William Chong

(Ultramarathon Man: confessions of an all-night runner, by Dean Karnazes.)

Verdict:Dean Karnazes’s first memoir lies somewhere between a Pheidippides fable and a Forrest Gump sentimental, yet “Ultramarathon man” tells a fascinating tale in its own right and is a worthwhile Saturday afternoon read.

If you’re looking for a larger-than-life story about pushing the limits of human endurance and capability, this book might inspire you to push yourself in training. Alternatively, if you’re a slouch, love your couch, love your TV remote and your La-Z-Boy, this book might just leave you thinking: “He must be mad!” But you’d probably still be impressed. Whatever your disposition, ultramarathon runner Dean Karnazes weaves a mad, mad narrative chronicling the personal events that have led to him becoming an extraordinary athlete who’s run solo across 200 miles, completed 50 marathons in 50 days, and completed a marathon to the South Pole in running shoes.

This book was “written” during the countless training runs Karnazes completed in his pursuit of meaning, finding “magic in misery” and not thinking too much of running into the night. The first couple of chapters take the reader back into childhood reflections, and read as the most genuine and heartfelt reflections of his life. I found myself chuckling away when a 9-year-old Karnazes, in a whimsical bid to see his grandparents, rode his bike alone over fifty miles to get there.

This extreme athlete recounts the various challenges and races that he’s run, and how he balances that with his family and work life (answer: he’s running instead of sleeping). You sense that there’s an almost pathological desire to better himself each time: Karnazes goes from running 50 miles, to 100 miles, to 100 miles in the desert, to 100 miles in the Antarctic, to running 12-man relays solo, perhaps until he finally reaches the threshold of human capability.

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