There’s nothing like a good running book to kickstart your training going into a new year. I read some great running books in 2020 and have included my top 5 books below.
1) Rise of the Ultra Runners – Adharanand Finn
My favourite running book from 2020, the Rise of the Ultra Runners follows the author, Adharanand Finn’s quest to run Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB). I did an in depth review of Finn’s book in a previous blog post from August, 2020. Readers follow Finn on a number of races leading up to UTMB. Finn does a fantastic job describing the emotions and the beauty of ultra running. Finn also gives some excellent background information on ultra running, starting from the sport’s origins and going all the way to present day.
2. Cross Country – Rickey Gates
Rickey Gates tells the story of his 2017 run across America through beautiful photos and writing. I listened to Gates’ audio book first, which is really short at 1 h 27 m in length. Despite its length, I still enjoyed the audiobook and wrote a full review of it in a June, 2020 blog post. I sent my review to Gates in an E-mail and was happy to get a response back from him. Gates admitted that the audiobook was short and encouraged me to buy the hardcover book which includes his photos from the journey. I received my hardcover book a few days later after ordering it through Amazon. I really enjoyed experiencing Gates’ trip though his series of photos. In addition to being a professional runner, Gates is a professional photographer and it is clear that he has a real talent for his craft.
3. Meditations from the Breakdown Lane – James Shapiro
Meditations from the Breakdown Lane is the story of James Shapiro running across the USA in 1980. Shapiro does most of his journey alone. He takes his meals in diners and sleeps in motels. I would love to do a cross country running trip at some point and reading about Shapiro’s journey was fascinating. Shapiro’s writing is poetic and he shares some very moving insights on long distance running. That being said, it took me a long time to finish reading this book. I had to read it in small chunks since Shapiro’s writing is very detail oriented. He spends a lot of time describing his interactions on the road from conversations with waitresses to getting heckled by young road workers.
4. Beyond the Trees – Adam Shoalts
I admit that Beyond the Trees is not based on running however the book captures the spirit of adventure of ultra running. Shoalts tells the tale of his solo journey by canoe across the Canadian Arctic in 2017. He describes a race against time in which he must rely on his endurance to cross challenging terrain so that he can complete his journey before brutal winter conditions set in. This is the second book that I’ve read by Shoalts and it didn’t disappoint. Shoalts’ first book Alone in the North, is a great story about his search for an undiscovered river in the Canadian north.
5. How to Lose a Marathon – Joel H. Cohen
How to Lose a Marathon is definitely the funniest running book that I’ve ever read. The author, Joel H. Cohen is a writer for the Simpsons and Saturday Night Live. Cohen shares his journey of starting to run, to completing the 2013 New York City Marathon. How to Lose a Marathon is not only funny and entertaining, it’s full of great information about running. I plan on sharing the book with friends who would like to start running.