A new book, In It for the Long Run is ultrarunner Damian Hall’s story of running a first marathon aged thirty-six, dressed as a toilet, and representing Great Britain four years later. His midlife-crisis running problem escalated to 100-mile ultramarathons and record-breaking bimbles, culminating in his 261-mile Pennine Way run in July 2020.
We have just got our hands on a copy so if we go quiet for a while, we’re just reading! Damian has been a regular news story on RUN247 here.
In It for the Long Run by Damian Hall
- Paperback: ISBN: 978-1-83981-043-5
- Author: Damian Hall
- Publication date: 6 May 2021
In 1989, Mike Hartley set a record/Fastest Known Time (FKT) for the Pennine Way, running Britain’s oldest National Trail in two days and seventeen hours, without stopping for sleep. Hartley’s record stood for thirty-one years, until two attempts were made on it in two weeks in the summer of 2020. First, American John Kelly broke Hartley’s record by thirty-four minutes. Then Hall knocked another three hours off Kelly’s time.
Hall used his record-bothering run to highlight concerns for our climate and ecological emergency: his attempt was carbon negative, he created no plastic waste, and he and his pacing runners collected litter as they went, while also raising money for Greenpeace. A vegan, Hall used no animal products on his attempt. Scrawled on his arm in permanent marker was ‘F F F’, standing for Family, Friends, Future.
Packed with dry wit and humour, In It for the Long Run tells of Hall’s nine-year preparation for his attempt, and of the run itself. He also gives us an autobiographical insight into the deranged, custard-splattered, hedgehog-dodging world of ultramarathon running and record attempts.
Chrissie Wellington OBE, four times Ironman World Champion gives her opinion: ‘This slam-dunk, must-read of a book captures everything that is so incredible about ultrarunning and a life lived to the absolute fullest. Through Damian’s intriguing and entertaining story, we get to experience the rawness, the adventure, the beauty, the despair, the anguish, the exhilaration and the unbridled joy of tacking endurance challenges head-on. It’s a rollercoaster of emotion, of inspiration and ultimately of positivity, and will make you realise that you can achieve your dreams, however crazy they might seem. In it for the Long Run is a book I’ll turn to again and again to remind myself of what the human body and mind really are capable of. Awesome.’
Get your copy at the publishers website here.
