Ultra-marathoner Dean Karnazes claims "There is magic in misery." While it would be easy to write off his habit of running for 100 miles at a time—or longer—as mere masochism, it's impossible to not admire his tenacity in pushing his body to reach one extreme goal after another. Sure, it's gory to read about how he lost one of his big toenails from shoe friction during the Western States Endurance Run. But what registers more is that here's a guy competing in an event that includes 38,000 feet of elevation change--the equivalent of scaling the Empire State Building 30 times.

A fun and fascinating read

Ultra Marathon Man is the autobiography of Dean Karnazes, an "ultra-marathoner" who regularly participates in 100+ mile runs, often throughout the night and/or in unbelievably arduous conditions . The obvious question is "what would drive someone to do this?" and Karnazes does his best to answer that question - because he enjoys the challenge of pushing his body to the limit, because he loves to run, because of the support that his family give him. Nevertheless you still end the book wondering why on earth he does this and what toll all of this takes on his body.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a very fast and easy read. I read it in a couple of days, and when I'd put it down I wanted to get back to it - always a good sign. At times it's very amusing, especially when he recounts some of the reactions that he gets from people when they hear what he does. It's also a fascinating look into a truly extreme sport. The writing is very descriptive and you get drawn into the experience of the races that he participates in.

I'm only an occasional and part-time jogger, but this book definitely made me feel like getting out and hitting the streets. Anyone who runs would enjoy this book, though its appeal is broader than that. My non-running husband really liked it. This would be a great present for a hard to buy for person.

Living his own life.

This is a good quick read. Dean may not be a great writer but he doesn't pretend to be. While someone with a short attention span may struggle to read through his descriptions of his races I found them all interesting and varied. His respect for what life truly is both thought provoking and honest to his beliefs. It is kind of funny to read the negative reviews of this book because after reading Dean's book I get the distinct impression he wouldn't care less. He is leading his own life and that is the example he gives to anyone who picks this up. It is an example we should all in many ways follow.

Excellent book of extreme endurance running

I've read a few articles and seen a few TV appearances with Karno and found his endurance running quite fascinating. So I was pleased to learn of his book and quickly consumed it over a 2 day period. It's written well, reads fast and is thoroughly enjoyable. I particularly liked the detailed descriptions of his longer runs. A great read for anyone interested in going beyond the ordinary - or for someone considering their first Ultra (such as myself).

Mark Bauman / www.MarkB.org