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Running with the Antelope: Life, Fitness, and Grit on the Northern Plains
Melanie Carvell is a gifted athlete who grew up in a small town in southwestern North Dakota in the 1970s. This beautiful memoir tells the story of Melanie’s remarkable journey, from the agricultural village of Mott (population 732) to world duathlon and triathlon competitions, then a splendid career as a physical therapist, director of the Sanford Women’s Health Center in Bismarck, North Dakota, and a widely sought-after motivational speaker.
Melanie learned to run on the northern Great Plains where the winters are long and harsh and the wind tests the human spirit. She attributes her national and international success to her agrarian roots and the challenge of biking, running, and swimming in one of the most formidable landscapes of America. Her motivational philosophy is, “If I can do these things, given the modesty of my upbringing and the harshness of the Dakota climate, so can you.” Running with the Antelope inspire readers to begin a program of athletic training, weight loss, or general self-improvement.
Written in a humble and accessible style, with loving anecdotes about her life as a top athlete and her work as a physical therapist, Running with the Antelope is part self-help book, part prairie memoir, and part song of love to North Dakota, which is undergoing a rapid transformation from its agrarian past to a carbon extraction industrial future.
Melanie learned to run on the northern Great Plains where the winters are long and harsh and the wind tests the human spirit. She attributes her national and international success to her agrarian roots and the challenge of biking, running, and swimming in one of the most formidable landscapes of America. Her motivational philosophy is, “If I can do these things, given the modesty of my upbringing and the harshness of the Dakota climate, so can you.” Running with the Antelope inspire readers to begin a program of athletic training, weight loss, or general self-improvement.
Written in a humble and accessible style, with loving anecdotes about her life as a top athlete and her work as a physical therapist, Running with the Antelope is part self-help book, part prairie memoir, and part song of love to North Dakota, which is undergoing a rapid transformation from its agrarian past to a carbon extraction industrial future.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published July 15, 2014
2 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 1, 2023
Carvell's book sometimes was more a series of essays or separate reflections on growing up on the prairie, running, lessons from a life of an athlete doing a little of everything in a small town to more serious pursuits as a college student and adult, and even a few stories that reveal some universal themes on parenting ... if half stars were available I probably would have given it 3.5 if only because it could have used a bit of editing or tightening up in some chapters where I found myself skimming a bit more. But as a whole, I enjoyed the reminders of the importance movement has in our lives, whether we are a competitive athlete or a parent just trying to get through the day and keep the plates spinning without any breaking. And for anyone who grew up in a small town in the Midwest, particularly on the prairie, you will see yourself reflected back from time to time.
December 28, 2019
(Full disclosure: I have been acquainted with the author for many years. I do not believe that this has influenced this review, except as stated below.)
This book is exactly what the subtitle states: “Life, Fitness, and Grit on the Northern Plains”. It is essentially an autobiography. As a transplant to the northern plains, and as a relatively new (and very slow) athlete, I enjoyed this book. It also provides glimpses into the world of small town America from half a century ago. It also appealed to me because I know many of the people and places mentioned.
I recommend it.
This book is exactly what the subtitle states: “Life, Fitness, and Grit on the Northern Plains”. It is essentially an autobiography. As a transplant to the northern plains, and as a relatively new (and very slow) athlete, I enjoyed this book. It also provides glimpses into the world of small town America from half a century ago. It also appealed to me because I know many of the people and places mentioned.
I recommend it.
May 11, 2022
10 weeks and a counting down till I can hit the road running again. This book opened the passion and fire I have for running. A lot of person stories, about her successes but like she says in the beginning this isn’t a ‘Let me tell you how to do it book.’ You see the hard work, struggle and set backs she endured and still comes out a STRONG and passionate about health and movement!
November 6, 2014
Running with the Antelope is the memoir of a North Dakota woman who broke her traditional family's expectations that as a female she would stay close to home and family. That's not to say she didn't have a full family life, with a husband and children, it's just that it wasn't to be her only life. And if you follow running and cycling events, or competitive triathlons, you may have already recognized the author's name. Melanie Carvell has been running, cycling and participating in triathlons for over 30 years, along the way earning many national and world awards.
But this isn't the story of a super hero. This book is about a real person, someone who cares about people, someone who learns lessons from defeat, and someone who might be your unassuming next door neighbor, the one who drops in with a casserole when your child is in the hospital. Reading this book made me want to be a better person, a better writer, a harder worker, and a person who took better care of her body. If Carvell can fulfill her dreams, I thought, so can I.
Running with the Antelope, however, is more than just the story of one small-town, late-bloomer who got hooked on triathlons. It is also the story of one woman's love affair with her native roots. North Dakota's plains, badlands, and wildlife play as important a role in the author's life as do her competitive dreams. Carvell's training arena was often bursting with such North Dakota wildlife as unfenced bison hogging a little traveled road, or a band of prong-horned antelope. The bison gave her reason to pause, and sometimes turn around and go another route, but the antelope only gave her joy. And the rare occasion when they joined her for her run was the inspiration for this book's title.
Running with the Antelope is the story of a juggler, a woman who is often torn between her work as a physical therapist, her responsibilities as a wife and parent, and her drive to compete. To describe the dilemma, Carvel writes:
All of us seek that elusive balance between competing demands of work and home and personal life. At what point do you leave the project at your desk, decline to attend the out-of-town conference, refuse the promotion, and limit, or even forego workout sessions and just head home. But once there, how long can you stay and be content with routine responsibilities? How long before your heart aches for the sun and for your bike and for its speed?
Carvell, at 51, is still out there pushing the limits, hoping that she will come around a bend and find a herd of pronghorns that will run with her again. Hoping, too, that despite age and injuries, there are still competitive races ahead of her.
Reading Melanie Carvell's story inspired me. I bet it will inspire you, too.
by Pat Bean
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
But this isn't the story of a super hero. This book is about a real person, someone who cares about people, someone who learns lessons from defeat, and someone who might be your unassuming next door neighbor, the one who drops in with a casserole when your child is in the hospital. Reading this book made me want to be a better person, a better writer, a harder worker, and a person who took better care of her body. If Carvell can fulfill her dreams, I thought, so can I.
Running with the Antelope, however, is more than just the story of one small-town, late-bloomer who got hooked on triathlons. It is also the story of one woman's love affair with her native roots. North Dakota's plains, badlands, and wildlife play as important a role in the author's life as do her competitive dreams. Carvell's training arena was often bursting with such North Dakota wildlife as unfenced bison hogging a little traveled road, or a band of prong-horned antelope. The bison gave her reason to pause, and sometimes turn around and go another route, but the antelope only gave her joy. And the rare occasion when they joined her for her run was the inspiration for this book's title.
Running with the Antelope is the story of a juggler, a woman who is often torn between her work as a physical therapist, her responsibilities as a wife and parent, and her drive to compete. To describe the dilemma, Carvel writes:
All of us seek that elusive balance between competing demands of work and home and personal life. At what point do you leave the project at your desk, decline to attend the out-of-town conference, refuse the promotion, and limit, or even forego workout sessions and just head home. But once there, how long can you stay and be content with routine responsibilities? How long before your heart aches for the sun and for your bike and for its speed?
Carvell, at 51, is still out there pushing the limits, hoping that she will come around a bend and find a herd of pronghorns that will run with her again. Hoping, too, that despite age and injuries, there are still competitive races ahead of her.
Reading Melanie Carvell's story inspired me. I bet it will inspire you, too.
by Pat Bean
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
September 7, 2014
Inspiring. Gives a lot of ND history along with Melanie's athletic
October 19, 2014
Will review this work in my weekly radio feature, Plains Folk. A worthwhile book on several levels.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews