The Rise of the Ultra Runners – Book Review

Until relatively recently completing a marathon was seen as the pinnacle of a runner’s achievement.

Once they had completed the 26.2 miles runners tended to then strive to do it faster, but not many chose to run further. However recent years have seen a boom in “Ultra Running” with runners swapping tarmac for trails and often covering 30, 50 or 100 miles and in some cases even further over several days. In his book The Rise of the Ultra Runners (A Journey to the Edge of Human Endurance) Adharanand Finn looks into what is behind the desire to go further, to push on for longer and to endure what was not long ago thought to be mad or even impossible.

The Rise of the Ultra Runners

The author was already a fairly experienced road runner when his work as a journalist led him to take the step into ultra running; The Financial Times wanted an article about the Oman Desert Marathon, a multi day stage race and Finn decided that it would be an adventure. This led him on a journey to find out what motivates people to take part in such events and also, having survived 100 miles in the desert, to wonder how far he could push his own physical boundaries. So from there he set about accumulating enough qualifying points to enter and then complete the Ultra Tour of Mont Blanc. Along the way he delves deep into the ultra running scene, interviewing and spending time with some of the sport’s top runners and competing in races in the UK, Europe, South Africa and the USA.

The book gives an interesting insight from two fronts – there’s the journalistic aspect where Finn interviews some of the sport’s biggest names (including Kilian Jornet, Sage Canaday, Zach Miller, Elisabet Barnes, Damian Hall) and also a personal one as he recounts the highs of finishing and the lows of pain, suffering and hallucinations that he experiences whilst taking part in various races. Finn touches on the questions around doping in the sport and also discusses why – when the marathon running world is dominated by Kenyan and Ethiopian runners – there are no East Africans on the Ultra Running scene.

The Rise of the Ultra Runners gives a fascinating insight into the world of ultra distance running. You don’t need to be an ultra runner yourself to enjoy it but it will certainly appeal to anyone interested in running further than 26.2 miles.

SHAFF 2019 Running Films

This year’s Sheffield Adventure Film Festival (SHAFF) has some great films to inspire anyone interested in Ultra Running.

Ramsay’s Round tells the story of American runner Alicia Hudelson as she attempts to become one of the few female runners to complete the 56 mile, 28,000 ft challenge in under 24 hours. Charlie Ramsay who dreamed up the challenge and was first to complete it explains what the “Round” entails and the low key approach to the challenge shows that Ultra running isn’t just about busy races with expensive entry fees. The stunning scenery of the Scottish mountains simply adds to appeal of the Ramsay Round and might just inspire you to have a go.

Ramsay’s Round

Ar Gefn y Ddraig (Riding the Dragon) follows Welsh runner Huw Jack Brassington during his attempt to complete the Berghaus Dragon’s Back race, an epic 5 day 315km journey through the Welsh Mountains. The event which sees runners ascend twice the height of Everest is arguably one of the hardest mountain races in the world, and Huw had never raced further than a marathon before! The film follows him during the five days as he descends into a world of fatigue and pain. Spoken in Welsh (with English subtitles) it is clear to see the passion and almost madness that possessed him to push himself to his limits. It’s painful to watch and probably won’t inspire you to enter the next race but is fascinating viewing!

Crib Goch on the Berghaus Dragon's Back race

Riding the Dragon

Full details of the SHAFF programme here https://shaff.co.uk/screenings

Dig Deep

Here’s a little taste of what you can expect to see on this year’s Dig Deep races!

Whether you choose the full 60 miles Ultra Tour of the Peak District or just the 10k – we can’t guarantee sunshine (or snow!) but we can guarantee some fantastic Peak District scenery.