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The Rise of the Ultra Runners: A Journey to the Edge of Human Endurance
Marathons are no longer impressive.
Pain is to be relished, not avoided.
Hallucinations are perfectly normal.
Ultra running defies conventional logic. Yet this most brutal and challenging sport is now one of the fastest growing in the world. But is it an antidote to modern life or a symptom of a modern illness?
Adharanand Finn travelled to the heart of the sport to find out - and to see if could become an ultra runner himself. His journey took him from the deserts of Oman to the snow-capped peaks of the Rockies, and from a 24-hour track race in Tooting to his ultimate goal, the 105-mile Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.
The Rise of the Ultra Runners is the electrifying, inspirational account of what he learned along the way. Through encounters with the sport's many colourful characters and his experiences of its soaring highs and crushing lows, Finn offers an unforgettable insight into what can be found at the boundaries of human endeavour.
Pain is to be relished, not avoided.
Hallucinations are perfectly normal.
Ultra running defies conventional logic. Yet this most brutal and challenging sport is now one of the fastest growing in the world. But is it an antidote to modern life or a symptom of a modern illness?
Adharanand Finn travelled to the heart of the sport to find out - and to see if could become an ultra runner himself. His journey took him from the deserts of Oman to the snow-capped peaks of the Rockies, and from a 24-hour track race in Tooting to his ultimate goal, the 105-mile Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.
The Rise of the Ultra Runners is the electrifying, inspirational account of what he learned along the way. Through encounters with the sport's many colourful characters and his experiences of its soaring highs and crushing lows, Finn offers an unforgettable insight into what can be found at the boundaries of human endeavour.
11 pages, Audible Audio
First published May 7, 2019
461 people are currently reading
8133 people want to read
About the author
Adharanand Finn
21 books268 followersAdharanand Finn is the author of Running with the Kenyans, which was the Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year, won Best New Writer at the British Sports Book Awards, and shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book Award. He is an editor at the Guardian and a freelance journalist. He is also a former junior cross-country runner and now competes for Torbay AC in Devon, where he and his family usually live.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 587 reviews
May 21, 2019
I can’t get enough of books like this. Ultramarathoners, thru-hikers, ordinary people on personal quests....I love all of them! They’re my rock stars.
June 20, 2019
Actually, more like ⭐⭐⭐½ ...
Adharanand Finn chose the best possible way to learn about Ultras: by getting neck-deep in it. You'll be glad to know that, as a writer, he made the best of the opportunity.
The book strikes an almost perfect balance of: ultrarunning history and lore, accurate account of the vibrant culture surrounding it, interviews with legendary ultrarunners, and great stories, all tastefully peppered with his own personal experiences during his journey to qualify for the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc.
Fortunately for us, he managed to accomplish all of this without falling into the "self-importance trap", which was definitely a problem for me in "Running with the Kenyans".
So why not a perfect rating? Well, when measured against other ultrarunning classics, it fails to set a dramatic backdrop for Finn's adventure, and this takes away from the fun: in "Born to Run", McDougall was pretty much a total running neophyte, who had to not only learn proper running mechanics and find a way to get enough miles in his legs for a race in the copper canyon against the Tarahumara, but also manage to convince established ultrarunning stars to join him.
Finn, on the other hand, had previously spent time living and training with Kenyans; the finest marathon runners the world has ever seen. Furthermore, I can tell you from personal experience that today's trail races are pretty much impeccably organized: timing chips, trackers, aid stations every three to five miles, finish line festivals, professional photography, GPX tracks, pacers, etc.. In other words, far from the bare bones, middle-of-nowhere, do-or-die affair from McDougall's classic.
Just about any aspiring masochist with enough time and money could theoretically have written Finn's book, whereas other works are much more unique in both setting and circumstances. It reads a bit like a bunch of race reports sandwiched between covers, with the promise of a larger goal to tie it all together. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it isn't special.
There's a couple of factual inaccuracies here and there that are just lazy editing: Jim Walmsley was not in the Army, but the Air Force. Also, the phrase "most people could do with more pain in their lives" was not uttered by "a Barkley's runner", but by Lazarus Lake himself.
Overall, I'm glad I gave Finn a second chance, as I was less than impressed with his earlier work but have heard good things about this one. Recommended.
Adharanand Finn chose the best possible way to learn about Ultras: by getting neck-deep in it. You'll be glad to know that, as a writer, he made the best of the opportunity.
The book strikes an almost perfect balance of: ultrarunning history and lore, accurate account of the vibrant culture surrounding it, interviews with legendary ultrarunners, and great stories, all tastefully peppered with his own personal experiences during his journey to qualify for the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc.
Fortunately for us, he managed to accomplish all of this without falling into the "self-importance trap", which was definitely a problem for me in "Running with the Kenyans".
So why not a perfect rating? Well, when measured against other ultrarunning classics, it fails to set a dramatic backdrop for Finn's adventure, and this takes away from the fun: in "Born to Run", McDougall was pretty much a total running neophyte, who had to not only learn proper running mechanics and find a way to get enough miles in his legs for a race in the copper canyon against the Tarahumara, but also manage to convince established ultrarunning stars to join him.
Finn, on the other hand, had previously spent time living and training with Kenyans; the finest marathon runners the world has ever seen. Furthermore, I can tell you from personal experience that today's trail races are pretty much impeccably organized: timing chips, trackers, aid stations every three to five miles, finish line festivals, professional photography, GPX tracks, pacers, etc.. In other words, far from the bare bones, middle-of-nowhere, do-or-die affair from McDougall's classic.
Just about any aspiring masochist with enough time and money could theoretically have written Finn's book, whereas other works are much more unique in both setting and circumstances. It reads a bit like a bunch of race reports sandwiched between covers, with the promise of a larger goal to tie it all together. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it isn't special.
There's a couple of factual inaccuracies here and there that are just lazy editing: Jim Walmsley was not in the Army, but the Air Force. Also, the phrase "most people could do with more pain in their lives" was not uttered by "a Barkley's runner", but by Lazarus Lake himself.
Overall, I'm glad I gave Finn a second chance, as I was less than impressed with his earlier work but have heard good things about this one. Recommended.
May 26, 2021
I am tempted to rate this book lower because even as a running enthusiast I found this mostly insufferable (somehow boring accounts of races and author isn’t very likable), but the last chapters were moving. And the explanation of the appeal of ultra running resonated with me and my running (but not tempted to run ultras). The chapter on him “introducing Kenya to ultra running” was absurd and ignorant and reeked of white savior BS.
August 16, 2019
I enjoyed many of the stories of other ultra runners that Finn describes in the book, particularly the women, who seem to be incredibly underrepresented in the media about ultrarunning. I really liked hearing about the community aspects of running ultras, particularly in South Africa and the "bus." I did not enjoy: Finn's ego and competitiveness in how he described the races and his drive for racing came across as toxic masculinity, rather than bravery and honor. His lack of humility and deeper reflection about himself and his motives for running really turned me off from reading about the sport. The most disturbing part was his attempt at exploiting Kenyan runners in the sport because "he wanted more competition," or something along those lines. He came across as, at best, having a "white savior" complex, that somehow inviting Kenyans was helping them (which it blatantly was not and he actually describes how it caused them a headache to be involved). At worse, he came across as exploitative and lacking compassion, interest, and understanding about the actual runners, their lives, and cultures. His overt interest in creating more competition in the ultrarunning community rather than concern for the actual people, was disturbing and emblematic of larger racist, exploitative trends in the history of sports (and everything else!)
April 17, 2021
I got slightly frustrated in the chapter where the author explained that there is inequality for women in terms of sponsorship money, and recognition in the sport. In this very chapter, many times it was mentioned that a US man had never won UTMB, yet the author failed spectacularly to acknowledge the several US women runners who have won this race. It felt like it would have been a good time to mention them.
It became even more tiresome when he ran the UTMB himself, and gave detailed information on the elite runners in the race. But only the elite men of course. Zero mention of the elite women.
It became even more tiresome when he ran the UTMB himself, and gave detailed information on the elite runners in the race. But only the elite men of course. Zero mention of the elite women.
February 9, 2023
First, I don't know why I am writing these reviews AT ALL. I read reviews on here that are funny or insightful or, ahem, SHORT, and here I am writing these long, boring reviews about structure, plot, character development and writing style. LOL. I am boring to myself, basically.
But, since my goal for 2023 is to immerse myself more in reading, part of that immersion experience isn't just reading books and moving on to the next. I am trying to be more thoughtful about my experiences as a reader. Yes, sure, I want compelling reads with great stories, but I also want to understand what the writer was interested in, what themes or issues were raised, why certain choices were made, and how they added to the story. I want to better understand the mechanics of writing and what makes it - at least in my view - "good" or "bad". It is probably just the latent English Lit. major in me but I suppose I want to understand what elevates certain works, and I write these blurbs to help me understand what resonated, but also to force myself to do a little bit of writing every day. My writing sucks - years of professional writing has stripped away any style or creativity I ever had (if I ever had it!). Maybe I will learn something along the way.
Not that this book is literature by the way. But that is the other thing. We read for all kinds of reasons and while style is always important, you have different expectations from certain books as opposed to others. Generally, I prefer more literary books. Even in a book like this, I am interested in word choice and style. This book is well written. The writing is simple, focused and sufficiently descriptive for the story being told. I enjoyed it, but I was frequently frustrated with it.
I think most of my frustration had to do with misplaced expectations. I thought this was meant to be a book about ultra running as a sport...not about Adharanand Finn, the person and that time he raced the UTMB. It is really just a memoir about the author's early experiences with ultra training and the culture around it (granted a really cool deep dive into the sport in a short period of time). Finn is a serious but not elite runner when he commences his ultra running journey, but his seriousness about running and being "good at it" colours his perspectives and experiences about what ultra running is and should be. That said, I did not find him unlikeable. I thought he came across as serious, sincere and occasionally (although not often) self deprecating.
The pretense of the book to understand the explosive growth of ultra trail running and why people do it, but the first weakness here is that Finn is only interested in elite runners running elite races and why they do it. To understand the growth of the sport, you have to look beyond the Killian Jornets and the Courtney Dauwalters of the ultra world (not that he even mentions the latter, but I will get to that later). You need to look beyond the UTMB. Ask the person at the back of the pack why they do it. Ask the local race director why they put on a race that has no prestige and no prizes. Ask the middle of the packers - the people with full-time jobs and kids and other responsibilities. Ask them why THEY are motivated to do it. This is where you will find the real answers, because in the end, it is THOSE people who are responsible for the growth of the sport. As a former ultra runner myself, I found it annoying how much of the book focused on talking to almost exclusively male athletes who regularly WIN ultra races around the world. This is not a particularly balanced or nuanced perspective on the "why" of ultra running. It isn't just about ego or adulation, or "the need to suffer" or some primal "it's the only thing that makes me feel alive in this modern world" impulse.
Relatedly, although Finn does mention the pay/sponsorship inequities that plague ultra running, he exacerbates these inequities by focusing almost exclusively on male athletes. There is no mention of the Pam Reeds, Ann Trasons or Courtney Dauwalters of the sport. Ultra running is this incredible beast where more than any other sport, there is no guarantee that a man will win the race outright. Moreover, there is actual evidence that the greater the distance, the more equal the playing field, and that at certain distances, women may even be faster. Surely this is an interesting idea to explore as one ruminates on the rise of the sport. But Finn skates over the gender aspects and certainly doesn't dwell on any inequities. Gender disparities pervade in many sports. Female participation in ultra running has grown exponentially over the last 20 years but it still sits at less than 25% of total participation. An article I read recently cited several reasons for this including ultra running being a male dominated culture that may seem less welcoming to women, greater apprehension about running alone in in the dark or in difficult terrain, as well as the pervasive, debilitating social norms that require women to take on more duties relating to home and children. (Notable: as the father of three children, the author himself likely benefitted from these norms as the travel and training required to write this book would have meant a least some time away from child rearing duties).
This isn't the only aspect of the sport that is left unexplored. What about the fact that ultra running skews older? This is interesting, no? Or, what about the concerning lack of diversity? Finn raises this, but decides to solve the problem of too many white faces in the winner's circle by getting "some Kenyans" to start ultra running. Yes, this is as cringey and white privilegey as it sounds. Finally, what about trail stewardship or other environmental concerns that impact the sport? Someone Finn interviews actually raises these issues as the most important thing to talk about i.e. as the sport grows, what role should ultra play in helping protect the wild spaces we gain so much from? Finn mentions this question was raised, but abruptly changes the topic and moves on without exploring it at all. To me this demonstrates how narrow his perspective ultimately is. Trail stewardship, preserving wildness and environmental responsibility are just not interesting to him. He is interested in ultra for running's sake and running's sake alone. There is one passage in particular where he basically says as much. To him, there is not nearly enough "running" in ultra, which in my view, kind of misses the point.
This ends up being both the most compelling and frustrating aspect of this book. Although many runners raise the more transcendental or meditative aspects of ultra with Finn, he seems to have a difficult time understanding them for himself. He cares a lot about performing well, and a bit less about enjoying himself, and certainly not all about these beautiful, wild spaces he has the vast privilege to experience. At the very least, his writing doesn't indicate he cares about this. I was left wishing he exercised more humility in his journey and was better able to recognize the immense privilege inherent in having the time and money to be able to train and race and test the limits of personal endurance. I wished he had dedicated at least one paragraph to one moment where he stared in awe at a mountain vista or to what it felt like to watch the stars come out at night or to watch the sun rise in the morning after an entire night of running. Perhaps then I would feel he understood something deeper about the sport. (He did talk a lot about how good he got at running downhill though).
In spite of all this, there were many good moments. I liked learning about the histories of different races and different traditions (hello, fell running) and it was interesting to hear about the mixed scientific evidence on whether ultra is "good for us". And although I often felt like "he really doesn't get it", this isn't quite accurate either. He just doesn’t run for the reasons I run. There is much to learn about what it takes to be elite at any sport, and it is worth noting that no matter how good you are, we all suffer and fail out there on the trail at one time or another. One of the women he did speak with referenced the identity crisis that befalls when you stop running. I think this is fascinating and have experienced a bit of it myself. What happens when you define yourself by this one thing, but then you...get injured...or worse…fall out of love with running? What kind of negative impact does this singular focus have on a life? Finn doesn't have much time to explore these ideas. But he does have other experiences that will resonate with many ultra runners. He tries - with difficulty - to "be in the moment" and to run without a watch or without thinking about the finish line. Many runners will also know the feeling of thinking you have nothing left to give and then experiencing an inexplicable late race revival that sees you to the finish line or at least to the next aid station. Perhaps most poignantly, we also well know the significant and powerful role that fellowship and camaraderie play in a grueling race. I was glad he ended on this point.
In the end, I didn't find this tale about ultra running to be overly insightful or transcendental, but it was a good yarn about one man's journey to the UTMB. Would I have still read it if I had known that this is what it was about? Um, probably not. But it was still a worthy read. PS don't go to Finn's blog before you read this book. It will unfairly colour your perspective. LOL. (Wasn't he making fun of ultra runners with their trucker hats?!!! PS I have at least 5 trucker hats)
But, since my goal for 2023 is to immerse myself more in reading, part of that immersion experience isn't just reading books and moving on to the next. I am trying to be more thoughtful about my experiences as a reader. Yes, sure, I want compelling reads with great stories, but I also want to understand what the writer was interested in, what themes or issues were raised, why certain choices were made, and how they added to the story. I want to better understand the mechanics of writing and what makes it - at least in my view - "good" or "bad". It is probably just the latent English Lit. major in me but I suppose I want to understand what elevates certain works, and I write these blurbs to help me understand what resonated, but also to force myself to do a little bit of writing every day. My writing sucks - years of professional writing has stripped away any style or creativity I ever had (if I ever had it!). Maybe I will learn something along the way.
Not that this book is literature by the way. But that is the other thing. We read for all kinds of reasons and while style is always important, you have different expectations from certain books as opposed to others. Generally, I prefer more literary books. Even in a book like this, I am interested in word choice and style. This book is well written. The writing is simple, focused and sufficiently descriptive for the story being told. I enjoyed it, but I was frequently frustrated with it.
I think most of my frustration had to do with misplaced expectations. I thought this was meant to be a book about ultra running as a sport...not about Adharanand Finn, the person and that time he raced the UTMB. It is really just a memoir about the author's early experiences with ultra training and the culture around it (granted a really cool deep dive into the sport in a short period of time). Finn is a serious but not elite runner when he commences his ultra running journey, but his seriousness about running and being "good at it" colours his perspectives and experiences about what ultra running is and should be. That said, I did not find him unlikeable. I thought he came across as serious, sincere and occasionally (although not often) self deprecating.
The pretense of the book to understand the explosive growth of ultra trail running and why people do it, but the first weakness here is that Finn is only interested in elite runners running elite races and why they do it. To understand the growth of the sport, you have to look beyond the Killian Jornets and the Courtney Dauwalters of the ultra world (not that he even mentions the latter, but I will get to that later). You need to look beyond the UTMB. Ask the person at the back of the pack why they do it. Ask the local race director why they put on a race that has no prestige and no prizes. Ask the middle of the packers - the people with full-time jobs and kids and other responsibilities. Ask them why THEY are motivated to do it. This is where you will find the real answers, because in the end, it is THOSE people who are responsible for the growth of the sport. As a former ultra runner myself, I found it annoying how much of the book focused on talking to almost exclusively male athletes who regularly WIN ultra races around the world. This is not a particularly balanced or nuanced perspective on the "why" of ultra running. It isn't just about ego or adulation, or "the need to suffer" or some primal "it's the only thing that makes me feel alive in this modern world" impulse.
Relatedly, although Finn does mention the pay/sponsorship inequities that plague ultra running, he exacerbates these inequities by focusing almost exclusively on male athletes. There is no mention of the Pam Reeds, Ann Trasons or Courtney Dauwalters of the sport. Ultra running is this incredible beast where more than any other sport, there is no guarantee that a man will win the race outright. Moreover, there is actual evidence that the greater the distance, the more equal the playing field, and that at certain distances, women may even be faster. Surely this is an interesting idea to explore as one ruminates on the rise of the sport. But Finn skates over the gender aspects and certainly doesn't dwell on any inequities. Gender disparities pervade in many sports. Female participation in ultra running has grown exponentially over the last 20 years but it still sits at less than 25% of total participation. An article I read recently cited several reasons for this including ultra running being a male dominated culture that may seem less welcoming to women, greater apprehension about running alone in in the dark or in difficult terrain, as well as the pervasive, debilitating social norms that require women to take on more duties relating to home and children. (Notable: as the father of three children, the author himself likely benefitted from these norms as the travel and training required to write this book would have meant a least some time away from child rearing duties).
This isn't the only aspect of the sport that is left unexplored. What about the fact that ultra running skews older? This is interesting, no? Or, what about the concerning lack of diversity? Finn raises this, but decides to solve the problem of too many white faces in the winner's circle by getting "some Kenyans" to start ultra running. Yes, this is as cringey and white privilegey as it sounds. Finally, what about trail stewardship or other environmental concerns that impact the sport? Someone Finn interviews actually raises these issues as the most important thing to talk about i.e. as the sport grows, what role should ultra play in helping protect the wild spaces we gain so much from? Finn mentions this question was raised, but abruptly changes the topic and moves on without exploring it at all. To me this demonstrates how narrow his perspective ultimately is. Trail stewardship, preserving wildness and environmental responsibility are just not interesting to him. He is interested in ultra for running's sake and running's sake alone. There is one passage in particular where he basically says as much. To him, there is not nearly enough "running" in ultra, which in my view, kind of misses the point.
This ends up being both the most compelling and frustrating aspect of this book. Although many runners raise the more transcendental or meditative aspects of ultra with Finn, he seems to have a difficult time understanding them for himself. He cares a lot about performing well, and a bit less about enjoying himself, and certainly not all about these beautiful, wild spaces he has the vast privilege to experience. At the very least, his writing doesn't indicate he cares about this. I was left wishing he exercised more humility in his journey and was better able to recognize the immense privilege inherent in having the time and money to be able to train and race and test the limits of personal endurance. I wished he had dedicated at least one paragraph to one moment where he stared in awe at a mountain vista or to what it felt like to watch the stars come out at night or to watch the sun rise in the morning after an entire night of running. Perhaps then I would feel he understood something deeper about the sport. (He did talk a lot about how good he got at running downhill though).
In spite of all this, there were many good moments. I liked learning about the histories of different races and different traditions (hello, fell running) and it was interesting to hear about the mixed scientific evidence on whether ultra is "good for us". And although I often felt like "he really doesn't get it", this isn't quite accurate either. He just doesn’t run for the reasons I run. There is much to learn about what it takes to be elite at any sport, and it is worth noting that no matter how good you are, we all suffer and fail out there on the trail at one time or another. One of the women he did speak with referenced the identity crisis that befalls when you stop running. I think this is fascinating and have experienced a bit of it myself. What happens when you define yourself by this one thing, but then you...get injured...or worse…fall out of love with running? What kind of negative impact does this singular focus have on a life? Finn doesn't have much time to explore these ideas. But he does have other experiences that will resonate with many ultra runners. He tries - with difficulty - to "be in the moment" and to run without a watch or without thinking about the finish line. Many runners will also know the feeling of thinking you have nothing left to give and then experiencing an inexplicable late race revival that sees you to the finish line or at least to the next aid station. Perhaps most poignantly, we also well know the significant and powerful role that fellowship and camaraderie play in a grueling race. I was glad he ended on this point.
In the end, I didn't find this tale about ultra running to be overly insightful or transcendental, but it was a good yarn about one man's journey to the UTMB. Would I have still read it if I had known that this is what it was about? Um, probably not. But it was still a worthy read. PS don't go to Finn's blog before you read this book. It will unfairly colour your perspective. LOL. (Wasn't he making fun of ultra runners with their trucker hats?!!! PS I have at least 5 trucker hats)
February 19, 2019
4.5 stars, just to get that out of the way.
Breaking into the world of ultra running (there's a good mix of road, trail, track, and sand here), Finn relays a pretty incredible account of his experience: A globe-trotting effort to make and conquer the UTMB in France. Like most, he's wont to commit some costly logistical (and logical) mistakes on the front end, but the hard-earned lessons stick, and you get to live vicariously through him as he muscles through the myriad issues that can pop up in an ultra.
Finn's prose is smooth, effortlessly describing the locales and, even though it all might seem easy, the timeline within each of the races. Many a race report, regardless of the herculean effort the athlete gave, can be sunken into, at the very best, mediocre-high-school-essay territory if you're not willing to dig in on the details, the structure, the emotion--- and that's just the beginning. You sigh in exasperation when you read (on paper) how ill-prepared he seems to be for some of these challenges; you grin, relieved, as he reaches the finish line (his condition notwithstanding). He's a family man, talented at running road marathons he may be, taking on some of this planet's most hardcore runs. But if that's not enough for you...
There are numerous brief interviews with the finest ultra athletes alive, explorations and musings into why we'd do this to ourselves, why we'd consider cheating after suffering through such trials, why Kenyans haven't broken into the sport (the book's ace-in-the-hole, if you ask me), movement disciplines meant to shy us away from the over-protection of our brain's wiring, and words on particular nutrition programs (vegan, Paleo). The "rise" mentioned on the title could be applied to these elite athletes, who are slowly gaining more notoriety in the secular sports world, and/or to the advent of the sport itself, which is getting exponentially more popular.
For ultra runners, so many of his quandaries will ring familiar, but anyone who's driven themselves to their prescribed "last resort" and found themselves miles ahead of it will snag tightly onto Finn's story; well, to that point, anyone seeking inspiration may discover it here, too. I find athletes of all types to be inspiring, but there's something about trail running and, ultra trail running specifically, that demands a fight from deep within. Capturing the ups and the downs, the "oops" and the "hoorays", Finn has authored a fine book on how it feels to overcome what at first appears to be insurmountable.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pegasus Books for the advance read.
Breaking into the world of ultra running (there's a good mix of road, trail, track, and sand here), Finn relays a pretty incredible account of his experience: A globe-trotting effort to make and conquer the UTMB in France. Like most, he's wont to commit some costly logistical (and logical) mistakes on the front end, but the hard-earned lessons stick, and you get to live vicariously through him as he muscles through the myriad issues that can pop up in an ultra.
Finn's prose is smooth, effortlessly describing the locales and, even though it all might seem easy, the timeline within each of the races. Many a race report, regardless of the herculean effort the athlete gave, can be sunken into, at the very best, mediocre-high-school-essay territory if you're not willing to dig in on the details, the structure, the emotion--- and that's just the beginning. You sigh in exasperation when you read (on paper) how ill-prepared he seems to be for some of these challenges; you grin, relieved, as he reaches the finish line (his condition notwithstanding). He's a family man, talented at running road marathons he may be, taking on some of this planet's most hardcore runs. But if that's not enough for you...
There are numerous brief interviews with the finest ultra athletes alive, explorations and musings into why we'd do this to ourselves, why we'd consider cheating after suffering through such trials, why Kenyans haven't broken into the sport (the book's ace-in-the-hole, if you ask me), movement disciplines meant to shy us away from the over-protection of our brain's wiring, and words on particular nutrition programs (vegan, Paleo). The "rise" mentioned on the title could be applied to these elite athletes, who are slowly gaining more notoriety in the secular sports world, and/or to the advent of the sport itself, which is getting exponentially more popular.
For ultra runners, so many of his quandaries will ring familiar, but anyone who's driven themselves to their prescribed "last resort" and found themselves miles ahead of it will snag tightly onto Finn's story; well, to that point, anyone seeking inspiration may discover it here, too. I find athletes of all types to be inspiring, but there's something about trail running and, ultra trail running specifically, that demands a fight from deep within. Capturing the ups and the downs, the "oops" and the "hoorays", Finn has authored a fine book on how it feels to overcome what at first appears to be insurmountable.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pegasus Books for the advance read.
abgebrochen
July 31, 202320% gelesen
Es tut mir Leid das sagen zu müssen: das ist einfach richtig schlecht geschrieben.
Außerdem liegt der Fokus bisher auf dem Kommerziellen, dem Klischee des Ultraläufers und dem Gedanken: Battle! Challenge! Erster sein! Distanzgeilheit! Das hat alles nix mit dem Spirit und der Philosophie zu tun, weshalb ich mich dafür interessiere.
Wer sich ebenfalls für Ultraläufe, deren Mythos und Faszination interessiert, dem sei der YouTube Kanal von Billy Young empfohlen.
Ansonsten Born to run lesen.
Es tut mir Leid das sagen zu müssen: das ist einfach richtig schlecht geschrieben.
Außerdem liegt der Fokus bisher auf dem Kommerziellen, dem Klischee des Ultraläufers und dem Gedanken: Battle! Challenge! Erster sein! Distanzgeilheit! Das hat alles nix mit dem Spirit und der Philosophie zu tun, weshalb ich mich dafür interessiere.
Wer sich ebenfalls für Ultraläufe, deren Mythos und Faszination interessiert, dem sei der YouTube Kanal von Billy Young empfohlen.
Ansonsten Born to run lesen.
May 28, 2023
This was way more engrossing than I thought it would be and also, importantly, way more self aware. I don’t regularly read athletic memoirs, but some of the ones I’ve attempted in the past bring too much man-beating-their-chest energy that I just don’t have the stomach for. Finn does a fantastic job of describing this new(ish) sport, the people in it, and his own journeys as an ultra runner.
July 7, 2025
If you would have told me I would read a book about running and hate it, I wouldn’t have believed you. But here we are. Buckle up cuz this is one of my ✨ angry reviews ✨
When addressing the gender pay gap in ultras, the author decides that it isn’t sexism or an unfair difference, but that the “female runner” space has growth to exploit. Weirdest way to word financial inequity. In addition to this, he goes out of his way to say no US person has won the UTMB and… several US women have? Krissy Moehl, Nikki Kimball… Did he do his research in Machopedia?
The Kenya chapter was a lot of white savior bullshit. (The whole “Why are they all white? Where are the Kenyans?” and him taking it upon himself to introduce the poor, ignored Kenyans to people… eye roll.) He also pays for an athlete to go to a race. Good for you, dude, but why are you giving yourself a medal for treating people like equals? This is just performative allyship. There’s a whole book about running as a Black athlete and the financial gap Black athletes have in comparison with white people. Here again, the author considers this an opportunity for growth. BRO. Like, seriously. Discrimination isn’t an opportunity. What white man university did you go to, I swear. Neutrality becomes complicit. Maybe if the author’s head wasn’t that far up his ass, he’d be able to critically engage with the reality of others.
I found a few things annoying, too. Glamorizing pain and suffering (which I get, endurance runs have a big component of both, but I found there is very little emphasis on the joys of running, and there are many). The whole run-tourism aspect I’m not going to rant about. Speaking about the bad impact of social media in running (babe, not everyone has sponsors or a cushy journalist job. Some people need social media to fund a lifestyle you can afford because your schedule is flexible and you’re a privileged white man 😩). Like, I’m sorry, he makes me so mad. I love running, and I won’t ever consider ultras because I have a full-time job and a long-ish commute daily, as well as stuff to do. And just the pedantic glorification of fast running over anyone else. Like, my sweet baby, if running was so easy, wouldn’t everyone do it? Why do you think Couch to 5K guides exist if “everyone can run slow”? Ableist much?
I don’t know. The author was just so unlikable. The interviews were boring. I was very uninterested in it all. It’s my first time hating a book about running. In running, every step counts; in writing, every word counts. You should get an editor who will cut out all the redundant, uninteresting bits you chose to highlight and regurgitate for no reason.
When addressing the gender pay gap in ultras, the author decides that it isn’t sexism or an unfair difference, but that the “female runner” space has growth to exploit. Weirdest way to word financial inequity. In addition to this, he goes out of his way to say no US person has won the UTMB and… several US women have? Krissy Moehl, Nikki Kimball… Did he do his research in Machopedia?
The Kenya chapter was a lot of white savior bullshit. (The whole “Why are they all white? Where are the Kenyans?” and him taking it upon himself to introduce the poor, ignored Kenyans to people… eye roll.) He also pays for an athlete to go to a race. Good for you, dude, but why are you giving yourself a medal for treating people like equals? This is just performative allyship. There’s a whole book about running as a Black athlete and the financial gap Black athletes have in comparison with white people. Here again, the author considers this an opportunity for growth. BRO. Like, seriously. Discrimination isn’t an opportunity. What white man university did you go to, I swear. Neutrality becomes complicit. Maybe if the author’s head wasn’t that far up his ass, he’d be able to critically engage with the reality of others.
I found a few things annoying, too. Glamorizing pain and suffering (which I get, endurance runs have a big component of both, but I found there is very little emphasis on the joys of running, and there are many). The whole run-tourism aspect I’m not going to rant about. Speaking about the bad impact of social media in running (babe, not everyone has sponsors or a cushy journalist job. Some people need social media to fund a lifestyle you can afford because your schedule is flexible and you’re a privileged white man 😩). Like, I’m sorry, he makes me so mad. I love running, and I won’t ever consider ultras because I have a full-time job and a long-ish commute daily, as well as stuff to do. And just the pedantic glorification of fast running over anyone else. Like, my sweet baby, if running was so easy, wouldn’t everyone do it? Why do you think Couch to 5K guides exist if “everyone can run slow”? Ableist much?
I don’t know. The author was just so unlikable. The interviews were boring. I was very uninterested in it all. It’s my first time hating a book about running. In running, every step counts; in writing, every word counts. You should get an editor who will cut out all the redundant, uninteresting bits you chose to highlight and regurgitate for no reason.
May 23, 2020
Für mich wohl das beste/schönste Laufbuch bisher 🙏
February 26, 2022
This is Nonfiction/Sports (aka Ultra runners). I really thought I was going to like this one more than I actually did. This was mostly 'just okay' for me.
While I liked some of the little insights into this sport and into the lives of the athletes, however at the same time, I also thought it was too much. Then I'd like it again. Then I wouldn't. And that is the way this one went for me. So I'm settling on 3 stars.
While I liked some of the little insights into this sport and into the lives of the athletes, however at the same time, I also thought it was too much. Then I'd like it again. Then I wouldn't. And that is the way this one went for me. So I'm settling on 3 stars.
March 18, 2025
Mannnn I’m so stoked to be running my ultra this year now. This is a bloody brilliant book.
June 25, 2025
Audiobook was fantastic! New perspective on ultra running…still don’t want to do it…but I am pretty fascinated now!
August 15, 2019
I ended up feeling torn by Finn's "The Rise of the Ultra Runners." On one hand I devoured the book in only a few settings, as I believe anyone with an interest in ultras and trail running will do. Although "The Rise" feels a bit disjointed initially, jumping from topic to topic, Finn finds his voice and structure when he begins running ultras himself with a two-year goal of accumulating points for the UTMB and ultimately competing in it. And the author is no slouch or novice as a runner but rather a 2:50 road marathoner. The book becomes, in essence, a number of extended race reports by Finn of his own experiences entering the world of ultra running--which is fine; I'm always interested in reading about personal ultra experiences. However, the book's full title--"The Rise of the Ultra Runners: A Journey to the Edge of Human Endurance"--is misleading. Finn only really talks about other ultra runners and the sport in the context of his own experiences. He goes on at length about his races, his injury history, family support, diet, etc., at the expense of information about the sport in general. He gives some space to figures like Zach Miller, Jim Walmsley, and Kilian Jornet, but only mentions Scott Jurek in passing and doesn't mention Courtney Dauwalter at all. How do you talk about contemporary ultra running without discussing Courtney? And while I'm interested in the perspective of an ultra novice, I'd perhaps be more interested in hearing the perspective of someone who has competed in ultras for years. Finn didn't have a great deal of knowledge he'd gleaned from his two years of trail running. He fails to look at ultra running from the perspective of the race organizers. He doesn't address the important topic of trail stewardship. He doesn't speculate on why ultra running is becoming more and more popular or discuss why events like Western States have lotteries that make them nearly impossible to get into. At the end of the day, the author's race experiences aren't so different from anyone else's. His conclusions? Ultras are really hard. You will find great depths of pain but also moments of elation. This is not a new message. I was hoping for more information about the sport itself and the elite athletes that serve as its face. Where is Rob Krar in this book, to mention another figure? Or Ann Trason, who is mentioned only in passing? If this book had been marketed as one man's entry into the sport and his time as an ultra rookie, my review would have been far more positive. Don't get me wrong: this is still a good book. Finn's experiences are well-written and compelling. In particular, I believe people trying to gain points and run UTMB would find "The Rise" useful. I'm just not sure who the ultra runners (plural) of the title are meant to be. This is a book about the author, more a memoir than anything else. Be prepared for that.
August 8, 2020
It's one of those books that I should not have read a year before, but it really fits well in my more laid-back and experimental approach to sports in 2020. As the author himself has a competitive background in the middle and conventionally-long distances, I could very much relate with his journey of discovery. Half of the book is him talking us through his races, so if you're not interested in what a 100k or 24hr footrace entails, don't bother picking the book up. However, if you do, you definitely won't be sorry.
May 27, 2019
How is anyone able to run 100 miles? Let alone through mountains? Author Finn describes his training for ultra-marathoning, discussing its growing popularity as more people want to go beyond simple marathons. He writes of the 'pain cave' ultra runners endure, and how successful ones are able to transcend the pain. This is one of the better books on ultra sports, up there with McDougal's 'Born to Run.'
July 21, 2019
I run ultras, but not even close to the way Finn and the people in this book run them. What I've done seems like an easy stroll by comparison! I hugely enjoyed this book. Finn is a terrific writer, and there's enough of interest here for any reader, whether you run or not.
February 14, 2024
I'm not sure I would recommend this book to seasoned ultra runners, but if you are newer to the sport, or are wondering what the heck it is and why people do it, this could be a pretty great primer. I was a bit leery at first, as the road runner author approaches his first Ultra (that's any race above the marathon distance of 26.2 miles) with a fair amount of overconfidence and naivete, and decides to attempt to qualify for the 171 km Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB). The lessons in hubris, as well as the limits of mind and body, come fast and hard, and some of my favorite bits were the (all too relatable) journeys the author takes into the "dark night of the soul" before emerging as a stronger, humbler athlete.
Scattered among the narratives of qualifier races are interviews with various big names on the ultra scene -- shout out to Zack Miller who was chilling at Barr Camp above my home town when the author treks halfway up Pikes Peak to interview (and attempt to run with) him. Ultimately, this book is more of a personal journey for the author than a broad overview of the sport of ultra running -- not quite what I expected, but I enjoyed the ride and got a timely motivational boost to start training for my summer 50 miler (erk!).
Scattered among the narratives of qualifier races are interviews with various big names on the ultra scene -- shout out to Zack Miller who was chilling at Barr Camp above my home town when the author treks halfway up Pikes Peak to interview (and attempt to run with) him. Ultimately, this book is more of a personal journey for the author than a broad overview of the sport of ultra running -- not quite what I expected, but I enjoyed the ride and got a timely motivational boost to start training for my summer 50 miler (erk!).
February 11, 2020
En dévorant cet inspirant récit, ma motivation d'augmenter les distances de mes courses Ultra Trail n'a cessé de progresser. C'est un peu pour ça qu'on lit ce type de bouquin, s'en inspirer et poursuivre notre quête. Journaliste britannique qui couvre, entre autres, les marathons et leurs vedettes du Kenya (Running with the kenyans) , Adharanand Finn se disait au début de ce livre que les Ultra Runners n'était pas vraiment des coureurs puisque souvent ils marchent, prennent des repos dans des aires de ravitaillement et n'ont rien à voir avec les purs et durs marathoniens qui dévorent 42 km en un peu plus de 2 hrs. Afin de comprendre le phénomène, quoi de mieux que de courir le Superbowl des Ultra Running, l'Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB). Telle est la quête de Finn pendant laquelle, deux années durant, il rencontrera et interviewera la crème des Ultra Runners de la planète, femme ou homme, tout en s'initiant à ce sport en accumulant les points nécessaires pour pouvoir s'inscrire au UTMB. Un livre qui ressemble à tous ces amateurs comme moi qui ont décidé un jour d'aller rendre visite, pour quelque raison que ce soit, un endroit peu fréquenté: soi-même. Fortement recommandé.
May 14, 2024
this really was not what i was expecting when i picked up this book, and once i found it was a memoir/analysis my excitement dropped some, but after having finished i’m very content with the book. i had expected more of a fleshing out of what appeals people to do ultra marathons, how they are growing today, and why they are growing, but this steered more towards the author’s experience with running his first ultra and the process he took to train and compete in eight more. the interviews with big name ultra runners were insightful and hearing about his strategies, struggles, and experiences in all his races were very fun to read.
i was looking for some motivation to get out running and while i don’t think this book fully scratched that itch, it definitely moved me in the right direction a bit! highly recommend for anyone interested in ultra running!
i was looking for some motivation to get out running and while i don’t think this book fully scratched that itch, it definitely moved me in the right direction a bit! highly recommend for anyone interested in ultra running!
November 21, 2025
Props for getting to the heart of the story by submerging yourself in it. An interesting account of someone who's a decent runner cracking proper long journeys and interviewing interesting people along the way. A couple of questionable takes on equality and Kenyan introductions. Loved being along for the ride in the pain cave though and questioning if my 5k pain is equivalent to the 150k+ trips he was hitting.
March 10, 2024
Had to pick from my dads books for something to read while I was home. Super interesting book that definitely got me more hype for running! Parts of it felt like the author defending himself for his actions and randomly name dropping for credibility but maybe those meant more to well versed ultra runners familiar with the author. Overall, enjoyed!
July 22, 2025
A great ultra running book focused on some more in depth ultra community stuff the Born to Run and Ultramarathon Man
March 24, 2023
Rating between 4.5 and 5, so wished Goodreads had 0.5 increment ratings. I’ve run a few ultras myself and it was interesting to read about the mindset of some of the stars of the ultra marathoning world and what makes them continue even when deep pain sets in. Since the book was written by a runner whom resides in the UK, I appreciated the chapters on Fell Running, a term I hadn’t seen in years. The interviews with the stars of the ultra world I also enjoyed.
February 8, 2025
Our lives have gotten too soft and comfortable so we make up ridiculous challenges to make them feel hard again. That’s the main message here, while I agree in its absurdity I also agree that it is true. Humans are meant to suffer, endure, and overcome challenges and doing so is what makes us feel most alive. This was a fun read to follow the author through his journey to becoming an ultra runner and a glimpse into the ultra community. Maybe now it’s my turn…
December 28, 2020
I concetti di fatica e dolore portati all’estremo, in competizioni sfiancanti da 160 chilometri e giorni di corsa.
Sembra di correre insieme ad Adharanand nelle diverse gare di preparazione al UTMB (senza crampi, privazione di sonno e dolori) visto il bel modo in cui è scritto.
Senza dubbio leggerò anche gli altri libri sull’esperienza in Kenya e sulla corsa giapponese!
Sembra di correre insieme ad Adharanand nelle diverse gare di preparazione al UTMB (senza crampi, privazione di sonno e dolori) visto il bel modo in cui è scritto.
Senza dubbio leggerò anche gli altri libri sull’esperienza in Kenya e sulla corsa giapponese!
May 1, 2025
Fascinating topic, but sometimes it got lost in the weeds.
April 28, 2022
This one had me conflicted AF. As I aspire to run further over time. I could say there were insights that resonated with me. There is an indescribable feeling when you switch from flat running to the first trail. The pain, the despair, the constant battle between wanting to give up and fighting for some sort of personal glory. Those instances of camaraderie that are formed in the midst of all that suffering. There are some undeniable truth: With the growing popularity, there are more money, fame etc at stake and with that there are risk of doping, cheating and even monopolising races like UTMB with its point system. There is a gender gap in sponsoring the top athletes. Those who fight to keep the races "pure and unadulterated". Trail running is battling between your heart and your mind. You will suffer, you will cry, you will bleed, you will be in pain for weeks afterwards but you will still want to go for the next one.
However there's a tint of arrogance throughout the Author's account. He sounds almost unlikable. He has no/not enough respect for the race. He talks about gender gap but fail to mention the top female athletes who have been dominating trails for quite sometime. Most of the insights were on the superficial level, it lacked a type of depth that you feel when you watch any documentary about a trail or trail runner. The fact that he believed he introduced trail running to Kenyans was laughable. He failed to understand the essence of trail running in my opinion
However there's a tint of arrogance throughout the Author's account. He sounds almost unlikable. He has no/not enough respect for the race. He talks about gender gap but fail to mention the top female athletes who have been dominating trails for quite sometime. Most of the insights were on the superficial level, it lacked a type of depth that you feel when you watch any documentary about a trail or trail runner. The fact that he believed he introduced trail running to Kenyans was laughable. He failed to understand the essence of trail running in my opinion
March 7, 2021
This is an excellent book about the author's journey from a marathoner to an ultra runner. Especially in these stay-at-home, covid-ridden, races-cancelled times it is refreshing just to read about the Marathon des Sables or the UTMB. It is hard to recall afterwards how one feels during an ultra but Adharanand succeeds in documenting the ups and downs in mental state as well as the physical. I seriously envy him for hitting up so many of the big names in the sport, too; between the tales of the races he ran himself there are a lot of stories about the superstars of the field. Beware of the side effects: after putting the book down you'll surely have a case of longing for a journey to "the pain cave".
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