Book Review: C. C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race

Bringing you the third book in my book review series.

C. C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race

The True Story of the 1928 Coast-to-Coast Run Across America

By: Geoff Williams

Well, this is an odd little book I read a few years ago. It was quite different than any other running book I've ever read.

This book is about a 3,423 mile race from Los Angeles to New York City. In 1928, endurance events were all the rage. From flag pole sitting to dance marathons, everybody was participating and trying to beat records. It was in the middle of this that the legendary sports promoter C. C. Pyle put together what was probably the greatest endurance event of the decade: a race across the country.

This book gives a daily account of what happened and follows such characters as part Cherokee Andy Payne, Paul "Hardrock" Simpson, Mike Kelly, Ed Gardner, Charles Hart, and Frank Johnson. We get some back story on each runner and what motivated them to run the race. We also get a good look at C. C. Pyle himself and his crazy antics to not only put this race on, but to keep it going for 84 days.

If you're looking for a book that's full of historical context and pushes man to their limits, this is the one for you.

Another Bonus Video: Actual footage from the race

Book Review: Eat and Run

Here's the second installment in my book review series

Eat and Run

My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarthon Greatness

By: Scott Jurek

So this is my favorite running book of all time. It also made me fall in love with Scott Jurek.

This book is the biography of Scott Jurek and how he became the great ultrarunner of all time, and one of the best runners this world has ever seen.

From his beginnings in Duluth, Minnesota, this book follows the chronicle of Scott Jurek discovering the ultramarthon and his journey to become the top ultramarthoner of his time. It follows the struggles not only of his running career, but also his personal life. From his rocky relationship to his best friend Dusty, to collapsing in the middle of Death Valley while running the Badwater Ultramarthon. If you're looking for something to inspire your running, this might just be the book for you.

Something else that is unique about this book is Scott's discussion about veganism. Being a vegan, Scott dealt with many biases against how he ate and that he couldn't win while eating like that. He sure proved everybody wrong. He also includes vegan recipes at the end of every chapter. I"ve tried a couple, and they're really good.

Bonus Video: Check out Scott's TedMed talk about why he runs.

Book Review: Born to Run

This is the first in a series of book reviews I'm going to do about running books. I love to read running books not only to learn new things, but to inspire me in my own running. I hope you'll pick some of these books up and give them a chance. They're worth it. So here goes...

Born to Run

A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race

the World Has Never Seen

By: Christopher McDougall

I started with this book for a reason. If you’re going to read one running book, it should be this one. Not only is it super entertaining, I think it’s one of the most influential running books since Jogging was published in 1967 and started the modern running craze.

The story follows several top ultra runners from the US going to Mexico to run against the Tarahumara Indians, who are a an isolated tribe who is known for their excellent running skills. This race was set up by the mysterious Caballo Blanco. McDougall does a fantastic job of furthering the story while intermingling stories about the runners, the Tarahumara, and science about barefoot running and how man was born to run. Due to this book, minimalist running became a huge fad for several years.

I would suggest this book purely on the basis of it’s entertainment, but the science he explores is also super interesting. I loved it from cover to finish.

Bonus: Watch this video of Christoper McDougall talking about why we as humans were born to run.