Books, books, books...
This time of year folks might be thinking of heading off on holiday and what better accompaniment than good book?
If you’re an off-road runner then you are certainly in luck this summer as there is plenty to choose from out there, with one of the greats of endurance running even coming all the way to London for an exclusive book signing.
If you of the new Kindle brigade, then you will do a lot worse than head on over to Amazon and download the fantastically titled (!), digital cracker that is Mud, Sweat and Tears...
Written by former MST contributor Moire O’Sullivan the book traces her footsteps of her epic 2009 Wicklow Round run:
In July 2008, Moire O’Sullivan made a solo attempt on the Wicklow Round, a gruelling endurance run spanning a hundred kilometres over twenty six of Ireland’s remotest mountain peaks.
After nearly twenty two hours she collapsed, two summits from the end. Battered and bruised, yet undeterred, she returned a year later to become the first person ever to complete the challenge.
A more in-depth review of Moire’s book will appear courtesy of Rene Borg in the near future.
As far as pulped non-fiction goes there is a huge choice out there from the classic Feet in the Clouds by Richard Askwith to the tracing of fell-legend Joss Naylor.
However, we have chosen four titles which cover a broad spectrum from voyages of self-discovery, battles against adversity and texts that help you through the ravages and beauties of ultra-trail running.
In no particular order we also highly recommend the following books, purely for their ease of reading and simple approaches to the subject matter, and ability to inspire the reader.
Relentless Forward Progress – Bryon Powell
The Ultimate Guide to Trail Running – Adam Chase and Nancy Hobbs
Run Like Hell – Matt Beardshall
Isles at the Edge of the Sea – Jonny Muir
We’ll be doing our own reviews of Bryon Powell’s and Jonny Muir’s books in the coming weeks, and having read just a few chapters of each I can tell already that they really are great reads. Bon voyage!
