Book Review: Dean Karnazes' Ultra Marathon Man

Want to light a fire on a running-related message board? Just mention Dean Karnazes and his best-selling book, Ultra Marathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner. Many running "purists", and particularly ultra-running "purists" have referred to Karnazes as a phony. Some have said that his book is simply a series of self-promoting indulgences. I recently had a chance to read Ultra Marathon Man and found some of Karnazes' critics to be correct. The book is self-promoting, however, what do you expect with an auto-biography. If I were to write a memoir, I wouldn't spend too many words degrading myself. Regardless, I ask runners to give Karnazes and his book a chance.

Ultra Marathon Man describes Karnazes' life through his childhood to his brief teenage running years. Karnazes then describes a vacuum in his life following the untimely death of his sister during his college and post-college years. On his 30th birthday, however, Karnazes had an awaking and, shortly thereafter, began training for the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run. Karnazes then describes his training for Western States and the race itself. He then details a failed Badwater attempt, a successful Antarctic Marathon, and his solo completion of a 199-mile relay race in 2000.

The vivid descriptions of Karnazes' first Western States and Badwater attempts were riveting. On the other hand, Karnazes' critics are correct in that much of the dialog is contrived and certain passages are self-promoting to the point where you are likely to cringe a bit. Regardless, to those that say that Karnazes is a phony, I quote from page 51 of the book where he describes how he felt on his 30th birthday before returning to running.

"At that moment I realized that my life was being wasted. Disillusioned with the trappings of the corporate scene, the things that really mattered-----friendship and exploration, personal expansion and a sense of meaning-----had gotten all twisted around making a lot of money and buying stuff. I hungered for a place where I could explore nature and my capabilities, away from a corporate office in a corporate building in a big city with crowed supermalls and people judging me by the car I drove (which, of course was a new Lexus)."

To anyone who loves running long distances but toils in an office every day, Karnazes has to speak to you at least on a base level. How can one honestly say that this is phony? The guy was going through life in a fog and found that ultra running provided him with purpose and meaning. And to boot, ultra running provided him with a new and meaningful career. So what if Karnazes has promoted himself and managed to make a buck? In the process, he has provided exposure to the sport and raised money for good causes. Plus, the Karnazes' franchise and publicity machine does not take anything away from the ambassodors of the sport. As an average amateur runner, I understand and value the accomplishments and contributions of Scott Jurek, Pam Reed, Ann Transon, David Horton, Anne Riddle Lundblad, Tim Tweitmeyer, Annette Bednosky, Kami Semick, and others.

The weekend athlete reading Outside Magazine on an airplane may view Karnazes as the sole face of ultra running. But to those of us who truly appreciate trail and ultra running, Karnazes is one of many (and different) ambassadors of a wonderful sport. In closing, read Karnazes' Ultra Marathon Man for the race descriptions and a look into the ultra marathon experience. If the self-promotion is too much for you, skip the paragraph. At the same time, try not to become jealous as you look out the window of your office building wondering if you could (or could have) made a career out of the sport that you love.