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The Coolest Race on Earth: Mud, Madmen, Glaciers, and Grannies at the Antarctica Marathon
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Product Description
What would induce hundreds of people from all over the world to spend thousands of dollars each and two weeks of their lives just to run a marathon in Antarctica? Especially one with a reputation as the toughest marathon on Earth?
John Hanc may have the answer. When he turned 50 he gave himself the birthday present to end all others--a trip to the end of the Earth to run his most unforgettable race.
The Coolest Race on Earth is both Hanc’s story and the story of the Antarctica Marathon, first held in 1995 and now an annual event that sells out years in advance. It’s full of humor, adventure, and inspiring characters--including a wheelchair-bound competitor, three record-breaking grandmothers, and an ex-Marine who described the race as “the hardest thing I ever did in my life, next to Vietnam.”
Muddy, cold, hilly, the race is by all accounts horrible--up and down a melting glacier twice, past curious penguins and hostile skuas, and finally to a bleak finish line. Even the best runners take longer to run the Antarctica Marathon than any other.
Yet the allure of marathon running combined with the fascinating reputation of the Last Continent has persuaded runners to brave a trip across the world’s most turbulent body of water, the Drake Passage, to a land of extinct volcanoes and craggy mountain peaks, lost explorers and isolated scientists, penguin rookeries and whale sightings, all for a chance to run those crazy 26.2 miles. The Coolest Race on Earth brings the world’s most difficult marathon to life in a book that’s not only a ripping read, but also a deeply funny meditation on what makes people run.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #55323 in Books
- Published on: 2009-01-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 192 pages
Features
- ISBN13: 9781556527388
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. What happens when runners tackle a marathon over slush, ice and naked rock on an Antarctic island? Yes, their race times are much slower, but this bizarre exercise has, over the past 10 years, raised concerns far beyond the typical marathoners'. Author and Runner's World contributing editor Hanc (The Essential Marathoner) devotes the sea lion's share of this ice-bound marathon memoir to these concerns, especially in examining the determined, colorful runners competing alongside him (including "bicycle-riding grandmas" and a wheelchair-bound marathoner from Singapore). The 50-year-old writer became interested after speaking with a recently returned friend ("'It feels like I just got back from another planet,' Lipsky said") and soon found himself considering the race in spite of his better sense-improbably, the devoted runner had pushed himself to the point where running 26.2 miles on the streets of New York, Chicago or London was just too cushy. The Antarctic, of course, provides all the challenge he could ever want, and his sharp, fun and funny account captures well the incredible ferocity of life there. Though a special treat for runners, travel readers and non-athletes interested in extreme human experiences will also find this a bracing read.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"While it may seem as simple as putting one foot in front of the other for 26.2 miles, the world of the marathon is a complex, funny, strange and fascinating one. . . . John Hanc shows us just how far that world extends and reminds us how compelling and admirable—and okay, zany—are those who go the distance." —Runner's World Magazine
"John Hanc takes us along on an adventure you will never forget. A book that will haunt your thoughts and run with your mind." —Toby Tanser, author, More Fire: How to Run the Kenyan Way and The Essential Guide to Running the New York City Marathon
"With Hanc as our trusty guide, we emerge from the tale of the trek feeling as if we were there—although we suffered no bouts of seasickness and have not a speck of mud or penguin dung on our boots." —Mark Will-Weber, author, The Quotable Runner and Run for the Diamonds: 100 Years of Footracing in Berwick, Pennsylvania
"A must read for any adventure-minded runner, or for those just looking to get a taste of what it's like to run a marathon on the most desolate continent on earth." —Dean Karnazes, marathon runner and author, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner
"Full of humor, adventure, and inspiring characters." —booksextremesports.blogspot.com
About the Author
Customer Reviews
the coolest race on earth
The Coolest Race on Earth: Mud, Madmen, Glaciers, and Grannies at the Antarctica Marathon I ran the the first Antarctic Marathon in 1995 as chronicled in this book and know many of those who have done the subsequent races. The book accurately describes the experience and does a wonderful job of going beyond the running aspect and speaks to the very special place Antarctica is and how it affects those who go there. An inspirational book for all runners. It is a testimony to ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
You Don't have to be a runner to enjoy this book!
The title The Coolest Race on Earth: Mud, Madmen, Glaciers, and Grannies at the Antarctica Marathon was intriguing to me. What would possess seemingly sane people to choose this endeavor? John Hanc explains all in this amusing and inspiring tale.
The earlier chapters include a respectful history of marathons and Antarctica exploration highlighting the people who made it happen. You can't help but admire the courage of Scott, Crean, Amundsen and all those early 20th Century explorers.
How will the runners get there? What will they eat? How cold will it be? Do they really need the Home Depot boots? John entertains you detailing all the necessities the runners must bring to participate in the Antarctica Marathon.
All the event organizers, participants and ships's crew are profiled in a way that enables you to like them and cheer them to the finish line. Will Mr. Tan get stuck in the mud? Will the author regret his decision to forego the Gatorade? Will the birds dive-bomb the runners?
The startling photos of Antarctica, taken by amateurs and professionals help you visualize the bleak landscape and the hearty group of participants who ran the marathon.
Although I am not a runner and never intend to be, I enjoyed the look into the psyche and world of the marathon runner. A truly enjoyable book from cover to cover.
Shivers
I was knocked out by what I saw in the Appendix, of all places. Here, the author lists the results of the 2005 Antarctica Half Marathon. Typically names, ages and finishing times don't draw emotion, and William Tan's taking almost six hrs. to complete 13.1 miles would hardly be considered extraordinary. Knowing, however, what preceded his finish -- who he was and how he got there -- sent Arctic chills. Tan is just one member of Hanc's very real cast that moves the author through his own race and through the book. I laughed, too, seeing Hanc's story, since, outside the pain of 19 earlier races, he was otherwise "pampered" until his 10 days bunking aboard the Vavilov. Shopping a big box hardware store for boots that stand up to penguin dung and hitting the floor after missing a ladder rung as he tries to climb down from bed to use the bathroom are the tip of the iceberg. Hanc's writing, despite his experience in the sport, is anything but pleased with self. Anyone who makes it to the STARTing line of a race this remote, though, has every right to be.
