"Amateur ultra-distance runner Robin Harvie ran his first marathon after a bet. He has never broken a record and has never won a single race in his life. Like most people, his courtship with long-distance running was gradual--a leisurely pastime that became more alluring with every completed mile. In The Lure of Long Distances Harvie elegantly blends the history of running legends with memoir to explore where simply putting one foot in front of the other can lead. His feats culminate in an effort to run the toughest footrace in the world--a non-stop 152-mile-long race of mythological proportions from Athens to Sparta. With every mile he discovers the possibility that resides in his legs, is surprised by his own reckless inhibition, and is awed by the beauty of motion.Through the scorching heat of the desert and into the darkest hours of the morning, The Lure of Long Distances taps into the attraction to long-distance running. Why do we do it, and who has done it before? Do we run to escape the routine of everyday life, or are we motivated by the promise of returning home? This is a story for anyone who has ever laced up a pair of sneakers in search of release, of how an ordinary man took on the remarkable to find out what running is really made of"--

"Amateur ultra-distance runner Robin Harvie does not run fast. He has never broken a record, has never won a single race in his life, and despite numerous attempts, has never been able to complete a marathon in less than 3 hours and 12 minutes. His strength is not running fast, but running for a long time. Upon discovering this, he decided to challenge his endurance and follow the footsteps of the original Marathon hero, Pheidippides, by running the 2009 Spartathalon in Greece, which covers 152 miles, non-stop, from Athens to Sparta. The Lure of Long Distances spans Harvie's year in preparation--a 6,000 mile plus tour of raw blisters, stretched tendons, snapped tissue, blood, sweat and meditation that culminates in his attempt to run the toughest footrace in history. The book is an elegant blend of running lore and memoir that explores where simply putting one foot in front of the other can lead. With a broken body and a racing mind, Harvie retells the running legends of history including the races of greats such as Emile Zatopek and Abebe Bikala, who famously ran the marathon in the 1960 summer Olympics barefoot. Along the way, he describes the details of his own grueling training regime and explores what is so attractive about long distance running in the first place. Why do we do it and who did it first? Do we run to escape the routine of every day life or are we motivated by the promise of returning home? Harvie takes these questions to the road, and explores what running is really made of"--