The Longest Race
A Lifelong Runner, an Iconic Ultramarathon, and the Case for Human Endurance
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Narrated by:
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Richard Waterhouse
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By:
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Ed Ayres
About this listen
First and foremost a book about running, The Longest Race takes listeners alongside ultramarathoner Ed Ayres as he prepares for, runs, and finishes the JFK 50-mile race at a then record-breaking time for his age division - 60 and older. But for Ayres, this race was about more than just running, and the book also encompasses his musings and epiphanies along the way about possibilities for human achievement and the creation of a sustainable civilization.
Looking back over a lifetime of more than 50 years of long-distance running, Ayres realizes that his running has taught him important lessons about endurance, patience, and foresight. These qualities, also hallmarks of being human, likely helped humans to survive and thrive in the evolutionary race - and, Ayres posits, they are qualities absolutely necessary to building a sustainable society.
Grounding each step of his argument are vivid details from this particular race and other moments across his long running career. These experiences take us far beyond the sport, into new perspectives on our origins as future - and what it means to be a part of the human race. In the end, Ayres suggests, if we can recapture the running prowess and overall physical fitness of our "wild" ancient distance-hunting ancestors, we will also be equipped to keep our bodies, our society, and the entire world running long into the future.
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-
Story
In 490 BCE Pheidippides ran for 36 hours straight from Athens to Sparta to seek help in defending Athens from a Persian invasion in the Battle of Marathon. In doing so he saved the development of Western civilization and inspired the birth of the marathon as we know it. Even now, some 2,500 years later, that run stands enduringly as one of greatest physical accomplishments in the history of mankind.
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Repetitive, no depth
- By Miles on 06-12-17
By: Dean Karnazes
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Endure
- Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance
- By: Alexander Hutchinson, Malcolm Gladwell - foreword
- Narrated by: Robert G. Slade
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Writing from both the cutting edge of scientific discovery and the front-lines of elite athletic performance, National Magazine Award-winning science journalist Alex Hutchinson presents a revolutionary account of the dynamic and controversial new science of endurance.
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Loved the content; narration frustrated me
- By Riverside Fan on 03-01-18
By: Alexander Hutchinson, and others
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Racing the Clock
- Running Across a Lifetime
- By: Bernd Heinrich
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Part memoir, part scientific investigation, Racing the Clock is the book biologist and natural historian Bernd Heinrich has been waiting his entire life to write. A dedicated and accomplished marathon (and ultra-marathon) runner who won his first marathon at age 39, Heinrich looks deeply at running, aging, and the body, exploring the unresolved relationship between metabolism, diet, exercise, and age. Why do some bodies age differently than others? How much control do we have over that process, and what effect, if any, does being active have?
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A masterpiece on nature, running and our mortality and how they are beautifully intertwined.
- By outsideD on 07-20-24
By: Bernd Heinrich
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Hell on Two Wheels
- By: Amy Snyder
- Narrated by: Sheila Stasack
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Three-time Ironman finisher Amy Snyder takes the wraps off the best kept secret in the sports world, the Race Across America (RAAM), a bicycle race like no other. Unlike its famous cousin the Tour de France, RAAM is much crazier, more gothic, and even savage: Once the gun goes off the clock doesn't stop, and the first rider to complete the prescribed 3,000-mile route is the victor. In Hell on Two Wheels, Snyder follows a group of athletes before, during, and after the 2009 RAAM.
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A documentary of the toughest bike race
- By James on 12-19-13
By: Amy Snyder
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Spartan Up!
- A Take-No-Prisoners Guide to Overcoming Obstacles and Achieving Peak Performance in Life
- By: Jeff O'Connell, Joe De Sena
- Narrated by: Christian Rummel
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Twenty-six point two miles isn’t enough anymore. Obstacle course racing, which combines the endurance challenges of a marathon with the mind-bending rigors of overcoming obstacles along the way, is taking the world by storm. At the center of this phenomenon is Joe De Sena, the driving force behind the enormously popular Spartan Race. De Sena offers a simple philosophy: commit to a goal, put in the work, and get it done.
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A different type of mindset
- By Barbara on 02-02-15
By: Jeff O'Connell, and others
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The Perfect Mile
- Three Athletes. One Goal. And Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It
- By: Neal Bascomb
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 14 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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In the tradition of Seabiscuit, critically acclaimed author Neal Bascomb reaches back to the golden age of sport and crafts an utterly captivating narrative of what may be the most remarkable athletic feat of all time.
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nailbiting, on the edge of your seat
- By Todd on 08-10-04
By: Neal Bascomb
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Running & Being
- The Total Experience
- By: George Sheehan, Kenny Moore
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Written by the late, beloved Dr. George Sheehan, Running and Being tells of the author's midlife return to the world of exercise, play, and competition, in which he found "a world beyond sweat" that proved to be a source of great revelation and personal growth. But Running and Being focuses more on life than it does, specifically, on running. It provides an outline for a lifetime program of fitness and joy, showing how the body helps determine our mental and spiritual energies.
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Great book of introspection
- By Charles West on 07-03-18
By: George Sheehan, and others
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Running Up That Hill
- The Highs and Lows of Going That Bit Further
- By: Vassos Alexander
- Narrated by: Vassos Alexander
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Vassos Alexander shares his insight from interviews with legends of the sport and his own gruelling but rewarding experiences of extraordinary endurance racing - including the legendary 152 mile Spartathlon, widely regarded as the world's most relentless race. Vassos dissects and explores the tenacity that propels many to keep on running and running and running....
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Enjoyable
- By Paul on 05-28-23
By: Vassos Alexander
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The Inner Runner
- Running to a More Successful, Creative, and Confident You
- By: Jason R. Karp PhD
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Why are so many people drawn to running? Why is running the most common physical activity? What is it about running that empowers so many people? And how can runners harness that power to create a more meaningful life? The Inner Runner addresses these questions and a whole lot more. This book is not about how to get faster or run a marathon; rather, it explores how the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other helps you harness your creative powers.
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Gets you out and moving!
- By Edith Kirk Williams on 09-11-18
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My Year of Running Dangerously
- By: Tom Foreman
- Narrated by: Tom Foreman
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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As a journalist whose career spans three decades, CNN correspondent Tom Foreman has reported from the heart of war zones, riots, and natural disasters. He has interviewed serial killers and been in the line of fire. But the most terrifying moment of his life didn't occur on the job - it occurred at home, when his 18-year-old daughter asked, "How would you feel about running a marathon with me?"
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ESPECIALLY Good for Those of Us Who Don't Run!
- By Gillian on 04-12-16
By: Tom Foreman
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Epic Survival
- Extreme Adventure, Stone Age Wisdom, and Lessons in Living from a Modern Hunter-Gatherer
- By: Matt Graham, Josh Young
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 7 hrs
- Unabridged
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Early on in his life, Matt craved a return to nature. When he became an adult, he set aside his comfortable urban life and lived entirely off the land. In this riveting narrative that brings together epic adventure and spiritual quest, he shows us what extraordinary things the human body is capable of when pushed to its limits. He learns the secrets of the Tarahumara Indians, which help him run the 1,600-mile Pacific Crest Trail in just 58 days and endure temperature swings of 100 degrees.
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Missed opportunity for what could have been a great book.
- By A. C. on 01-11-20
By: Matt Graham, and others
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Walking
- One Step at a Time
- By: Erling Kagge, Becky L. Crook - translator
- Narrated by: Atli Gunnarsson
- Length: 2 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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A lyrical account of an activity that is essential for our sanity, equilibrium, and well-being, from the author of Silence.
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A delightful and essential book
- By Yogans on 05-02-19
By: Erling Kagge, and others
What listeners say about The Longest Race
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Hillary Dolinsky
- 03-04-21
Required reading for JFK50 miler participants!
This has everything I love about running memoirs - a runner's personal journey through the sport, an incredibly detailed historical and course account of a specific goal race, and general tips on training and nutrition. I am planning to run this race later this year, and Ayres' segment-by-segment recall of the course was so descriptive that I could visualize it. This book specifically focused on Ayres' running of the 2001 race and the tone felt after 9/11. It seems especially relevant today, now 20 years later, as our country yet again processes major social, health, and cultural tragedies from 2020. This was a fun read - I will pick it up again before I run the race myself!
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- Steven
- 12-31-13
Running Info and Liberal Propaganda
What did you like best about The Longest Race? What did you like least?
This book did have some good moments and interesting running information. However, the book was overall a little boring and contained a lot of liberal politicizing. I also didn't like the way the author keeps subtly attacking Born to Run and barefoot running.
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- Stacy DiBiaso
- 04-02-21
Not what I expected
Maybe it was how this book was narrated, but I just couldn’t get into it. It felt very choppy—going from the run and then discussing aspects of the human condition and change and historical events that (maybe) predicted or (maybe) were the result of the changes the author described. The connections and conclusions seemed forced at times.
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- Adding
- 04-12-24
Interesting, relaxing listen of a runners mindset and a glimpse into the sport
Views on environment, climate change, running as a lifestyle and possibly the most popular sport, running as a natural part of human evolutionary hostory. Clears away the fad of high tech electronics for training.
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- bakaDOH!
- 07-29-21
Brilliant use of comparative metaphor with climate change
I was not expecting this book to be as deep as it is. This is a awesome use of ultra running as a metaphor for our exploration of natural resources and the toll that takes on our bodies and planet.
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-30-20
Just ok. I didnt love it but I didn't hate it
This book was very average I would give it a 7 out of 10. it's very hard to even describe how the story goes. It's almost like a late aged man's reflection on the world in life.
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- L Knight
- 12-04-14
Agenda driven & preachy
Would you try another book from Ed Ayres and/or Richard Waterhouse?
I won't spend money on another book by Ed Ayres. I didn't have a problem with Waterhouse's narration.
What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
I was grateful that the story was finished - that's all.
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
The narration was fine. No negatives.
What else would you have wanted to know about Ed Ayres’s life?
Oh, how about training & diet preferences, racing strategies and other things that relate to the adventure, the culture and joy of ultra running, rather than preachy, forlorn expressions about how much mankind has screwed up the environment?
Any additional comments?
This felt like an environmentalist's lecture, not so cleverly disguised in a tale about running a race, along with a few other random reflections. I kept hoping it would get better, but it didn't. Now, if I had bought the book with the expectation that it was an environmental lecture, then the added racing framework would have made it an enjoyable lecture. But I didn't want to listen to a sermon on the environment.
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- Vic Ramirez
- 02-17-22
Science meets ultra!
This is one of the best written books about ultra running and life. Ayres tells us an amazing running experience with great detail, sprinkled with very smart anecdotes, brilliant facts. and priceless reflections about the past, present and future. I loved this book!
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- Zoe
- 09-20-23
Anthropology?
This book isn’t what I was expecting. He talks a little about his experience being an ultra-runner, but also meanders into how people must have done it in pre-historic times. If you are into that kind of stuff, cool. While it is an amazing accomplishment, I didn’t like the narrators tone while delivering the story.
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- Jo
- 01-30-24
Good story but too much climate change
Good story overall. I did not like the many references to climate change and environmentalism throughout a story about ultramarathoner.
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