Book review | The Extra Mile
While I was traveling to and from the Ottawa Race Weekend, I read through Pam Reed's "The Extra Mile." It was a worthwhile read, although I wasn't crazy about her writing style.
First off, this book is worth the read just because of all Pam's amazing ultrarunning accomplishments: two wins at Badwater, 24-hour US run record, 48-hour US run record, first non-stop 300 mile run, transatlantic triple marathon in less than 48 hours, plus a host of others.
One of the best parts of this book deals with Pam's battle with anorexia. While I expect that Pam's experiences with anorexia are very different from the average person, I learned a great deal about this eating disorder from reading this book.
I had hoped that Pam's book was going to be a collection of race reports. Instead her stories tend to focus on the time around her various events. I did find the stories she tells surrounding her various Badwater innovations very interesting.
As expected, there is a part of this book dealing with the supposed Pam Reed / Dean Karnaze feud (enough said).
My recommendation would be to borrow, not buy, this book. For those interested in ultrarunning, it is certainly a good read although not a book I intend to re-read.
Comments
How timely for me. I think I will be trying to find this book and hopefully finding some inspiration there in it....
Thanks!