The Thrill of Victory, the Agony of My Feet

Adventure racing is an exciting and fast-growing sport that combines nonstop, action-packed challenges such as trail running, mountain biking, orienteering, rock climbing, trekking, whitewater swimming, and paddling in some of the world’s most beautiful—and most challenging— places. Races last from just a few hours to two weeks, and are filled with passion, drama, sleep-deprivation, hallucinations, blisters, cramps, exhaustion—and inevitably great stories.


The Thrill of Victory, the Agony of My Feet contains over thirty first-person adventure racing stories that will take you from the leech-infested jungles of Borneo to the snow-capped peaks of Tibet to races near you. You will be entertained and inspired as you read how athletes—from beginner to expert—overcame enormous odds, physical limitations, raging storms, equipment failure, personal fears, and in one case, even the tragic death of a competitor.


These stories are as close as you can get to adventure racing without getting your feet wet.


Neal Jamison is the author of Running Through the Wall. Nic Stover and Maureen Moslow-Benway are adventure-racing competitors and journalists.