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To the Edge: A Man, Death Valley, and the Mystery of Endurance
When his beloved brother commits suicide, Kirk starts running straight into the hell of Badwater, the ultimate test of endurance equal to five consecutive marathons. Alongside a group of virtual running machines, Kirk will stare down his limitations and his fears on a journey that might offer the redemption of his most personal loss.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
11 people are currently reading
306 people want to read
About the author
Kirk Johnson
38 books1 followerLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
October 20, 2008
Not at all what the title promises. The focus is resolutely on the man and his trials outside of the race, how they feed into it. Consider this more an autobiographical story about an emotionally fragile reporter who happens to run Badwater. I really wanted to know more about Death Valley, about the limits of endurance in these conditions, the trials of the competitors. Endurance was left as an unexamined mystery at the end while you hear a great deal about Kirk Johnson's emotional. For example, he seems content to leave us with the idea that "spirit" can overcome and that instinct is the best way to approach survival. No. We are biological machines; spirit cannot bring us to a violation of chemical/physical/mechanical laws. This is a point that I'm sure many people who do the race consider ... what's my metabolic rate in these conditions, how much salt (and other electrolytes) am I losing, etc. Leaving this unexamined is why he concludes that a great deal of this is luck. For the foolish, and underprepared, yes. I'm not sure it's a worthless book, but it's not the book alluded to by the title.
July 30, 2023
Fascinating and inspiring story. I recently started running and one of the organizers at a race read a passage from this during the pre race briefing. I decided to check it out. I don't plan on ever running something like this personally but in my own way I certainly took things away from this. I also liked the parts about dealing with grief as that is another area I connected. I thought it was well written. I'm not a huge fan of nonfiction in general. It definitely takes certain types of stories to pull me in. So really anytime I finish one, I feel like it was well done to keep me going. But I did really like this in a lot of ways.
February 2, 2012
Just finished this last night for my bookclub. I love reading and hearing stories about Badwater, so I was excited that this was on our "to read" list. I could have skipped the first two to three chapters, which have more to do with the author and his coming to terms with the dramas of his life than ramping up for the race. I will admit that I'm the type of person who doesn't care about the sob stories told during the televised production of Kona or care to hear the behind-the-scenes look at the athletes life, beyond training, during the Olympics. I only want to know about the training, how they got there, what drove them and see how they perform. Once Kirk got to the actual race and we were out on the course with him and his brother and sister, the book truly came alive. I loved every moment of living the race with him. Most of the build up felt like fluff to get the book to X number of chapters.
August 23, 2010
A book about enduring to the end.
May 28, 2018
Kind of stupid to run Badwater with so little experience and I don't really want to encourage it. Still, was decently written.
December 31, 2019
A fascinating read. I read it cover to cover in less than a week. With an anti-atheletic background, after the death of his brother he somehow became enchanted with the prospect of running the most grueling ultra distance in the US. This book is his story. As a newspaper reporter, he already knows how to write. Thus he was able to enter the race even though he didn't have the usual qualifications.
Along the way he dropped hints of his "Mormon" background, but never did say much about it.
His brother Gary (or Greg) was the active LDS among his siblings.
There is quite a bit of philosophising, and there are also aspects that get scant coverage.
I had hoped to get Carol to read at least part of it so she might gain some understanding of
why guys do this sort of thing, but even though I read the first few pages aloud she didn't gain enough interest to have any desire to continue reading it. Actually, it seems to have had the
opposite of the effect that I expected. It seemed to cement her conviction that men are crazy, and
that her husband is a man, and thus in that group.
Along the way he dropped hints of his "Mormon" background, but never did say much about it.
His brother Gary (or Greg) was the active LDS among his siblings.
There is quite a bit of philosophising, and there are also aspects that get scant coverage.
I had hoped to get Carol to read at least part of it so she might gain some understanding of
why guys do this sort of thing, but even though I read the first few pages aloud she didn't gain enough interest to have any desire to continue reading it. Actually, it seems to have had the
opposite of the effect that I expected. It seemed to cement her conviction that men are crazy, and
that her husband is a man, and thus in that group.
Read
August 8, 2021I have had this book on my shelf for years. I wanted to read it for reasons other than what the author wrote. I began running in 1978 and ran for almost 30 years. But most of my fanatic, die-hard training and escapades were in the early '80s. That was when I wanted to run an ultramarathon.
So it was with a sense of nostalgia and a little bit of envy that I read of the author's attempt to conquer Badwater. I found him to be brutally honest in his story. While I knew he would eventually complete the race - or why write the book - his writing nevertheless kept me in suspense as to if he would make the 60-hour (and get a belt buckle souvenir) cut-off or not. I suffered the same delusions, thoughts, hallucinations, and painful feet that he did when I ran my only 50-mile ultra. But I had normal spring daylight weather, not desert conditions and unbelievable heat that he had.
I recommend this book if you are a distance runner or walker and if you are interested in how the mind can be a friend or enemy on long-distance endeavors such as this.
So it was with a sense of nostalgia and a little bit of envy that I read of the author's attempt to conquer Badwater. I found him to be brutally honest in his story. While I knew he would eventually complete the race - or why write the book - his writing nevertheless kept me in suspense as to if he would make the 60-hour (and get a belt buckle souvenir) cut-off or not. I suffered the same delusions, thoughts, hallucinations, and painful feet that he did when I ran my only 50-mile ultra. But I had normal spring daylight weather, not desert conditions and unbelievable heat that he had.
I recommend this book if you are a distance runner or walker and if you are interested in how the mind can be a friend or enemy on long-distance endeavors such as this.
May 11, 2017
As a fan of all running literature (especially ultra running), New York Times author Kirk Johnson shares his story of entering in to the Badwater Ultramarathon and despite feeling like a complete outsider in the race, he strives to cross 135 miles of Death Valley on foot in under 60 hours. Johnson goes in to heartbreaking detail about the blisters, hallucinations, and emotional highs and lows of his training and race day.
January 8, 2021
Daunting
Kirk Johnson's well-written and gripping account of his experience with the Badwater Ultramarathon makes the reader contemplate the limits of human endurance. Well over 100 miles through one of the hottest places on Earth, it's difficult to imagine that completing Badwater is even possible. But it is. Kirk Johnson meets interesting character, tests his limits, and finds himself in the experience he describes in "To the Edge."
Kirk Johnson's well-written and gripping account of his experience with the Badwater Ultramarathon makes the reader contemplate the limits of human endurance. Well over 100 miles through one of the hottest places on Earth, it's difficult to imagine that completing Badwater is even possible. But it is. Kirk Johnson meets interesting character, tests his limits, and finds himself in the experience he describes in "To the Edge."
December 28, 2018
An incredible account about a feat of extraordinary endurance. I really enjoyed this book about the Death Valley ultra marathon called Badwater. Starting in what seems like a furnace below sea level in extreme heat the runners ascend and finish in the Sierra Nevada. A must read!
August 19, 2019
I really struggled to finish this book. First, I have tremendous respect for the author and the fact that he finished Badwater. It was great to get insight into the race, the prep, and the true guts to try it.
That being said, Johnson's incessant complaining proved to be too much. The questions, whining, and self doubt drove me nuts. At times I felt like I was reading a pity party book vs a story about one man's accomplishments. It really got to the point to where I felt like the author was a baby just looking to find something to worry about.
I understand the point of the book but most of it was lost on me. I almost skipped the last two chapters and cut to the finish line!
That being said, Johnson's incessant complaining proved to be too much. The questions, whining, and self doubt drove me nuts. At times I felt like I was reading a pity party book vs a story about one man's accomplishments. It really got to the point to where I felt like the author was a baby just looking to find something to worry about.
I understand the point of the book but most of it was lost on me. I almost skipped the last two chapters and cut to the finish line!
November 9, 2019
It's a good one. An impressive personal account of a journey from a non runner to a Bad water ultra runner. Great detail about the later stages of the races and the torturous conditions of running a race 135 miles in July through Death Valley and up into the Sierras . Yowsers .
July 15, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Very inspiring!
March 29, 2025
Best book I've read in 2025
April 27, 2008
Following his brother's death, NY Times reporter Kirk Johnson decided to become a runner. But he wasn't interested in doing any old race - he had his heart set on running the Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile race across Death Valley, widely regarded as the most difficult footrace in the world. This book chronicles his descent into ultrarunning and (simultaneously) gonzo journalism.
In a normal newspaper story, the reporter remains at a distance from his subject - there is no "I", and so the tone is (perceived as) objective, rather than subjective, or at least that is what they strive for. In gonzo journalism, the journalist inserts the "I" and truly becomes "one of those crazies" (as he says), which is what happens here. While this gives a more interesting look at Mr. Johnson's struggle to go from a non-runner to an elite athlete over the course of a year, it also skews the perspective one gets of the race. Other participants wander in and out, never fully characterized beyond their most recognizable qualities - this one had cancer, these ones are twins, this one is an amputee.
The lack of distance is obviously something Mr. Johnson is neither used to nor comfortable with; he spends a significant portion of the book returning, like a good Times reporter, to the history of the race and that of Death Valley. The information is interesting, but ultimately irrelevant, and the book would have done better had he simply surrendered, Hunter S. Thompson-like, to the pull of the race.
This "distant lack of distance" works to his disadvantage in another way: Mr. Johnson is never entirely successful in exploring his reasons for beginning the Badwater journey. Just as he has no explanation for his brother's suicide, he seems to have no reasons for whatever drove him to commit this much time and energy to so strange a quest; the few he comes up with (to be closer to his brother, primarily) are never closely examined, and cannot be, because his brother is never really fleshed out as a character.
The story, while interesting, had the potential to be truly moving - a tale of self-discovery and healing. But instead of the reader feeling the sentiments, we're left with the sense that the author pointed at a photo and said, "This was very moving". Nice try, but we remain unaffected. Whether this is a quality of Mr. Johnson's writing or simply a fact of trying to deal with a difficult subject, I cannot say. The book is worth a look if you're interested in running and its history.
In a normal newspaper story, the reporter remains at a distance from his subject - there is no "I", and so the tone is (perceived as) objective, rather than subjective, or at least that is what they strive for. In gonzo journalism, the journalist inserts the "I" and truly becomes "one of those crazies" (as he says), which is what happens here. While this gives a more interesting look at Mr. Johnson's struggle to go from a non-runner to an elite athlete over the course of a year, it also skews the perspective one gets of the race. Other participants wander in and out, never fully characterized beyond their most recognizable qualities - this one had cancer, these ones are twins, this one is an amputee.
The lack of distance is obviously something Mr. Johnson is neither used to nor comfortable with; he spends a significant portion of the book returning, like a good Times reporter, to the history of the race and that of Death Valley. The information is interesting, but ultimately irrelevant, and the book would have done better had he simply surrendered, Hunter S. Thompson-like, to the pull of the race.
This "distant lack of distance" works to his disadvantage in another way: Mr. Johnson is never entirely successful in exploring his reasons for beginning the Badwater journey. Just as he has no explanation for his brother's suicide, he seems to have no reasons for whatever drove him to commit this much time and energy to so strange a quest; the few he comes up with (to be closer to his brother, primarily) are never closely examined, and cannot be, because his brother is never really fleshed out as a character.
The story, while interesting, had the potential to be truly moving - a tale of self-discovery and healing. But instead of the reader feeling the sentiments, we're left with the sense that the author pointed at a photo and said, "This was very moving". Nice try, but we remain unaffected. Whether this is a quality of Mr. Johnson's writing or simply a fact of trying to deal with a difficult subject, I cannot say. The book is worth a look if you're interested in running and its history.
June 2, 2013
A novice ultra marathoner and a journalist running the world's hottest 135 mile course in the middle of summer is bound to produce a lyrical narrative of the journey. Add to that a quest to come to terms with his brother's suicide and an attempt to have his siblings crew for him, and the lyrical narrative just gets more packed with more soul searching. The motif in the book is humility (and throwing himself under the bus in many places). From his clumsy coming to terms with his brother's death, his hesitation to reach out to his siblings, his novice preps, lauding the ultra marathon greats (including those with prosthesis and cancer survivors who run this mother of endurance events) who run alongside his novice self, his physical and mental trauma during the race and how he overcame them..to the humility at the finish line - the narrative is an intensely personal account of his journey.
On the flip side, the book could have used much tighter editing. There are many places where he repeats himself. At others, the imagery woke up the skeptic in me instead of the dreamer. I was left saying "get on with it now" in these places.
But the deep respect I have for ultra marathoners still stays after I turned the last page. More power to this paradoxical egotistic humble breed!
On the flip side, the book could have used much tighter editing. There are many places where he repeats himself. At others, the imagery woke up the skeptic in me instead of the dreamer. I was left saying "get on with it now" in these places.
But the deep respect I have for ultra marathoners still stays after I turned the last page. More power to this paradoxical egotistic humble breed!
August 16, 2010
This book was really interesting. It is the story of a reporter who signs up for Badwater, a 135 mile ultramarathon from the lowest point in Death Valley to the highest point. Johnson signs up for the race after his brother commits suicide -- Johnson's goal is to explore what makes a person able to endure. Johnson takes another brother and sister with him as crew, and aside from the family stories we also see Johnson's change from an observer of the race (as a reporter) to a whole hearted participant. The early part of the book was less interesting to me as I was not compelled by the questions of why some people do endurance events or even are able to survive certain circumstances while others cannot. What most interested me, was how the idea of Badwater started to obsess Johnson. The books does a good job of carrying the reader along on this transformation. At first I thought only crazy people would run the race, but by the end of the book I could understand its appeal. I'm unlikely to be running in the sauna to train for this race any time soon, but this book is a good glimpse into why someone might do something like that.
January 19, 2011
Kirk Johnson, a writer for the New York Times, decides to run the Badwater Ultramarathon after the unexpected death of his brother. He chronicles his preparation and training for the most grueling footrace on the planet. At times his lack of confidence and anxiety feels redundant and tiring. The book improves when he writes about some of the Badwater history and introduces other runners in the race. Previously I read "A Few Degrees from Hell: The 2003 Badwater Ultramarathon", which includes race reports from various runners. I think it would be better to read this book first since some of the same runners return for the 2003 race. Both books are good reads for anyone interested in ultramarathons or human endurance. And, the books are a MUST for anyone contemplating crewing for Badwater or running the race.
April 18, 2011
I'm a sucker for books about extreme endurance and this book certainly fits the bill. Though there are some lulls here and there when the author reflects on his brother's death, the book is really a page turner. I stayed up way too late a few nights without even realizing it.
It's truly mind-boggling to me that people can find the will to run a race like Badwater. I've ran one marathon and have another one scheduled this fall and, to me, that's extreme. Add over 100 extra miles, 120+ degree temps, and a mountain climb and that's just insane.
The author is a writer by trade, so the book is well-written in addition to being very intriguing. Recommended.
It's truly mind-boggling to me that people can find the will to run a race like Badwater. I've ran one marathon and have another one scheduled this fall and, to me, that's extreme. Add over 100 extra miles, 120+ degree temps, and a mountain climb and that's just insane.
The author is a writer by trade, so the book is well-written in addition to being very intriguing. Recommended.
September 16, 2007
There was a while there when I was training for the New York Marathon where I was reading a lot of books about endurance, and especially about ultra-marathons. This one is a memoir of a New York Times reporter who signs up for Badwater, the toughest of the ultra marathon events*. Its not a great book. Too much handwringing and self-pity, not enough gruesome details of the run. This one is for the endurance memoir completist only.
*he is featured in running on the sun for all you ultras geeks out there.
*he is featured in running on the sun for all you ultras geeks out there.
March 8, 2013
Compelling read, and very well written. Oddly, it was only toward the end that he lost me...I understand that mental deterioration is part of the race, but it's hard to make it interesting for all that long. But part of the point of the book is that things are what they are.
If you're on the fence about reading this, watch the documentary "Running on the Sun" which captured Badwater the year the author ran it.
BTW, found this after Dean Karnazes recommended it during a Marathon Training Academy podcast where he was a guest.
If you're on the fence about reading this, watch the documentary "Running on the Sun" which captured Badwater the year the author ran it.
BTW, found this after Dean Karnazes recommended it during a Marathon Training Academy podcast where he was a guest.
November 18, 2013
As writing goes To the Edge is not the greatest. With a good edit the book could have been shortened (especially in the first 2 or 3 chapters). My interest was held by the subject matter, endurance running and those who do it, and so pushed through. Johnson's description during the actual race is eye opening and could be frightening to a novice considering such a race as the Badwater. I believe an earlier reviewer very much missed it when they stated Johnson left them hanging on what is endurance.
May 22, 2009
This was definitely an interesting look into the most punishing ultra-marathon (135 miles, starting in Death Valley....in July), and I enjoyed reading it, however, it did make me question what drives people to do that. And, I thought it could have been written in half as many pages -- I thought he overemphasized the deep meaning and life lessons in every little thing, including blisters, more than was necessary.
October 12, 2009
Kirk Johnson was an everyday joe schmo who had never even run a marathon and decided after interviewing a Badwater Ultramarathon runner that he wanted to train for and run the race and write about it. This book is a great read for someone who occasionally questions their sanity when it comes to running. Training for a marathon seems like a walk in the park compared to this 135 mile ultra that takes you through Death Valley.
June 4, 2007
Imagine running 140 miles from the lowest point to the highest point of Death Valley in JULY!!!
I have met two people who actually did it and survived to tell the tale. This book is about the author's quest to run the Badwater ultra. This is one of the most brutal races on earth. Read this book and watch the documentary film "Running on the Sun."
I have met two people who actually did it and survived to tell the tale. This book is about the author's quest to run the Badwater ultra. This is one of the most brutal races on earth. Read this book and watch the documentary film "Running on the Sun."
March 17, 2008
This is about a NY Times reporter who took a year off to train to run an ultramarathon called Badwater: a 135 mile race across Death Valley in the middle of summer. It really gets you into the mindset of ultramarathoners better than any book I've read and inspires you to run, even if you're only running short distances.
February 8, 2015
Kirk Johnson decides to sign up for the Badwater 135 mile race across Death Valley on a whim, even though he has little running experience. He writes in a way that emphasizes his inexperience and he uses a journalistic-style that makes him seem saner than all those crazy runners who do this type of thing. I didn't like him, but I toughed it out for the subject manner alone.
April 4, 2011
Can't say enough about this book! I started reading it because I wanted to understand more about the Ultra experience and I have never forgotten this book. The author takes you to places as runners we dare not go alone and it is written with humor and such so many great quotes and experience I give it to every person who has had to overcome mind over matter.
October 10, 2014
The author writes about the year between his brother dying and his running the Badwater ultramarathon. I picked it up on a whim in a used bookstore and it looked interesting. It's a very fast read, it's pretty interesting. But it got two stars because the author is a whiny little girl. (even before he started running the Badwater, in which case a little whining would be excused)
April 11, 2008
A- Really interesting; journey of a NYT reporter's reaction to his brother's death and how he embraces running and even ultrarunning to cope; also, detail-by-detail of his against-the-odds completion of Badwater. Truly inspirational and amazing; recommended for all ultrarunners.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews