Ed Ayres has been running competitively for fifty-five consecutive years, and he enjoys it as much now as he did when he joined his high school cross-country team in 1956. Ayres placed 3rd in the first New York Marathon in 1970, and he is the only runner of that race still competing today. Having participated in the early growth of American interest in roadrunning, trail-running, and marathons, he also became one of the pioneers of ultrarunning. He placed third in the US 50 Mile championship in 1976 (in 5:46:52), first in the JFK 50 Mile in 1977, and first in four US national age-division championships at 50K road, 50K trail, and fifty miles. He was the founding editor and publisher of Running Times magazine, and also worked for thirteen years as the editorial director of the Worldwatch Institute.
"Ought to be required reading even for people who have never run a
step."
--The Boston Globe
"Like the expert runner that he is, Ayres perfectly paces his tale
and evokes the feeling of being on a long, rambling run with a very
good friend. A gifted storyteller, he seamlessly moves between
discussing running to exploring larger life issues such as why we
run, our impact on the environment, and the effects of the nation's
declining physical fitness. The book is well structured, and the
conversation is thought provoking, planting questions and ideas
that readers will ruminate on long after the last page is turned.
Ayres' narrative skill makes this book stand out from other
accounts of ultramarathons and is sure to appeal to both runners
and nonrunners alike."
--Booklist
"[Ed Ayres'] broad-ranging interests and accumulated wisdom will
appeal to a wide readership, not just runners and
environmentalists."
--Kirkus
"Veteran long-distance runner Ayres, a 55-year competitor in more
than 600 races, brings the reader along for his grueling trek on
the 2001 JFK 50 Mile, the nation's oldest ultramarathon, explaining
some critical insights that enable one to cross the finish line. .
. . Using Sheehan's axiom of "listening to your body," the author
provides runners with crucial information and key tips, ending with
his must-have "Notes for an Aspiring Ultrarunner," advising on
breathing, nutrition, attitude, technique, training, footwear, and
terrain. Revealing, savvy, and fast-paced, Ayres's eloquent book on
marathon running is a master class on the priceless life lessons of
enduring and conquering obstacles to victory.
--Publishers Weekly
"To read this book is to run alongside a seasoned athlete, a deep
thinker, and a great storyteller. And Ayres doesn't disappoint: He
is the best kind of running companion, generously doling out
hilarious stories and hard-won insights into performance
conditioning and the human condition. His lifetime of ultra-running
and environmental writing drive his exploration of what keeps us
running long distances--and what it might take to keep the planet
from being run into the ground."
--Nature Conservancy magazine
"Ultramarathon runner Ed Ayres is looking for a different kind of
salvation--for the soul, for the planet. The races he's been
running for more than half a century have inspired athletes
worldwide and reshaped our ideas about endurance and
sustainability. . . Ayres's new book, The Longest Race, is partly a
chronicle of his experience in the fabled JFK 50 Mile
ultramarathon, but it's also about so much more. . . . Indeed, with
all his talk about "oxygen debt" and "research depletion" it soon
becomes clear that this book isn't just about an athletic race.
It's also about the human race."
--Bloomberg
"Subtitled A Lifelong Runner, an Iconic Ultramarathon, and the case
for Human Endurance, this is no ordinary running book. Like most of
the other books of the genre, Ayres recounts many running tales,
some inspiring, some amusing, some enlightening. He is a gifted
storyteller and - befitting someone who spent most of his life as
an editor - the book is full of well-written prose, something not
commonly found in the running-book world. . . . For the
ultrarunner, or the aspiring one, there is a brilliant appendix
that provides a foundation for success in a sport with so many
variables. It's not so much a "do this, don't do that" approach.
Ayres uses his 50-plus years of experience and looks at the entire
process, always simplifying and synthesizing. It's easy to fall
into the trap of making things complicated that don't need to be -
his ten notes neatly cut through all the clutter. The Appendix
alone is worth the cost of the book."
--Ultrarunning
"An ultramarathon is made up of a million moments, and you're
different at the end than you were at the start--it's the perfect
metaphor, as Ed Ayres makes clear, for the race we've got to run
now, with focus and grit, if we're going to deal with the deepest
trouble we've ever stumbled into as a planet."
--Bill McKibben, Schumann Distinguished Scholar, Middlebury
College
"In this compelling read, visionary Ed Ayres takes us on a run that
may save our nanosecond lives . . . and our planet. Most runners
have the potential to be environmentalists, but after this book, we
should be morally obligated. Take heart!--as Ayers says, 'It's a
long work day, but the work is good.'"
--Kathrine Switzer, first woman to officially run the Boston
Marathon, winner of the 1974 New York City Marathon, and author of
Marathon Woman
"Ed Ayres is a legend who shares his many provocative insights and
lessons in an informative yet enjoyable way. A true champion, Ed
uses his gift to help us all be the best that we can be."
--Dean Karnazes, athlete and New York Times bestselling author
"This book reminds us that our strength and vitality can never be
separated from the health of the earth we run on, and whose air we
breathe."
--Bill Rodgers, four-time New York Marathon winner and four-time
Boston Marathon winner
"In a culture addicted to quick hits, fast times and unrelenting
over-stimulus, Ed Ayres speaks with the voice of wisdom,
simplicity, and acceptance of what is. The Longest Race offers many
life lessons learned through Ayres's long-time practice of
endurance running. He speaks volumes on two things we could all
use: more simplicity--and a sense of pacing. We highly recommend
this book to anyone ready to step off the speeding train and do a
freefall into the present."
--Danny and Katherine Dreyer, authors of Chi Running, Chi Walking
and Chi Marathon
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