A riveting collection of stories from the world of endurance sports Endurance athletes know the feeling-that oscillation between pain and delight, the pursuit not so much of beating others but of testing your own limits, the finish that often comes with the recognition of how sweet and big life is. It doesn't matter if you're a kid trying to break a pogo stick world record or a professional athlete attempting to topple the reigning marathon champion-these endeavors in endurance have a way of fascinating us all. In Unbound: Unforgettable True Stories from the World of Endurance Sports, award-winning journalist Bill Donahue brings together an incredible collection of stories from his years of reporting on everything from cycling the wilds of Dominica to ultramarathons. They feature the fearless Swiss explorer Sarah Marquis breaking up the "boys club" of exploration, the author cross-country skiing in Alaska with the U.S. military, Karl Bushy's attempt to circumnavigate the globe on foot, a visit to Tour de France contender Nairo Quintanta's Colombian village in the High Andes, and more. The stories in Unbound span across seven countries on five continents, from the slums of Bhubaneswar, India, to the windswept tundra of the Alaskan Arctic. Take a journey with the author along the roads and trails of the world, and discover obscure stories, diverse cultures, and unforgettable characters that will leave you awed.
Bill Donahue is an independent journalist who has written for Outside, Harper's Wired, the New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, National Geographic Adventure, Men's Journal, Runner's World, the Washington Post Magazine, and more. He is the author of Runaway: How a Slave Defied America's First President and The Secret World of Saints: Inside the Catholic Church and the Mysterious Process of Anointing the Holy Dead. He is a three-time winner of the Lowell Thomas Awards gold medal for adventure travel writing.
A fascinating collection of stories from the world of endurance sports
If you've ever felt the endorphins kick in after an hour or two of running or biking, if you've ever bonked after three or four hours of cross-country skiing or, um, pogo sticking, or if you've ever sat in the couch and wondered why on earth people do things like that-this is the book for you. It's a beautiful exploration of the quirky transcendence that endurance provides! -- Bill McKibben, climate activist and author of Long Distance: A Year of Living Strenuously
