The Longest Race: A Lifelong Runner, an Iconic Ultramarathon, and the Case for Human Endurance PDF
Preview The Longest Race: A Lifelong Runner, an Iconic Ultramarathon, and the Case for Human Endurance
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 Mile—the nation’s 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 runner—starting strong and setting the right pace, the art of breathing, overcoming fatigue, mindfulness for the course ahead—he 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 endure—not only as individuals, but as a society—and not just for 50 miles, but in the longest race we are all called upon to run.
Review“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
"The Longest Race is always the story of one epic 50-mile race in all its technical and visceral elements, and also a celebration of the sport of running and of our ability to keep running in changing times."
—Shelf Awareness
“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
"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
“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 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
“In this book Ed Ayres takes us on a journey through the highs and lows, the agonies and ecstasies, of his record-setting ultramarathon. With the head of a scientist, the heart of an endurance athlete, and the soul of an ultra-distance runner, he teaches us good stewardship not only for our bodies but also for this planet on which we tread and from which we draw sustenance. We can all learn from his words.”
—Naomi Benaron, author of Running the Rift
“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
“The most clearly articulated account I’ve ever read as to the goings-on inside the mind of a runner.”
—Brendan Brazier, bestselling author of Thrive and formulator of Vega
“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.”
—Curtis Runyan, Editor, Nature Conservancy magazine
“One of the nation's leading environmental thinkers, and a nationally-ranked runner over half a century, Ed Ayres embodies the classic ideal: mens sana in corpore sano. Using as template his 2001 record-breaking running of America’s largest and oldest ultramarathon—the JFK 50 Mile—Ayres shows how the discipline of endurance running can lead us as individuals and a nation to environmental sustainability. Ayres confirms what a few of us have long suspected: In our greatest individual challenges, trail running proves itself just like life, only more so.”
—Tony Rossmann, environmental advocate, UC Berkeley law professor, and past president of the Western States Endurance Run
“Required reading for any aspiring ultrarunner. An inspirational story by someone who knows more about life on the run, and what it means to us, than many of us could dream of.”
—Robin Harvie, author of The Lure of Long Distances: Why We Run
“The Longest Race tells an extraordinary story of the athletic spirit fueled by, yet transcending, competition. Deep in our souls, it’s a thing we can find only through the hard work of caring and striving, not only for ourselves but for our fellow competitors, for life itself, and indeed for the fate of the Earth. We return to this spirit or we perish.”
—David Meggyesy, author of Out of Their League, Former Western Director, NFL Players Association
“An extraordinary journey of the human body, mind, and soul running together—not as hierarchical powers in a troubled civilization, but as a holistic and exhilarating display of ancient capabilities that lie at the heart of the human experience. This is a breathtaking, feet-on-the-ground story.”
—Marianne Williamson, author of A Woman’s Worth and Healing the Soul of America
“I have been reading Ed Ayres’s insightful thoughts on running and life since I started serious training in the 1970s. By reading The Longest Race I’m sure you will also benefit greatly from Ed’s wisdom.”
—Joe Friel, elite endurance athlete coach and author of The Triathlete’s Training Bible
“Ayres’s tale of the grueling JFK 50 Ultramarathon, where he placed first in his age group, is far more than a gripping account of an aging runner’s competition against self and others. It’s nothing less than a philosophical treatise on how to survive and thrive in a world of dwindling resources, alarming climate change, and haunting violence. It’s about a human race, but also the human race.”
—Larry Shapiro, PhD, author of Zen and the Art of Running
“Brilliant in its simplicity, rich in content, The Longest Race insightfully weaves history, nature, wisdom, love, and the spirituality of sports to help us learn lessons about ourselves and life. This inspirational book will change your relationship with running and other activities of passion. There is much, much love in his words.”
—Dr. Jerry Lynch, distance runner and author of *The Way of the Champion
“Ed Ayres’s storytelling is first rate. His mix of historical events and personal history make for a compelling and poignant read about health, nutrition, and the environment. The Longest Race highlights how the fate of the planet is intimately connected to our own personal health. Ayres shows us how we can all make the world a better place through the way we live, the way we eat, and the way we interact with one another.”
—Danielle Nierenberg, Co-Director, State of the World
“Ed Ayres has a talent for drawing the reader into his adventure. You are at the starting line with him, chilly, lean, anxious to start the race. The next moment, you are off and racing through the story as you race through the course. His story details an iconic American ultra that I have been lucky enough to have run. I have seen it from the sharp end, winning it in the past, but also from the middle/back of the pack as it was my first ultramarathon and taught me all about pain, suffering, and, in the end, a special sense of accomplishment that few things can, and that is how I feel about this book: You come away with something worthwhile for the time you spend reading it. Enjoy the journey, it is a fun one.”
—*Michael Wardian, 2007 JFK 50 Mile winner and 2011 JFK 50 Mile runner-up
“The Longest Race is ostensibly about Ed Ayres running the JFK 50 ultramarathon, a...
About the AuthorEd 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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