Ultramarathon Man

226.2 miles without a stop – running for almost 2 days! Actually Dean started running The Relay (a 199 mile in SFO), which is usually run by a team of 12 people doing 3 legs each of 5.5 miles, but decided to run a marathon after finishing it!
The Bad Water Ultramarathon, a 135 mile race in which your shoes may melt every hour due to the heat
The first ever marathon at the South Pole!
The Western States 100-mile endurance run!

Note that none of the above is an ordinary race.

I think each of the above is worth a book by itself, but Dean Karnazes, the man known by the moniker, which is also the title of this post has done all this and much more. This, after having stopped running for 15 years, having been a reasonably successful athlete in college.

Did I mention that he has also swum across the Bay?
There is not much a book can do to get you running. But this book comes pretty close, documenting as it does most of the pleasure and pain that accompanies running.

Highly recommended for endorphin junkies, the natural kinds.