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Great Races, Incredible Places: 100+ Fantastic Runs Around the World
“Running the Mount Everest Marathon is like running in heaven.”
Kimi Puntillo has literally run around the globe to bring over 100 of the world’s most entertaining, breathtaking, and unforgettable races to runners of every capability.
Ranging from marathons to one-milers, from the pristine glaciers of Antarctica to Vermont’s covered bridges, two-time Guinness World Record holder Puntillo offers practical and unique advice as only a woman who has run a marathon on every continent can. She shares her tips for the most desirable gear, snacks to carry in your backpack, how savvy runners get into events that are sold out months in advance, and the best local sights to take in on your downtime.
Try the Great Wall Marathon, where you’ll climb 60,000 steps, crawl through ancient tower windows, and follow in the footsteps of ancient Chinese history. The Marathon du Médoc spoils you with wine every three miles at Bordeaux’s most elite châteaus and fresh-shucked oysters at mile 23. Or, if music is your thing and you long for a different rock band at every mile marker, head out to the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon series in locales across the United States.
Whether you want to make those running dreams come true or simply be entertained, here are dozens of running adventures sure to get your heart pumping.
Kimi Puntillo has literally run around the globe to bring over 100 of the world’s most entertaining, breathtaking, and unforgettable races to runners of every capability.
Ranging from marathons to one-milers, from the pristine glaciers of Antarctica to Vermont’s covered bridges, two-time Guinness World Record holder Puntillo offers practical and unique advice as only a woman who has run a marathon on every continent can. She shares her tips for the most desirable gear, snacks to carry in your backpack, how savvy runners get into events that are sold out months in advance, and the best local sights to take in on your downtime.
Try the Great Wall Marathon, where you’ll climb 60,000 steps, crawl through ancient tower windows, and follow in the footsteps of ancient Chinese history. The Marathon du Médoc spoils you with wine every three miles at Bordeaux’s most elite châteaus and fresh-shucked oysters at mile 23. Or, if music is your thing and you long for a different rock band at every mile marker, head out to the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon series in locales across the United States.
Whether you want to make those running dreams come true or simply be entertained, here are dozens of running adventures sure to get your heart pumping.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 3, 2010
I saw this book hidden in the Sports section of Barnes and Noble many months ago. After flipping a few pages, it became an impulse purchase. If you've talked to me in the last year, you know that I've become a big fan of running, but also of running faraway races, so this book definitely called to me.
Kimi Puntillo does two things very well. The first is, she knows how to pick a unique race. Of all the races profiled in this book, very few are similar to each other. One runs over covered bridges in the northeastern United States, another is done entirely in a gorilla costume, another requires a donkey escort, one is a 197-mile relay, one finishes in Machu Picchu, another is run exclusively on the Great Wall of China, etc. Her second talent involves a knack for descriptive detail. She doesn't give you the same gloss you could find on these races' websites, but offers something more.
However, one thing Puntillo doesn't do very well is give a personal touch to these descriptions. By this I mean, I didn't get a sense for what it was actually like to run these courses. Her style is very dry, very rarely using "I" or talking about her own experience while running. Did she have to train more than usual for this race? What motivated her to pick x or y race instead of another? Were there any memories associated with certain cities? Did any friends or family members run with her? All the hallmarks that make sports memoirs so memorable were jarringly missing.
That, of course, is unfair because this book never said it was a memoir. It's definitely a travel book before a sports book, but I don't think adding a personal touch would have betrayed the book's intentions as a travelogue. In fact, it would have helped it by showing that traveling, like racing, is and can be a very emotional undertaking.
For anyone looking to go run a marathon in distant, exotic places, this book is the perfect starting point. For someone looking for inspiration to start or continue training, I'd look elsewhere.
Kimi Puntillo does two things very well. The first is, she knows how to pick a unique race. Of all the races profiled in this book, very few are similar to each other. One runs over covered bridges in the northeastern United States, another is done entirely in a gorilla costume, another requires a donkey escort, one is a 197-mile relay, one finishes in Machu Picchu, another is run exclusively on the Great Wall of China, etc. Her second talent involves a knack for descriptive detail. She doesn't give you the same gloss you could find on these races' websites, but offers something more.
However, one thing Puntillo doesn't do very well is give a personal touch to these descriptions. By this I mean, I didn't get a sense for what it was actually like to run these courses. Her style is very dry, very rarely using "I" or talking about her own experience while running. Did she have to train more than usual for this race? What motivated her to pick x or y race instead of another? Were there any memories associated with certain cities? Did any friends or family members run with her? All the hallmarks that make sports memoirs so memorable were jarringly missing.
That, of course, is unfair because this book never said it was a memoir. It's definitely a travel book before a sports book, but I don't think adding a personal touch would have betrayed the book's intentions as a travelogue. In fact, it would have helped it by showing that traveling, like racing, is and can be a very emotional undertaking.
For anyone looking to go run a marathon in distant, exotic places, this book is the perfect starting point. For someone looking for inspiration to start or continue training, I'd look elsewhere.
November 19, 2012
I especially liked how the author made a point of mentioning how the average temperature of 80 degrees at some of these runs so hot. For anyone who runs in Baltimore during the summer, this is known as air conditioned comfort.
September 8, 2009
Makes me want to travel the world with my running shoes on!
January 18, 2010
Great information about races all over the world.
November 12, 2010
very interesting
May 21, 2013
Lots of fun to read and to think about running in some crazy places and situations. Wish that I could do the one on the Great Wall of China.
July 29, 2014
Pleased to see I've actually run 1 of these 100 races....also way too interested in about 80 more she writes about! So many miles but such great experiences!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews