or family about a DNF, who has not received condolences such as “it’s better than did not start”, or “you went 80 miles! That’s further than most people will go in a lifetime!”. But often those words fall flat, as we beat ourselves up that somehow, we are not… good enough.

Rising From the Ashes is a compilation of stories by runners, for runners, about the heartbreak and redemption of a "Did Not Finish" race result. In a collection of heartfelt stories, these endurance athletes share their experiences, feelings, and lessons learned through failure.

377 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 10, 2024

Reviews

[Patrick Leber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I started reading, I was intrigued to hear the lessons learned from each story. We do this in Project Management which is why I was curious. What I found more interesting were the funny & good hearted stories. So, thank you to Steve Brooks (multiple stories), Shamus Babcock, Jennifer Cooper, and Fred Murolo for making me smile. My favorite … “DNF as a Spectator” by Steve Brooks :-)
Although I can’t relate to the hallucinations and torture ultra marathoners put onto their bodies, I still found these stories interesting to read.

[Erin Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded to 4 starts. I enjoyed the stories overall but not the writing of the stories. Sometimes how they were written slowed my reading down quite a bit making some of the longer stories almost too much for the book. I enjoyed the lessons learned, the many meanings of DNF and learning about races I’ve never heard of and their intricacies. Overall, interesting stories and a good read for runners of all distances.