The Extra Mile: One Woman's Personal Journey to Ultrarunning Greatness

by Pam Reed

Overview

One year after her astonishing victory at the Badwater Ultramarathon, Pam Reed again made distance running history when she braved the hottest weather in years—135 degrees—to successfully defend her title. How does this 100-pound mother and stepmother of five muster the endurance and courage for the 28-hour climb from the hottest desert floor on Earth to the shadow of the continental United States' tallest point?

In The Extra Mile we watch this ultramarathon champion seek balance in her life as a wife, mother, athlete, and entrepreneur. With astonishing candor she tells of her 15-year-long battle with anorexia. And she helps us to understand her passion for ultrarunning—to discover how far the human body can be pushed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781605297590
Publisher:	Harmony/Rodale
Publication date:	09/18/2007
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

PAM REED has twice won the Badwater Ultramarathon, the world's toughest running event. She is the American women's record-holder in the 24-hour run (138.94 miles) and 48-hour run (220 miles). Reed has been featured on 60 Minutes, CNN, and The Late Show with David Letterman, as well as in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and Runner's World. She lives in Tucson, Arizona, and Jackson, Wyoming.

Table of Contents

Foreword   Charlie Engle     vii
Prologue: Boston or Bust     ix
Where I Started
Why Write? Why Run?     3
Where I Come From     9
I Was Olga Korbut     15
My Brain, Part One: A Unique Disorder     21
High School     27
From Michigan to Tucson to Michigan to Tucson to Where?     33
Where I Am
Jim: Seeing Eye-to-Eye and Butting Heads     45
I Don't Want to Be Sick     57
My Brain, Part Two: Of Mice and Me     63
Parenthood     69
The Tucson Marathon     79
Chuck Giles     89
Some Like It Hot: Badwater 1     95
My Crew     109
Badwater Too     119
The Man from Ipanema     125
Running the World, a Day or Two at a Time     129
Runners I Admire     139
I Don't Like to Run Long Distances     145
My Brain, Part Three: I'm in Control     151
You Aren't What You Eat     157
Badwater 3: Really Bad     165
You're Only a Virgin Once     171
Forrest Gump of Picacho Peak: My 300-Miler     181
Badwater 4: Jogger-a-Go-Go     191
Leadvilleand Grand Teton     201
One Day in San Diego     209
Where I'm Going
Goals     219
Desperate Housewife?     223
Friends and Family     231
Where Women Can Win     239
Conclusion: Accomplishments     243
Epilogue: A Week and a Half of Ridiculous     249
Pam Reed's Career Highlights and Records     253
Acknowledgments     255

Editorial Reviews

Pam Reed doesn't claim to be superhuman, but the evidence is there: In 2002, this 100-pound athlete won the 135-mile Death Valley "Badwater" ultra-marathon, beating her closest competitor by five hours! In 2003, she set the women's record for the USATF 24-hour track run. Last year, she became the first person to complete a 300-mile run without sleep. But, as this inspiring memoir proves, her athletic accomplishments are only half the story. The Extra Mile recounts Reed's 15-year battle with anorexia, her passion for ultra-running, and her extraordinary resolve to test her body's limits.

One of the greatest athletic achievements I have witnessed in 20 years of extreme sports.” —Chris Kostman, race director, Badwater Ultramarathon

From the Publisher