If you need to cool down on your summer runs, this month’s book is taking you across Antarctica. This is Colin O’Brady’s memoir (and he reads the audio book). I had never heard of him but thoroughly enjoyed discovering his journey. While not exactly about running (pulling a 300 pounds sledge on skis isn’t exactly running π ), the endurance and resilience definitely resonated with me. The mental aspects of pushing limits and figuring out what is inside us when we don’t think we can continue had lots in common with ultra running.
How do you react when a Doctor tells you you will never walk normally again?
The terrible accident that Colin faced in his early twenties, as he was traveling the world, opened some unexpected doors by letting him explore what he considered possible. With the support of his mom, his partner Gena, and various friends (and later sponsors), he turned a tragedy into a life long quest to push the impossible and inspire others (in particular kids) to define their own impossible.
The book is centered around the attempt to be the first to cross the Antarctic land mass, in full autonomy and human powered (e.g. no kite to help pull). Throughout the story, he brings in memories from his life journey that provide context for how he came to decide to set this record, the various challenges he faced and how they are helping him to find the mental and physical energy to keep going and push for his impossible.
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