Go Far: How Endurance Sports Help You Win At Life

by Jennifer McConachie

An inspiring look at endurance sports and how they make us better, more successful people.

From Rich Roll to David Goggins, endurance athletes are inspiring millions. Endurance sports can help personally and professionally as they teach people how to take on adversity, handle challenges, combat stress, and, what's more, have fun.

Written by endurance athlete Jennifer Strong McConachie, Go Far shares her cross-cultural stories from around the world excelling in different sports and how each new experience translates into life lessons and practical tips. You can learn to cultivate what you have in order to find adventure in every day life and use the skills you uncover to help you win.

182 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 26, 2021

About the author

Ultrarunner, mountaineer, marathon swimmer, distance paddler, and multisport athlete Jennifer Strong McConachie writes about global adventure and the endurance lifestyle. An Outward Bound graduate, she is also a Fellow in the Royal Geographical Society and member of The Explorers Club.

Additionally, Jennifer writes commercially as an award-winning marketing, advertising and public relations executive in her hometown of Wichita, Kansas, in the heart of the plains.

Reviews

[Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Not only is it packed with remarkable stories about global adventure and endurance racing, but it also provides the reader with ways to incorporate endurance and adventure into their daily and work lives. The author styles herself as an "average" athlete, and by "average," she means she's not a professional athlete by trade; she's an advertising exec. Wild swimming swells between continents and running across the world's largest and oldest sand dunes sound like anything but average. Yet, the author explains how her ability to achieve these lofty goals originates from within - her ability to go far comes from the same kind of stuff that's built into you and me. And that gives me hope. I've found, since finishing the book, that I've searched for and found adventure in places I never thought to look. Overall, it's a smartly written, inspiring work intended for an audience of beginner athletes looking to diversify their training, mid-seasoned athletes who want to climb the next rung, and seasoned pros who want to revitalize their adventures. The same is true for the business professional at the beginning of a career, in the middle and looking to rise, and those who've reached the top but want to rediscover the fun that led them there. My view out the window is different now. I see runs like quests for adventure instead of breathlessness and tedium; I see boardrooms full of challenges instead of obstacles. I see endurance and adventure as a challenge for the mind more than I see it as a challenge for the body.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book feels like it needs an editor. The narrative felt shallow, choppy, and without a greater purpose. In the first half of the book, the author goes into her guiding principles. I didn’t find anything new or ground breaking here - just a lot of the normal stuff that adventure-seeking people tend to do intuitively (like think outside the box and immersing themselves in their environment).

The second half of the book was stories from the author’s adventures, organized by type of sport. There was no flow between the stories. I didn’t feel that there was much point to each story, besides showcasing all that the author had done and how she had used her guiding principals to be good at everything she does.

I usually am pretty easy going and enjoy any adventure story, but the style in which this is written just got on my nerves. Almost every sentence starts with “I” and each adventure talks about how the author had “always dreamed of going there” and always had “a dream to do this thing.” Halfway through most of her stories, we find out it was her dad deciding to do the “thing” and she’s glommed onto it. Yet she always still says “I” when describing the event, instead of “we.” Also, the numerous grammatical and spelling errors just added to my frustration with the writing.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I wonder what type of career that the author has that allows her to take all this time to go on these expensive race vacations. The stories about her adventures in the 2nd half of the book are more valuable and entertaining than the first half of the book where she gives you insight into her mindset of how she approaches endurance sports.

I agree with another reviewer that this book could've used an editor and proofreader and that the first half of the book needs to be fleshed out a little more and her thoughts could have been organized better. For example on the first page alone, I counted 10 sentences that started with "I". The title is a little misleading as the author fails to connect the dots in how her approach to endurance sports translates into how I can "win at life". Besides all that, this was a very quick read and I finished in 2 days.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Jennifer's writing. It is easy to follow and pulls you in a neat, fast way that leaves you wanting more. Great running, travel, swimming and mountain climbing stories, among many other surprising helpful ideas for finding happiness, meaning and adventure in daily life.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an inspiring book. I can't believe all that she has done and accomplished, and has now shared with us her readers. What an interesting story with so many ideas and things to do in our own lives. I love GO FAR! Can't wait for more books from Jennifer!

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Stories!

[The Running Malang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got nothing useful out of this one 😕

[Jennifer Pease · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the first half. I found the second half a little repetitive which is disappointing as I was excited to read about all the adventures!

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book does provide some interesting stories and topics related to the issue, it doesn't serve as a strong enough companion to the individual works of Roll and other endurance athletes. While those is the community will enjoy anything on the topic, I feel that this one is not part of the most important books to read on this particular issue.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. A really great read and very motivational

Mike