Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 42
 Unputdownable July 25, 2010
debs
Having spent a great part of my life training for the roads for most (long) distances - I now realise that it wasn't long distance at all and that a half marathon is just a warm up for this tribe of runners.
And despite being surrounded by athletes I had no idea of this sport within a sport. I have also not experienced the utter exhaustion suffered by Richard Askwith and now, unfortunatley, have decided that life will be incomplete with at least trying to run over a few mountains.
So pick up this book at your own peril. It is written with an enormous amount of understanding of both personal battles against ones' body, the techniques employed to get across and, especially, down mountains safely, and in such a way that it would drag the most reluctanct couch potato out into a rainy field armed with a compass. Thank you Richard for the best book on running I have ever read.
 Ok to dip in to. July 16, 2010
Paul Pierce
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
After seeing so many good reviews and with an interest in the subject of the book, I was certain I would love it.
There are a couple of bits of the book that I loved; like the chapter on Josh Naylor.
The problem with the book as a whole is that it doesn't flow well, which makes it a bit boring; there are frequent chapters giving the outcome of various races, which read like the sport results on television; after reading the first half I found myself just picking the chapters that looked interesting from the second half.
Buy this book !!! June 21, 2010
I.C. Deadpeople
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Wow, what a great book! I would recomend this book to any sports person,or indeed any one considering taking up a sport.It is not a training manual but it has taught me some valuable lessons about endurance running. The achievements of some incredible athletes are documented here as well as recording the challenges faced by someone the reader can relate to as they discover what it takes to achieve their goals.All this is topped off with a fairly comprehensive history and annual diary of a truly inspirational sport.OK running up and down mountains may not be for everyone but the chapter in which the author realises the only obstacle left is their lack of self belief is worthwhile whatever you do.
One of the best running books out there June 13, 2010
A. S. Howard (Great Britain)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
If you are interested in running, particulary off-road running in the UK then this is a must. There is a good balance of fell-running history and the characters punctuated by the author's own attempts to conquer one of the great challenges.
 Disappointing May 29, 2010
D. Flanagan
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I had high expectations for this book, given the fact the author is a respected journalist and the subject matter so rich in dramatic potential. I wanted to get a sense of what it feels like to push yourself through these spectacular landscapes, but the author never really engages the reader in this respect. The profiles of leading runners were the most interesting element of the book, but even with these you feel the author never fully connects with his subjects. At times it was like reading the work of a local newspaper reporter trying to break into feature writing. The descriptions of events in the fell running calendar that continually interrupt what narrative there is were irritating and dull, the kind of detail best left to a specialist publication. I confess I really struggled to finish this book and ultimately cared little about the author's attempts to complete the Bob Graham Round. It simply lacked heart and passion, which is odd given the fact you must need bucket loads of both to achieve such a feat.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 42
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