The Pursuit of Endurance
Harnessing the Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience
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4.2 • 12 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Jennifer Pharr Davis unlocks the secret to maximizing perseverance--on and off the trail
Jennifer Pharr Davis, a record holder of the FKT (fastest known time) on the Appalachian Trail, reveals the secrets and habits behind endurance as she chronicles her incredible accomplishments in the world of endurance hiking, backpacking, and trail running. With a storyteller's ear for fascinating detail and description, Davis takes readers along as she trains and sets her record, analyzing and trail-testing the theories and methodologies espoused by her star-studded roster of mentors. She distills complex rituals and histories into easy-to-understand tips and action items that will help you take perseverance to the next level. The Pursuit of Endurance empowers readers to unlock phenomenal endurance and leverage newfound grit to achieve personal bests in everything from sports and family to the boardroom.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Long-distance hiker Davis delivers a volume that is more a journalistic exploration of the history and personalities behind the fastest-known-times phenomenon than the self-help treatise seemingly promised by the title. In 2011, Davis set and still holds the fastest known time (FKT) for women hiking the Appalachian Trail: 46 days, 11 hours, 20 minutes an average of 47 miles per day. Having been mentored by five male Appalachian and Pacific Coast Trails FKT-ers, Davis was curious whether certain personalities, or sexes, are better suited for the long haul. To that end, she serves up chapter-length profiles of her mentors, including "The Mainstream Masochist" (exercise science professor David Horton), "An Unapologetic American Male" (the John Wayne like Andrew Thompson), and "The Genuine Celebrity" (bestselling author Scott Jurek). She goes light on science, but posits that endurance is about embracing failure and "trusting the invisible voice you believe in, even if nobody else does," stating that it "isn't a human trait, it is the human trait... we exist only as long as we persist." At times reminiscent of the writings of such travel memoirists as Cheryl Strayed and Bill Bryson, this inspiring work could become a regular companion for distance hikers or, indeed, for anyone embarking on a personal challenge.
