The Longest Race: A Lifelong Runner, An Iconic Ultramarathon, and the Case for Human Endurance

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The Experiment, Nov 13, 2012 - Sports & Recreation - 256 pages

Among endurance runners, there are those who have run very long distances, and then there are those who have run very long distances for a very long time. Ed Ayres exemplifies the latter; having run in over 600 races across fifty-five years, he is arguably the most experienced American distance runner still competing today. A book no one else could have written, The Longest Race is his urgent exploration of the connection between individual endurance and a sustainable society.

The Longest Race begins at the starting line of the 2001 JFK 50 MileÑthe nationÕs oldest and largest ultramarathon and, like other such races, an epic test of human limits and aspiration. At age sixty, his sights set on breaking the age-division record, Ayres embarks on a course over the rocky ridge of the Appalachian Trail, along the headwind-buffeted towpath of the Potomac River, and past momentous Civil War sites such as Harpers Ferry and Antietam.

But even as Ayres focuses on concerns familiar to every endurance runnerÑstarting strong and setting the right pace, the art of breathing, overcoming fatigue, mindfulness for the course aheadÑhe finds himself as preoccupied with the future of our planet as with the finish line of this 50-mile race.

A veteran journalist and environmental editor who harbors deep anxiety about our longterm prospects, Ayres helps us to understand how the skills and mindset necessary to complete an ultramarathon are also essential for grappling anew with the imperative to endureÑnot only as individuals, but as a societyÑand not just for 50 miles, but in the longest race we are all called upon to run.

 

Contents

The StartWhen Life Begins Again
1
The Rushand the Dilemma of Pacing
11
What Are My Running Shoes For? The Journey from Barefoot Hunter to Boots on the Ground to Where I Am Now
28
The Art of Breathing and the Music of Motion Do My Feet Have Eyes of Their Own?
45
With a Little Help from Our Friends The NotSoLoneliness of the LongDistance Runner
61
Learning from Quarterbacks The SlowerIsFaster Phenomenon
72
Redemption A Recovering Strength for the Human Runnerand for the Human Race
85
Becoming a Persistence Hunter The Long Day of Tracking the Grateful Kill the Celebration
99
Seeing Around Bends We Came We Envisioned We Got Disconnected
156
The Blessing and Curse of Competition Why Vince Lombardi Was Dead Wrong
167
If You Fall Then You Crawl What Is It About Finishing?
181
The Fading Light
197
2012
204
Notes for an Aspiring Ultrarunner
209
Notes
233
Acknowledgments
239

The EnergySupply Illusion CarboLoading Body Heat and Naked Skin
114
Burning Fat in a Carbohydrate Fire A Secret of the Inca Messengers
129
Negotiating with Fatigueand Turning Long Hours into Moments
142
About the Author
Copyright

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About the author (2012)

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.

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