Ultramarathon Man
Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner is Dean Karnazes's 2005 memoir of the unlikely path that took him from a comfortable Bay Area marketing job to the front of the field in some of the most punishing endurance events on the planet. The book opens on the night of his thirtieth birthday, when, sick of a life that felt small, he walked out of a San Francisco bar and ran thirty miles south to Half Moon Bay in dress shoes and dress pants. From that night forward, he committed himself to running. Karnazes goes on to recount his finishes at the Western States 100, his repeat assaults on the Badwater 135 across Death Valley in July, his 199-mile solo of the Providian Relay, and his record-attempting run to the South Pole. The book is part adventure narrative, part conversion story, written with a runner's directness and an evangelist's love for what running has given him.
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about Ultramarathon Man
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
On the night of his thirtieth birthday in San Francisco, advertising executive Dean Karnazes walks out of a bar and runs thirty miles south in his work shoes.
Yes. Dean Karnazes recounts his own experiences running 100+ mile races, including the Western States 100 and a 350-mile run without sleep.
No. It works as endurance memoir for anyone interested in mental toughness or extreme sports, though running enthusiasts will get the most detail.
Ultramarathon Man was written by Dean Karnazes, published in 2005 by Tarcher.
Ultramarathon Man is 295 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Ultramarathon Man takes most readers 4 to 6 hours to finish.
Ultramarathon Man is a standalone novel by Dean Karnazes, not part of a series.
Ultramarathon Man is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.